Atlantic Islander
05-24-2013, 04:12 PM
A letter sent to State Secretary John Kerry, signed by three members of the US Congress, has come out against plans to close the American Consulate located in Ponta Delgada in the Azores. Below is a copy of the letter:
Dear Secretary Kerry:
As Members of Congress representing vibrant Portuguese American communities, we write regarding the future of the American Consulate in Ponta Delgada, on the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores. Because the economic, cultural, and personal ties between these large Portuguese American populations and the Azores continue to be very strong, we oppose the complete elimination of visa service at this important consulate.
The U.S. Consulate in Ponta Delgada is one of the oldest continuously operating U.S. consulates in the world, beginning when Thomas Jefferson was Secretary of State. For hundreds of years, it has provided full consular services to the many American citizens on all of the islands that makeup the archipelago, and the consulate is important to the bilateral relationship between the United States and Portugal.
Mindful of the budgetary challenges facing our nation, we are supportive of your efforts to find places where expenditures can be reduced. However, in light of the U.S. Air Force's decision to adjust the force structure at Lajes Field airbase on Terceira Island, we applaud you for maintaining operations at the U.S. Consulate in Ponta Delgada and urge you to consider all possible alternatives that would enable some level of visa service at the consulate. The elimination of this service would force individuals to travel more than 1,000 miles to the U.S.Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal. This seems to be an undue burden considering the relatively small amount of savings the Department of State stands to gain by eliminating the service.
Thank you for your consideration of this matter. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
David Cicilline, Jim Costa and David Valadao,
Members of Congress
source (http://theportugalnews.com/news/portuguese-americans-fight-for-azores-us-consulate/28489)
Dear Secretary Kerry:
As Members of Congress representing vibrant Portuguese American communities, we write regarding the future of the American Consulate in Ponta Delgada, on the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores. Because the economic, cultural, and personal ties between these large Portuguese American populations and the Azores continue to be very strong, we oppose the complete elimination of visa service at this important consulate.
The U.S. Consulate in Ponta Delgada is one of the oldest continuously operating U.S. consulates in the world, beginning when Thomas Jefferson was Secretary of State. For hundreds of years, it has provided full consular services to the many American citizens on all of the islands that makeup the archipelago, and the consulate is important to the bilateral relationship between the United States and Portugal.
Mindful of the budgetary challenges facing our nation, we are supportive of your efforts to find places where expenditures can be reduced. However, in light of the U.S. Air Force's decision to adjust the force structure at Lajes Field airbase on Terceira Island, we applaud you for maintaining operations at the U.S. Consulate in Ponta Delgada and urge you to consider all possible alternatives that would enable some level of visa service at the consulate. The elimination of this service would force individuals to travel more than 1,000 miles to the U.S.Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal. This seems to be an undue burden considering the relatively small amount of savings the Department of State stands to gain by eliminating the service.
Thank you for your consideration of this matter. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
David Cicilline, Jim Costa and David Valadao,
Members of Congress
source (http://theportugalnews.com/news/portuguese-americans-fight-for-azores-us-consulate/28489)