The King continued,"Prime Minister, I would like to put on the table with you an offer to strengthen our already longstanding ties. As you are no doubt aware relations between our countries go as far back as the middle ages; when English crusaders on the way to the Holy Land helped our then King, Afonso Henriques, retake Lisbon from the Moors. My Prime Minister and I are convinced that both our nations would benefit from further uniting our causes."