The president of the Legislative Assembly of the Azores, Luís Garcia, argued on Sunday in Fall River, United States, that mechanisms should be created to ensure the political representation of the Diaspora in the Azorean Parliament.
Luís Garcia pointed out that this already happens at the national level. “If the country already guarantees emigrants this right at the national level, we too, in the Region, must ensure that physical distance is not an obstacle to citizenship,” he said at a meeting organized by the Portuguese American Leadership Council of the United States (PALCUS).
The event was attended by the mayor of Fall River, the Portuguese consul in New Bedford, and other local and state politicians.
For Luís Garcia, this would be a “sign of respect and justice for all Azoreans living abroad.”
He also pointed out the connection between the Azores and the young diaspora as another central challenge for the region, which requires “concrete strategies and initiatives” capable of involving people of Portuguese descent, such as the creation of cultural and academic exchange programs or the promotion of initiatives that bring these young people closer to the region.
“The Azores of today are very different from those that saw so many of our people leave. Today we are a land of opportunity. And it is this new face that we must make known to the new generations of Azorean descendants,” he stressed.
Luís Garcia argued, according to a press release from the Assembly, that PALCUS can play an important role in strengthening ties between political institutions, community associations, and citizens of the Azores and the United States, helping to strengthen the connection between both sides of the Atlantic.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.