"These are themes of great concern to us all and should be at the top of the agenda for the European Union and for all of our nations," said the Portuguese head of state.


Cavaco Silva maintained that immigration, asylum and human rights require “require grand cooperation and dialogue between the European Union and the countries of the southern Mediterranean Sea" with dialogue as “fundamental as this partnership between the two sides of the Mediterranean.”


The President only spoke briefly following a meeting by Parliamentary President Assunção Esteves who was updating him on work undertaken by a two-day meeting of the aforementioned parliamentary union.


Esteves said that ten concrete short and medium term measures would be presented at that summit before then being sent onwards to the respective European authorities.