Luxembourg Bestows Grand Cross of the Order of Merit on Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa

As part of the festivities surrounding the Luxembourg National Day, Prime Minister and Minister of State Xavier Bettel, accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Felix Braz, participated in an official reception organised by the Luxembourg Embassy in Lisbon on Tuesday.

With over 95,500 Portuguese nationals and a large number of people of Portuguese descent, including the Deputy Prime Minister himself, the Portuguese community is by far the largest expatriate community in Luxembourg. As such, the Luxembourg Government works in close cooperation with the Portuguese Government, which results in excellent bilateral relations between the two countries.

During his speech at the official reception on the occasion of the National Day, the Luxembourg Prime Minister emphasised this aspect: "It is a pleasure to be in Lisbon, a city of culture and history, to celebrate our national holiday with the Luxembourg community established in Portugal and jointly with our Portuguese friends. For Luxembourgers and all those who reside in Luxembourg, our national holiday is the symbol of the unity of our country and I am therefore honoured to be able to celebrate this important day here in Portugal - a country with which we know particular links of friendship that binds our peoples".

During this same reception, the Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa received the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. During the presentation of this honorary distinction, Xavier Bettel stated: "This distinction is a symbol of Prime Minister Costa's commitment to our countries' bilateral relations, as well as to strengthening ties between our communities. The Prime Minister is an important ally of Luxembourg at the European level and a friend of Luxembourg - and we are very grateful to him".

During this official visit and before the reception, the Luxembourg Prime Minister had a series of meetings. Firstly, Xavier Bettel met with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Portuguese Republic, during which there was an exchange on the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries. In this context, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel noted: "I welcome the large number of high-level exchanges between Portugal and Luxembourg, thus testifying to the friendship between our countries and I would like to stress the importance of the contribution of the Portuguese community of Luxembourg to economic wealth and cultural life of the Grand Duchy. 

This was followed by a working meeting with the Mayor of Lisbon, Fernando Medina, during which the significant development of the city of Lisbon in recent years was discussed. Indeed, in 2020, Lisbon will be the European Green Capital and exchanges on the importance of sustainable policies have already taken place.