Aga Khan considers Portugal "a country of opportunity"

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Aga Khan quoted "just to name a few examples," which he called "strong roles played by the Portuguese leadership" at the United Nations and UNESCO, the European Commission and - since last week - at the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Aga Khan said that the approximately 40,000 faithful who join these celebrations in Portugal will also have "the opportunity to discover Portugal", joining "a great wave of foreigners" that have made the country one of the travel destinations with growth in the world.

Portugal has become "a country of opportunity", which, he stressed, is not an easy task: "It has to be worked on by the people and governments of a nation in a creative way, with patience and persistence."

One country of opportunity, he added, is one that "encourages cooperation between diverse interests, fostering partnerships between government and the private sector, while also encouraging established private organizations to serve public goals."

Aga Khan also pointed out that Portugal ranks among the top five places in the 2018 Global Peace Index, in a report prepared by the Institute for Economy and Peace, which includes several indicators from 162 countries.

Already in Portugal since Friday, the country where he will be officially residing, the prince began his official visit on Monday, having been honored by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, followed by a meeting with the prime minister, António Costa, attending at night a dinner in his honor, offered by the head of State, in the Palace of Queluz.

The AKDN, the Aga Khan Development Network, is now a group of international private agencies seeking to improve the conditions of people in various regions of the world, with an annual budget for non-profit activities of around 600 million euros.