It’s not just language that unites Brazil and Portugal, as the latter’s president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa (pictured) made clear at the weekend upon arriving in Rio de Janeiro. Within hours of touching down, the head of state was seen swimming at Copacabana Beach, accompanied by culture minister Pedro Adão e Silva. But there’s more to their relaxed beach day than meets the eye.President de Sousa's whistle-stop trip marked the 100th anniversary of the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro – and 200 years since Brazil’s independence from Portugal. That flight was crucial in strengthening the relationship between the two Lusophone nations. To honour the connection, his schedule included meetings with former Brazilian presidents including Lula da Silva, Michel Temer and Fernando Henrique Cardoso, as well as a planned stop in Brasília to sit down with current Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro that never came to pass. Instead of successful diplomacy, the headlines were dominated by Bolsonaro’s decision to cancel the lunch after he discovered that De Sousa also planned to meet with Lula, his main opposition in October’s elections.