“The NATO summit is essentially a summit to reaffirm the unity and determination of the Atlantic Alliance in parameters that are equivalent to a reading of the current reality of 2022, very different from that of 2010”, when “the last strategic concept” was approved. indicated in statements to the Lusa agency.
The head of Portuguese diplomacy considered that the invasion of Ukraine by Russia made it clear that the latter country today represents a threat to the peace and stability of Europe.
“Naturally, there is a very strong message addressed to Moscow regarding the territorial inviolability of NATO member countries in the light of article 5, in which everyone assumes the defense of each one”, he told Lusa.
In a reference to the Kiev Government, Gomes Cravinho indicated that there was “naturally a feeling of solidarity in the face of the attack that Ukraine suffered, without justification and without any kind of provocation”, stating that “there will be continuity of support from European and North American countries in regarding Ukraine”.
The minister stressed, however, that NATO “is out of the conflict”, despite the fact that many member countries of the Atlantic Alliance have “materially” supported Ukraine.
When asked about the presence of the leaders of Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia at the Madrid summit, understood as a sign of another focus of tension centered on China, Gomes Cravinho considered that the Asian power cannot be understood as a new Soviet Union.
“There is no possible parallel between the period of the Cold War and the possibility of conflict or international instability due to the emergence of China”, he pointed out.
“Historically, whenever there was the emergence of a new power, there was a moment of difficulty before finding a new balance and what is up to us (…) of instability is not a period of conflict”, he explained.
According to the minister, it is therefore necessary to have “determination and unity and, on the other hand, availability for dialogue with China”.
The Portuguese MNE recalled that NATO is a “regional alliance”, which aims to “preserve peace and stability in the region in which its countries are located”, that is, in the Euro-Atlantic region.
“NATO is not a global alliance. Having said that, there are threats that can arise from other geographies, or uprooted from geography as is the case with cyberspace. And NATO also has to take into account this possibility of threats from another part of the world.” , threats to the transatlantic region”, he added.
In a reference to Turkey’s veto, which blocks the process of joining the Alliance of Sweden and Finland at the Madrid summit, the Foreign Minister was optimistic.
“I believe that enlargement for Finland and Sweden will happen. And I believe because it corresponds to everyone’s interest, it corresponds to the interest of these countries, whose neutrality has so far been called into question due to Russia’s attack against Ukraine, it is in the interest of NATO itself because they are countries in our geographic space with which there is already a strong interaction”, he said.
Despite admitting “conjuncture problems” involving Turkey, he stressed that he was sure “that by talking with Turkey, by talking with Finland and Sweden, solutions will be found”.
“They may not come in time for the NATO summit, it may take a few more months, but I am sure that soon we will have an alliance of 32 allies and not 30, as we currently have”, he concluded.
PCR // PAL
Lusa/End