António Costa regrets that it was not possible to coordinate the ceremonies in Faro

Prime Minister António Costa expressed regret this Wednesday that the ceremonies for changing the name of Faro Airport could not be harmonized with the ceremonies of the Municipality Day of the Algarve capital.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t agree on schedules,” António Costa said on the sidelines of the official name given to Faro Airport as Aeroporto Gago Coutinho, as part of the Brazilian bicentenary celebrations.

Faro Mayor Rogério Bacalhau told Lusa on Tuesday that he found it “unfortunate” that the prime minister ignored the opinion of the municipality in preparing the ceremony, which took place this morning at Faro International Airport.

The ceremony, held at 10:30, coincided with the Day of the Municipality of Faro, which took place in the city’s Teatro das Figuras, during which persons were invited who were also invited to the event at the same time as Antonio’s presence. Costa.

“I find it unfortunate that the Prime Minister is promoting Brazil’s independence and 200th anniversary ceremonies in Faro and that there is no one in his office to contact the mayor. […] to contact you to inform you and, in this case, taking into account that it is City Day […]to formulate it all,” Rogerio Bacalhau told Lusa.

The mayor cited this as “an inconvenience to everyone” and cited as an example the case of Admiral Enrique Gouveia y Melo, Chief of Naval Staff and National Maritime Administration, who was awarded the Honorary Key of the City of Faro. and from the President of the Algarve Committee for Coordination and Regional Development (CCDR), José Apolinario, who will receive the award as former President of the Algarve Capital.

For his part, António Costa considered that “a happy coincidence, Brazil’s Bicentennial Day is also the Day of the Municipality of Faro”, and congratulated “all the inhabitants of Faro and their municipality”.

In a letter sent to António Coste on September 1, which Luza had access to, Faro’s mayor had already expressed his “dissatisfaction and sadness” over the way the awards ceremony for Faro’s new international airport had been planned. face value

In the same letter, the president of the municipality of Algarve also criticized “the trend towards the removal of the name Faro from the official nomenclature”. [do aeroporto] Algarve, against the will of the people of Faro.”