Defense Minister Nuno Melo this Thursday made his first visit to Portugal’s missions abroad, declaring during the deployment of F-16 fighter jets in Lithuania that the presence of national forces in the region puts Portugal on the “right side of history.”
The minister was referring to the war in Ukraine, which began with the Russian invasion in February 2022, which has given new urgency to the missions of the Air Force and Navy Marines’ F-16s with their NATO-wide Baltic Sea patrol missions.
Speaking to Lusa and TVI/CNN at Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania, where four F-16 fighter jets and 87 Portuguese troops are stationed, Nuno Melo said the surveillance mission in the Baltic region will continue in the future. , at least through the Air Force.
“The Portuguese presence along this very sensitive border will be ensured in the future through the air force, but not only,” the minister said, without further detailing the national missions, which are renewed annually.
According to the defense minister, this presence in Lithuania, neighboring the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, “shows how Portugal manages to be on the right side of history” along with those who “defend democracy and freedom from dictatorship and oppression.”
In recent days, several of Ukraine’s partners have defended Kyiv’s forces’ use of Western weapons against military targets inside Russia, but the issue continues to divide the allies.
On Wednesday, Nuno Melo, answering a question about this on the sidelines of the Schumann Forum in Brussels, also supported the offensive of Ukrainian forces on Russian territory, but stressed that this is his personal position, which does not oblige the government.
This Thursday, he did not want to add “one more line or one more word to what has been said and reproduced,” noting only that we are talking about “defensive operations with all the ensuing consequences,” adding: “Who understands the military context, you know what I’m talking about”.
Also, the Minister of Defense did not return to the topic of Portuguese military assistance to Ukraine after the signing of a bilateral agreement with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on Tuesday in Lisbon, explaining “what the Minister of Foreign Affairs has already abundantly explained.” Cases”, regarding the amount of 126 million euros in aid to Kyiv involved in the agreement for 2024, and 250 million that Paulo Rangel allocated until 2025.
“As for supporting Ukraine, and to the best of our capabilities in the military component, a lot has been done in the past, is being done and will be done in the future,” he said, emphasizing that assistance had a wide horizon in the future and other priority problems, such as reconstruction.
According to Nuno Melo, “there is a war to be won and a country to be restored and that we want to be with us in the European Union, and that is what is important” and the rest is “a certain ‘grocery store’ in that “that there is a dialectic in political discussion.”
According to the Minister of Defense, “foreign policy is associated with the great authority of Portugal” in the context of “civilized countries.” It is in this sense that he describes his first visit to Portuguese missions abroad since taking office last April, and especially “because of the geopolitical circumstances” and what is happening there, he said, referring to the Baltic region.
Currently, according to the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, José Nunes da Fonseca, who is accompanying the ministerial delegation in Lithuania, there are more than a thousand military personnel in three branches of the Armed Forces in Portugal on four continents.
“We are talking about eight missions from the European Union, eight from NATO, there are two UN missions, six from different coalitions, one within the Frontex framework, always with outstanding military personnel who represent the best armed forces,” Nuno Melo emphasized, complimenting the Portuguese military for “standing with the times and what is demanded of them, side by side with any other ally or any other country.”
The government official also did not elaborate on the request, which his Lithuanian counterpart Laurynas Katsūnas said was made to him this morning at a meeting they both held in Vilnius, regarding training on air defense systems.
“It is important to understand the ability of the Tri-Branch Armed Forces to actually provide training to our allies on demand, especially in the context of NATO, but not only in various missions,” the head of the Ministry of Defense said. , interpreting that this is an acknowledgment of what they have already done in the past.
Nuno Melo argued that “it is very good and important that the Portuguese are aware of the possibilities of a state of readiness, as well as the need for constant investment in the Armed Forces”, which he understands not as a fad, but rather as “the first expression of sovereignty”, and it requires investment.
In this regard, he also chose not to comment on recent statements by Air Force Chief of Staff João Cartaço Alves, who is also part of the ministerial delegation and who warned of the need for Portugal to replace F-16 fighters. such as those that were transferred to Lithuania, for more modern vehicles such as the F-35.
“What I’m saying is that it would be very abnormal if those most responsible for various industries did not demand better technology. This is what needs to happen, and the political authorities must also be able to adapt fiscal space to what is happening. wishes of the Armed Forces,” limited himself to comments.
Nuno Melo promised a constant dialogue with investment in the Armed Forces as a priority, “based on the truth, so as not to fail,” with the military leaders of the three branches of the military, who, with the exception of the army, listened to him during these statements at the air base in Siauliai.
In addition to visiting an Air Force F-16 detachment, the Secretary of Defense visited Camp Kairayi, home to 146 Marine Corps personnel as the mission continues to deter threats on NATO’s eastern flank through a military presence. and must be reinforced by the R-3 maritime patrol aircraft and its crew.
The government official is traveling accompanied by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, José Nunez da Fonseca, as well as the heads of the naval units, Enrique Gouveia e Melo, and the air force, João Cartacho Alves.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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