Support for Ukraine and food security discussed at the meeting of Portugal and the United States

The Permanent Bilateral Commission (CBP) between Portugal and the United States of America (USA) met on Tuesday in Washington, where they reaffirmed their “unwavering support for Ukraine” and discussed ways to alleviate food insecurity caused by the war.

According to a joint statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE), the 49th CBP meeting highlighted the economic implications of the Russian offensive for the rest of the world, namely food security, along with security and defense issues. in particular, preparations for the NATO summit scheduled for July in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.

The meeting comes at a time when talks are resuming in Istanbul to continue the Black Sea grain deal to bridge disagreements between Kiev and Moscow over Russian fertilizer exports.

The meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, will be held at a high level and in a four-party format – Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN, – said Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Vershinin.

Russia and Ukraine remain at odds over the agreement, and the pace of ship inspections has slowed significantly recently, until a total blockade was put in place on Sunday and Monday, but no inspections took place.

The meeting between Portugal and the US also emphasized the importance of Africa and joint cooperation in the Atlantic.

In addition, in the sphere of relations between the two countries, “a number of changes have taken shape in terms of format and methods, with a clear gain in efficiency and dynamism, with the excellent moment of bilateral relations becoming apparent as a result of intensive political dialogue at various levels, as well as the density and magnitude of bilateral agenda,” the MNE said.

The meeting also highlighted the “excellent development of economic relations in the fields of trade, investment and tourism” and discussed the potential for cooperation in the field of renewable energy.

“Cooperation in the field of science and technology was also highlighted, especially in terms of the importance of university partnerships and their role in internationalization in both countries,” the statement said.

The strategic importance of Base das Lajes in the context of relations between the two countries and the development of bilateral cooperation in the Azores were other topics at the 49th CBP meeting.

In this sense, it was decided that the 50th session of the CBP will symbolically take place in the Azores in November 2023, according to the Portuguese government.

The meeting, which took place on Tuesday, was co-chaired by Director General for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Ruy Viñas, Acting Under Secretary of State Derek Hogan and Under Secretary of State Jacqueline Ramos, and also chaired by Portuguese Ambassador to the United States Francisco Duarte López, United States Ambassador to Portugal Randy Charno Levin.

Also present were Azores Regional Government Vice President Artur Lima, National Defense Policy Director General Nuno Lemos Pires, Laies Base Commander Antonio Moldao and Deputy Director General for Foreign Policy. Joao Quiros.