Official visit to the Azores

Premier, the Hon. David Burt JP, MP, led a Government delegation on a three-day official visit to the Autonomous Region of the Azores, from 12 to 14 July, at the invitation of His Excellency José Manuel Bolieiro, President of the Regional Government of the Azores. The Premier was joined by the Minister of Tourism, Transport, Culture and Sport, the Hon. Owen Darrell. The visit returned the courtesy of President Bolieiro's visit to Bermuda in October 2024, and that of former President Vasco Cordeiro in 2019. It reaffirmed the deep ties between the two island communities.

The programme opened with an official audience with President Bolieiro at Sant'Ana Palace in Ponta Delgada, where the Premier signed the Book of Honour on behalf of the people of Bermuda and took part in a gift exchange. Discussions with the President spanned the full breadth of the relationship and confirmed a shared determination to turn nearly 180 years of history into practical cooperation.

A centrepiece of the visit was the Regional Government's presentation of the Blue Azores Programme, through which the Azores has established the largest network of marine protected areas in the North Atlantic, protecting thirty per cent of the Azorean Sea. Recognising Bermuda's own science-based approach through the Bermuda Ocean Prosperity Programme, and the waters of the Sargasso Sea that both archipelagos share, the Premier proposed, and the Regional Government welcomed, a structured technical exchange between the two jurisdictions on marine protection, enforcement, sustainable fisheries and conservation financing.

At a working session on the Azorean community in Bermuda, the delegation heard directly from community representatives, and several shared priorities were advanced. These included Bermuda's role in the 2027 celebrations marking 600 years since the discovery of the Azores; progress toward the reciprocal recognition of Bermuda driving licences; the value of the direct air link between the two islands; and support for the development of a GCSE in Portuguese for Bermudian students.

The Premier also met Professor Susana Mira Leal, Rector of the University of the Azores, in the University's fiftieth-anniversary year. The meeting produced several concrete outcomes: a new workstream connecting the University's oceanographic research with Bermuda's marine experts; an agreement to explore study pathways between Bermuda College and the University; and a mechanism to transfer agricultural expertise to Bermuda through the University's School of Environmental and Agrarian Sciences.

In addition, the Premier and delegation were pleased to note that two young Bermudians of Azorean descent, Sydney Rego and Catrina Furtado, are currently studying in the Azores as the first Bermudian participants in the FLAD Summer Programme.

The wider programme showcased Azorean life and innovation, including visits to the Azores Autonomy Museum and the Azorean Emigration Museum, the Ribeira Grande Geothermal Power Station, and the NONAGON Science and Technology Park. At the Azores Centre for Manufacturing, the Premier met Mr Luís Estrela, Regional Director for Agriculture, Veterinary and Food, and discussed how Bermuda might benefit from the Azores' expertise in food production. It was agreed that the Azorean Government would send dairy experts to Bermuda, an outcome of direct relevance to the island's food security at a time when nations across the globe are focused on the resilience of their supply chains.