This Sunday, the Minister of Defense reaffirmed Portugal’s commitment to maintaining a defense policy aligned with NATO and in defense of democracies and freedom. “The commitment of the Portuguese Government is clear. Our commitment is in line with the Euro-Atlantic partnership, with NATO, in defense of democracies and freedom”, said Nuno Melo on the sidelines of the 72nd celebrations. Air Force’s birthday, this Sunday, in Portimão.
The government official had been questioned by journalists about the possibility of France decreasing its support for Ukraine, in the case of the National Union (RN, acronym in French), an extreme right-wing party of Marine Le Pen, manage to win today’s legislative elections.
Marine Le Pen assured during the election campaign that a prime minister from her party would prevent Kiev from using weapons to attack Russia and that he would contradict the suggestion made by President Emmanuel Macron about the possibility of sending French troops to Ukrainian soil. “To be honest, I’m interested in Portugal’s position, the role of the armed forces and today, on this day in particular, the air force”, began Nuno Melo.
The minister reiterated, on the other hand, the Portuguese Government’s objective of increasing defense expenditure to 2% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) by 2029. “That is why we have signed up to the Government’s program, and we will fulfill the bringing investment in defense up to a minimum of 2% of GDP, because only then will we be in a position to help our allies in difficult times”, he said.
Nuno Melo recalled that at the moment there are wars “on the perimeter of NATO”, giving as an example the one that exists “near the border of the European Union”, an allusion to Ukraine. The Minister of Defense then stated that “the military situation is getting much worse in the Middle East”, that “China assumes itself as a superpower”, and that the United States itself “turns its attention o” for the Indo-Pacific region.
“We, the European people, have to live up to our circumstances and that’s why we invest in the armed forces. There are many things to do”, concluded Nuno Melo. The Air Force is marking its 72nd anniversary with a series of events that have been taking place in Portimão since June 29th and end this Sunday.
The Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General João Cartaxo Alves, were present this morning at the mass of thanksgiving and suffrage that took place in Parish Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, in Portimão.
