The Prime Minister stressed this Wednesday that Portugal is not “true to the balance” on the issue of “imperialist” Russian intervention in Ukraine and demands respect for international law in defense of the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty of peoples.
António Costa set out this position in statements to journalists on the sidelines of the Council of Europe’s summit of heads of state and government in Reykjavik, after being asked whether the supply of increasingly powerful and sophisticated weapons to Ukraine by several NATO countries could have contributed to the escalation of the war. .
Faced with this issue, the leader of the Portuguese executive reiterated his solidarity with the Kyiv government: “We must have a very clear position: we are not true to the balance, where there are two equal plates.”
“We are in a very asymmetric situation, where there is a peaceful country, in which there was peace, which did not attack anyone and did not provoke anyone. And there is another country that has decided to start a war by violating international law by invading another country, killing people in that country and destroying property in that country,” he replied.
António Costa then attempted to emphasize the idea that Portugal was “off balance” by choosing which part he supported.
“Our part is clear. This is the protection of international law, the right to territorial integrity, the right to the sovereignty of each of the peoples, ”he said.
At this point, he even believed that the protection of international law “is important above all for countries the size of Portugal, because international law exists to protect the weakest.”
“To accept Russia’s imperialist war against Ukraine today means to accept tomorrow any imperialist war against any other country, including ourselves. The best way to protect our future is to protect Ukraine’s right to be protected under international law today. This is a fundamental struggle,” he said. claimed.
António Costa then turned to recent history, highlighting the diplomatic battle that Portugal fought in the 1980s and 1990s in defense of the self-determination and independence of the people of Timor-Leste against Indonesian occupation.
“We won an exceptional case when it was necessary to ensure the independence and right of Timor-Leste to self-determination against such a great power as Indonesia. This battle could only be won with complete firmness in defense of the principles of international law. Today, “We must assert the same intransigence of the principles of international law in defense of Ukraine, condemning Russia and all countries that understand that it is by resorting to force that they overcome the rule of law,” he stressed.
In short, for António Costa, “a civilized 21st century is one in which the rule of law”.
“The rule of law must be protected and this is one of the great missions of the Council of Europe. The Council of Europe is more than a platform for political dialogue, the Council of Europe has the most consolidated system that exists worldwide for the protection and effectiveness of human rights. “, he argued.
According to António Costa, the Council of Europe summit in Reykjavik “became a great moment of unity from the very beginning around the values of democracy and the promotion of human rights with a very clear statement not only of support for Ukraine, but of translating that support through the filing of damages.”
In this sense, “there was the beginning of creating conditions for holding Russia accountable for the damage caused by the barbaric war that is going on against Ukraine.”
“Unfortunately, as far as the war in Ukraine is concerned, there is no end in sight yet. Therefore, this is a process that will continue for a long time with many explosions, loss of life, destruction of property. it is imperative that Russia immediately stop attacks, withdraw its troops, end the war and create the conditions for a just and lasting peace between the two countries, guaranteeing mutual security,” he defended.
Referring to one of the main decisions of this summit in Reykjavik, the Prime Minister considered it important to fix the damage “that Russia is causing and to hold those who commit war crimes accountable.”
“This is the best way to prevent new future wars and new war crimes in the future,” he added.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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