Contrary to the statements of Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Souza, the Government of Portugal announced today that it refuses to initiate any process of payment of reparations for crimes committed during the transatlantic slavery and colonial era.
From the 15th to the 19th century, six million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported across the Atlantic by Portuguese ships and sold into slavery, mostly in Brazil.
Rebelo de Souza said yesterday that Portugal could use several methods to pay reparations, such as canceling debts to former colonies and providing financial support.
However, the Portuguese Government announced that it wants "deeper improvement of mutual relations, respect for historical truth and increasingly intense and close cooperation, based on the reconciliation of fraternal nations" and added that there is no "process or program for specific actions for the payment of reparations", noting that this the political line was also followed by previous governments.
The government in Lisbon assessed that the relations with the former colonies are "really extraordinary", especially in areas such as education, language, culture, health, but also in the domain of financial and economic cooperation, reports Tanjug.
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