Burt: ‘remarkable synergies’ link Bermuda and Azores
David Burt highlighted the potential of stronger ties with the Azores after an official visit to the islands.
During a three-day trip, the Premier and Owen Darrell, the Minister of Tourism, Transport, Culture and Sport, met Azorean officials and discussed areas of potential collaboration, including bringing dairy experts to Bermuda to assist local dairy production.
Mr Burt said: “We took part in a programme that showcased the very best of the Azores, from world-leading ocean conservation and geothermal energy to education, technology, food production and culture.
“At every stop, we saw the remarkable synergies between our two island communities and the potential of a deeper partnership.
“For the as-many-as one-in-five Bermudians who have some form of Azorean heritage, these islands are part of their story, and this visit made it clear that the relationship between Bermuda and the Azores now reaches beyond our historic ties towards a shared future.”
Reflecting on the visit in the House of Assembly, Mr Burt cited the Blue Azores Programme, launched in October 2024 to create a network of marine protected areas covering 30 per cent of the Azorean Sea.
He said the initiative took the same approach as the Bermuda Ocean Prosperity Programme and shared involvement by the Waitt Institute.
Mr Burt said: “I therefore proposed, and the Regional Government welcomed, a structured technical exchange between our jurisdictions covering marine protected area implementation, enforcement and monitoring, the sustainable fisheries transition and long-term conservation financing so that as two mid-Atlantic island neighbours, we can continue to lead together in ocean governance.”
He also told the House that Bermuda would play a key part in the 600th anniversary of the discovery of the Azores next year and reaffirmed that Bermuda was working with Britain to ensure Bermudian visitors to the Azores can drive there.
Mr Burt said the Bermuda delegation met Susana Mira Leal, the rector of the University of the Azores, and agreed to start a “workstream” connecting the university’s oceanographic research institute with Bermudian experts.
He said they also discussed finding synergies between the university and the Bermuda College, along with the creation of mechanisms to share the agricultural expertise of the university’s School of Environmental and Agrarian Sciences with Bermuda.
The visit stemmed from an invitation from José Manuel Bolieiro, the President of the Azores, who came to Bermuda in 2024 to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Golden Rule, which brought the first Portuguese emigrants to Bermuda in 1849.
The Bermuda delegation was welcomed in the Azores on Sunday by Paulo Jorge Abraços Estevão, the Regional Secretary of Parliamentary Affairs and Communities, before meeting Mr Bolieiro.
Representatives went on to tour the Terra Nostra Park and visit Furnas, including the island's geothermal energy facilities.
On Monday, the delegation received a presentation on the Blue Azores Programme before taking part in a working meeting on the Azorean community in Bermuda alongside Andrea Moniz-DeSouza, the president of the Association of Azorean Emigrants and Honorary Consul of Portugal in Hamilton, and Richard Ambrosio, the Azorean Diaspora Councillor for Bermuda.
The group visited the Azores Autonomy Museum Centre and the Azorean Emigration Museum, continuing to the Nonagon Science and Technology Park on Tuesday.
Mr Burt concluded the visit by meeting Luis Estrela, the Regional Director for Agriculture, Veterinary and Food within the Government of the Azores, sampling regional products.
He told the House: “Our discussions focused on how Bermuda might benefit from the Azores’ expertise in this field, especially in dairy production.
“The measure of any such visit lies in what follows.
“I have asked technical officers from the Government of Bermuda to pursue follow-up discussions with their Azorean counterparts in the areas with clear potential for co-operation including agriculture and food security, energy, cultural and digital connectivity, and academic and technical collaboration with the University of the Azores.”
Mr Darrell said earlier that the visit served as an opportunity to learn more about the Azores and provide greater context for its connections to Bermuda
He added: “Discussions on tourism and cultural co-operation highlighted areas where our islands can continue to work together.”
• To see the ministerial statement in full, see Related Media
• UPDATE: this article has been updated with comments from the House of Assembly
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