On Monday, the Portuguese head of state recalled Brazil’s position at the UN on the war in Ukraine until February with President Lula, “along with Portugal, the EU, the US, NATO, against the Russian Federation.”
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Pessoa Awards at Lisbon’s Kulturgest, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa wondered if Brazil had changed its stance, stressing that Portugal had not changed but had already downplayed its differences in foreign policy.
The President of the Republic declared that Lula da Silva’s state visit to Portugal from 22 to 25 April “has nothing to do either with the position on Ukraine or with internal contradictions”, and rejected any regrets about inviting his interlocutor: “No, I am not about no regrets.”
Regarding the war, which began with the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last year, Marcelo Rebelo de Souza said that “Brazil’s position so far has been very consistent” within the United Nations (UN), except for one abstention. in April 2022, when they voted to remove Russia from the Human Rights Council.
Using a paper with votes at the UN, the head of state said that Brazil “voted not to recognize the occupied regions of Ukraine” and “returned to the vote, still in the mandate of President Bolsonaro, that Russia should be held accountable for violations.”
“And already under President Lula in February, he asked for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine,” he stressed, concluding: “That is, the position of Brazil in the UN has always been the same: along with Portugal, the Union, the European Union (EU), the United States of America (USA), NATO, against the Russian Federation”.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa spoke about recent statements by the President of Brazil during his visits to China and the United Arab Emirates, in which Lula da Silva attributed the “solution of the war” on Ukrainian territory to “two countries”, Ukraine and Russia, and believed that the European the union and the United States of America are “contributing to the continuation of this war.”
Taking into account these statements, the head of the Portuguese state stated that “if Brazil changes its position towards Bolsonaro and the orientation of Lula, then this is his choice, and Portugal has nothing to do with this, she maintains her position, and we do not agree, dot, paragraph.
Regarding Portugal, he defended that “Portuguese’s position could not be clearer”, no doubt that “it was Russia that invaded Ukraine, not Ukraine that invaded Russia”, and that “Ukraine defends itself and upholds the principles of international law”. and the Charter of the United Nations”.
“Both NATO and the European Union support Ukraine, and Portugal supports Ukraine not only in humanitarian, political, diplomatic terms, but also financially and militarily. And we will continue. We have no doubts about it,” they stressed.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa promised to reaffirm Portugal’s position before Lula and all the heads of state he receives.
“Each country has its own foreign policy. If we agree, all the better. I hope we come to an agreement. disagree,” he added.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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