Miguel Frasquilho leaves AICEP in early 2017 – the Public.en

Miguel Frasquilho will leave the Agency for Investment and External Commerce of Portugal (AICEP) when the end of his term, at the end of 2016, admitting close some files until the beginning of 2017, said in an interview with the Daily News and TSF.

Frasquilho, which left the vice-presidency of the parliamentary group of the PSD to direct the AICEP in April 2014 at the invitation of the then prime minister Pedro Passos Coelho, assures in the interview that his departure has nothing to do with who is in Government. "It was an initiative that came from me, and it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that there has been a change of Government," he said in the interview. “I’m not leaving on 31 December 2016 at midnight, in principle, in the first months of 2017, I will proceed in functions, to close the dossier for 2016 yet and your time if you know what I’m going to do next”, he emphasised.

The responsible person further said that he feels that the its strategic plan for the agency has been achieved, and gives as an example the fact that until you have been open a delegation in Tehran. "In this context, the strategic plan has been implemented as had been planned, it is very close to the end, and I have this moment the feeling of mission accomplished."

This Friday, the Business Journal publishes another interview with Miguel Frasquilho, where, in this case, not wanted to talk about his future (which, he said, “to God belongs”). This business newspaper, the president of the agency linked to investment and exports has argued that the image of Portugal “has improved gradually”.

Miguel Frasquilho had succeeded Pedro Reis, who chose to serve only one term ahead of the AICEP. Elected deputy by the PSD in 2002, Frasquilho, known until then by the office of the chief economist of Banco Espírito Santo, took over at that time, but for short duration, the folder of the secretary of State for Treasury and Finance, after having participated in the drafting of the economic programme of the PSD.

The minister Augusto Santos Silva said respect the decision of Miguel Frasquilho in a statement sent to Lusa news agency.

“The minister of Foreign Affairs, regarding this decision and want to, in the occasion that she is well-known, publicly thank dr. Miguel Frasquilho the dedication and competence with which has performed its function,” reads the note.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with responsibility for AICEP, the administration presided over by Frasquilho “complete course of his mandate, in accordance with normal” and “in due course will be informed of the composition of the new administration.”