On Wednesday (14), a delegation from the Brazilian Senate visited Guinea-Bissau, the third stop on a trip to six African countries. The visit was set up by the Committee on External Relations and National Defense (CRE). Authorities of Guinea-Bissau asked Brazil to raise its investments and also to help reorganizing the institutions of that country.

Senators Heráclito Fortes (DEM-PI), CRE’s president and leader of the delegation, Marconi Perillo (PSDB-GO), João Pedro (PT-AM) and José Nery (PSOL-PA) met with the president of that country, general João Bernardo “Nino” Vieira, with the  minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Maria da Conceição Nobre Cabral, and with the vice-president of the Popular National Assembly, Iaia Djaló. All the meetings occurred in the capital, Bissau.

Deputy Djaló spoke about the lack of energy at his country and the need of qualifying the local parliament. He also asked for support to the elections for the Popular National Assembly, which will happen in November. According to Djaló, Guinea-Bissau needs foreign assistance to run the election.

Heráclito Fortes suggested sending technicians of the parliament from Guinea-Bissau to Brazil, so that they could be qualified by exchanging experience with the Brazilian Senate’s technicians. He also said that Vale company would be interested in negotiating the construction of a hydroelectric power station that could meet the energy’s demand of the country.

Senator Marconi Perillo, president of the Committee on Infrastructure Services of the Brazilian Federal Senate, said that, after arriving in Brazil, the senators should form a permanent working group to collaborate with Guinea-Bissau and other African countries.

- You can count on our support. In the National Congress, we will seek solutions that will bring positive outcomes to your problems – he affirmed.

Senator João Pedro complimented the locals for their fight for improvements of the country’s life conditions. Senator João Pedro praised Guinea-Bissau’s interest for democracy and free elections. He said that the difficulties of the African country are the same found in some regions of Brazil.