Brazilian president to visit Cape Verde to strengthen ties

The Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will visit Cape Verde in early 2012 to strengthen ties and cooperation between the two Portuguese-speaking countries, the leader of the Atlantic island state has said. Cape Verde\'s President Jorge Carlos Fonseca made the announcement at a press conference held on Monday in the capital Praia. Fonseca unveils the trip after his visit to Brazil on Saturday, during which he attended the Ibero-American celebrations of the International Year of Africa in Bahia state. The Cape Verde president said the visit by the Brazilian president \"will be important to strengthen the relations between the two countries\" and that it will also be an occasion for the two governments to evaluate the status of their cooperation. He also announced that the governor of Bahia state, Jacques Wagner, will visit Cape Verde in 2012. The governor will be accompanied by businessmen who are active in domains such as new technologies, renewable energy, security and professional training. Fonseca\'s official visit to Brazil was his first foreign tour since his election in September.