Portugal’s government on Saturday rejected the possibility of reparations for atrocities committed during the transatlantic slave trade during the colonial era, despite the diametrically opposed position of the country’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Souza.

From the 15th to the 19th century, six million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported across the Atlantic, where they were sold in slave markets, mainly in Brazil.

The Portuguese president expressed his belief that Lisbon could make amends through various methods, such as canceling the former colonies’ debt and providing financing.

The government commented that it wants “the deepening of mutual ties, respect for historical truth, increasingly intense and close cooperation, on the basis of reconciliation between fraternal peoples.” He clarified, however, that “there is no procedure or program of specific actions” for the payment of reparations, recalling that this line was followed by previous governments. He described relations with Portugal’s former colonies as “really excellent” and pointed to cooperation in various fields – such as education, culture and health – in addition to initiatives at the economic level.

Last Tuesday, President Rebelo de Souza underlined the need for reparations, drawing sharp criticism from right-wing and far-right parties. “We cannot leave the issue under the carpet or in a drawer. We have an obligation to start such a process (of repairs),” he insisted in his statements to reporters on Saturday.

During the colonial era, Angola, Mozambique, Brazil, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, East Timor and some territories in Asia came under Portuguese rule.

The path to the abolition of Portuguese colonialism was opened after the “Carnation Revolution”, on April 25, 1974, which ended Europe’s longest dictatorship.