In an interview, he said that for Portugal to meet the target already set of exports accounting for 50% of gross domestic product by the middle of the next decade, it would be "useful that its presence in Portuguese-language markets, whether in Africa or, in particular, in Brazil, could grow more” than exports as a whole.

This, he added, “means we should grow our exports to Portuguese-language markets by at least three per cent a year, in real terms.”

According to Brilhante Dias, Portuguese-language countries currently account for no more than 4% to 4.5% of all exports, or around 2% to 2.5% of GDP.

Taken alone, lifting the annual growth rate of 3% in exports to Portuguese-language countries within six or seven years would represent "a very significant accumulated value that would increase exports up to 2025 by approximately between 20% to 22% from the base it has today,” he said.

The prospect, he added, is "possible and with a solid base".

Among Portuguese-language countries, Angola remains the largest single market, with a weight of 2.5% in all exports - "although this country has already registered a larger weight" in the past - followed by Brazil, with around 1%.

As for Sao Tome and Principe, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau, they are small markets but ones where Portugal is very important.

The secretary of state noted, however, that despite efforts to diversify their economies the relative weight of some of these countries in Portugal’s exports depends heavily on the value of oil and gas.

"In the case of Angola this is evident; in the case of Brazil too," he pointed out, adding that in Sao Tome the same may happen and in Mozambique it is also set to, with the pumping of gas in the Rovuma Basin.

In Angola, Portugal’s government now has "the expectation of creating conditions with the Angolan government, in its purpose of diversification of the Angolan economy, so that the presence of Portugal and Portuguese companies with direct investment in Angola, but also with exports of goods and equipment that are fundamental for the diversification of the Angolan economy, can increase exports to Angola, "he said.