This Friday, December 19, the President of the Republic awarded the award of Honorary Member of the Order of Merit to the Security Information Service (SIS) and the Strategic Defense Information Service (SIED).
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa distinguished “the continued and selfless contribution of both services to the defense of democracy, internal security and the strategic interests of the Portuguese State”, can be read in a note published in official website of the Information System of the Portuguese Republic (SIRP).
The ceremony took place at Palácio de Belém, in Lisbon, and was attended by the Secretary General of the Information System of the Portuguese Republic, Vítor Sereno, and the Directors and Deputy Directors of SIS and SIED.
“The award of this decoration has special meaning in a year that marks 40 years of SIS and 30 years of SIED, symbolizing the institutional recognition of the professionalism, dedication and sense of mission demonstrated, over decades, by the men and women who serve the Portuguese State in the field of information”, can be read in the publication.
It was the first time that a President of the Republic awarded the secret award.