Ambassador of Portugal in our country, Her Excellency Ana Maria Ribeiro da Silva, gave an interview for NOVA to Desislava Banova-Plevnelieva.
Your Excellency, thank you for the opportunity to speak! I cannot remain impartial and not say that Portugal is one of my favorite countries – a country of great sailors, writers, poets, the incredible Porto, the impressive fado, the beautiful beaches and perhaps the most hospitable people I have ever seen in my life. But what do we not know about Portugal and how can we encourage more Bulgarians to visit it?
First of all, let me thank you for your interest in my country. I say that Portuguese and Bulgarians have much more similarities than people think. Both countries enjoy beautiful nature, good opportunities, hospitable people. What could I say to inspire Bulgarians to visit Portugal? I will note that there have been more and more Bulgarian tourists in Portugal in recent years. I would single out the culture. We are a country with ten centuries of history, which is very significant. And the rest – the people, the good food – it's not just port, but also the cuisine. And of course the main story. It is a country that can be discovered in so many different ways, but the historical and cultural part is very important. Also of key importance to us is stability.
Mentioning stability, Portugal is also in leading positions when it comes to social development and prosperity, media freedom, moral freedom, tranquility, democracy. In such an uncertain and confused world we live in, what is your secret recipe?
Our recipe is that after 45 years of dictatorship we learned to meet again. We learned that dialogue is the most important thing. Respect for the other. But that doesn't mean we're perfect. We are not. When we have to protest, we protest. When we have to fight for our rights, we do. But we do it in a way where people don't riot or break windows or shop windows or anything like that. This is our way. We like to be stable in an unstable environment and this is one of the main advantages of our people.
In this regard, Portugal is probably one of the most peaceful countries in the world. Portugal is also among the founding members of NATO, the Eurozone, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. With so many wars and conflicts around us, what is your advice for world peace?
Very simple – dialogue and only dialogue. When we got involved in all these organizations and institutions, when we joined the European Union, we improved our ability to negotiate – they pre-exist, it is in our nature to negotiate. To show understanding, you have to listen to everyone around the table. You may have different opinions, because you cannot always agree, but you debate, you argue – ok well you argue maybe it's too loud. You debate, you talk, you listen. First you listen. Then you present your arguments. In the end, all the differences that may have seemed huge become smaller.
The EU leaders elected your former Prime Minister Antonio Costa as the President of the European Council. This is a great recognition for Portugal. What should we expect?
Like I said, dialogue.
It is a magic word.
Yes. Dialogue. Understanding. Trying to avoid conflict. And an experience of one of the distinctive features of Portugal – to build bridges.
Great! How would you assess the bilateral relations between Portugal and Bulgaria and what are the prospects?
Bilateral relations between Portugal and Bulgaria are seen by both sides as excellent! Our president and your president are close friends, as evidenced by the bilateral visits. There is room for improvement, of course. There is a lot of potential, especially in the economic sphere. It takes a lot of work. I have made a commitment to contribute to this. It will probably take longer. It is possible that it will remain as a legacy for the one who will replace me. But we try to work in many spheres, mainly in culture. We, as well as you, through your ambassador in Lisbon, promote the development of knowledge about our cultures. We work closely with each other and are proud of what we have achieved together.
You have been in diplomacy for a long time. You have worked and lived in many countries around the world. How would you describe the life of diplomats?
Challenging. It's always a challenge. You have to be broad-minded. You shouldn't take things for granted. You have to find out what the countries are like, the people. To adapt. This is the main secret.
If you had to describe your working day, how does it go?
How is it going? It depends on the meetings, the conferences I have to attend and the work I have to do here. And on weekends, like last weekend. When the Portuguese have a problem here, we come and open the doors.
The ambassador's job is 24/7, right?
Yes. This is what our people expect from us – taxpayers. Here is the library. We welcome Bulgarians and Portuguese, but mostly Bulgarians – they borrow books from here, take them home and return them later.
Are they in Portuguese?
Both in Portuguese and Bulgarian. We have novels, scholarly publications, fiction. There are also Bulgarian translations of Portuguese works. One of our favorite writers in Bulgaria is Jose Rodriguez dos Santos.
Oh yes, I have talked to him!
It was here, as you know.
Yes, I think he has been to Bulgaria 4 times and loves Bulgaria. And what is your favorite book?
Mine? I like Fernando Pessoa.
Super!
Here we try to collect our masterpieces.
These are all Portuguese authors and their Bulgarian translations?
Yes. We are trying to have even more translations of Portuguese books into Bulgarian.
This is great for cultural exchange between the two countries.
Absolutely. Every time at the Night of Literature – last week for example – or we invite a guest or introduce people we collaborate with and organize a reading of Portuguese texts with live translation.
You have been in Bulgaria for more than three years. How do you feel here and what is your favorite place in our country?
Yes. Look, I couldn't say a particular favorite place in your country. My favorite place is your country. You have a wonderful country. I have toured Bulgaria from end to end. I feel comfortable here. I like it. I don't miss going anywhere. And I'm not just talking about the big cities. You always find some hidden corner.
Who are better at diplomacy, men or women? You have met many ambassadors.
Look, let's not talk about gender issues. You know, people always say men are better than women or women are better than men. I can only tell you that there are so many competent men as well as women. And just as many incompetent men as women. And vice versa. It depends on the person himself.
I found out before our conversation that you have four children. How do you manage to combine four children and the energetic life of a diplomat?
Discipline. As in diplomacy, you have an agenda. It's the same with children – you have a plan, you set your goals and you strive to do your best. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But we usually achieve our goals.
Your Excellency, what is the greatest miracle in your life?
My children.