Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said on Thursday that peace and enlargement were among the challenges facing the new institutions of the European Union, and he defended the need to “revive the Atlantic.”
After speaking at the Jacques Delors Agor Conference on the European Union, aimed at young people of different nationalities, the minister specified that among the “enormous tasks” of the 27 countries is “ensuring peace in Europe” by maintaining “resolute support” for Ukraine and “modernizing the entire European defense industry.”
Among the challenges is also “preparation for expansion to the east, which obviously also depends on finding a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian issue.” “In addition, we have the Balkans, which are no longer affected by this war problem. So we also have to take that into account,” he told reporters.
According to Rangel, “given the emergence, the rise and the centrality of the Indo-Pacific today, it is necessary to revive the Atlantic,” so Europe must form “a substantial, substantial partnership with Africa and South America.” “And with North America, for better or worse, it is always very good, it is we who feel all the fluctuations, we can do much more, but there is already great cohesion,” he said.
The Portuguese diplomat explained that the new Atlantic centrality does not necessarily have to be “the main thing”. “We want to avoid a unipolar world centered only on the Indo-Pacific,” explained the official, who, noting that he was speaking in the abstract about the US presidential election in November, considered the possible change of cycle “not catastrophic”.
“What happens cyclically is that you have more isolationist administrations and presidents, which is obviously less good for us,” leading to phases in which transatlantic cooperation “is at a lower level,” but that does not mean that it is no longer at a high level. “A high level, compared to the relations at the global level between the different blocs.”
“When they become more open to the outside world, it obviously gives enormous strength to the transatlantic partnership,” he said.
At the same time, “I am not, let’s say, a catastrophist, but, obviously, it is not indifferent to us that the United States of America is more open to global cooperation or more focused on its internal dynamics. It is not indifferent,” the head of state said, rejecting the “catastrophist vision” since relations have always been maintained at a “very, very satisfactory level.”
In response to questions from young people about relations with China, Paulo Rangel spoke of “very good relations” between Portugal and the Asian country, of which the “global panorama” should be “risk reduction” (risk reduction) but not “decoupling”, remembering how the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the risks of disruptions in value chains and dependencies on countries.
“China is everywhere, Europe is everywhere? That’s something we should think about,” challenged a government official, using the occasion to defend the strengthening of relations between the Atlantic countries.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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