Rangel denies insults and says that the “incident” with the head of the Air Force “was resolved immediately”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs addressed this Friday the “incident” with the Chief of Staff of the Air Forcewhich took place at the Figo Maduro air base, classifying it as a “non-subject”, to which the prime minister e the President of the Republic “they have already given complete answers”. Even so, in statements to journalists in Coimbra, Paulo Rangel wanted to make two clarifications.
“On the one hand, the idea was established that there had been a demand, a request to go to an unsafe place, which is absolutely false. That didn’t happen. And there was swearing and insults and insults, something else that also didn’t happen at all. These are absolutely false facts”, he stressed.
“It’s the only thing I wanted to make clear because this idea was established in the media, I don’t know with what origin or with what intentions, but they are absolutely false and completely denied by me and everyone else”, he reinforced.
The President has been silent about the political-military incident
Miguel A. Lopes/Lusa
The minister also mentioned that the incident “was resolved immediately”, hence he did not “give it importance”, and that it was “completely pacified”. “The dialogue with the Armed Forces has been quite intense throughout these days, after that”, he added.
Rangel also said that “it is difficult” for him that the minister with the Foreign Affairs portfolio who “has most defended the Armed Forces”, which he considers “a pillar not only historical, but essential for the future of Portugal”, is “an object of this type of comments and analysis”.
PS and Chega presented two requests to hear the minister in Parliament, following the news about what happened to General Cartaxo Alves on October 4th, at the reception of repatriates from Lebanon. The minister guarantees that he will be there to “explain whatever there is to explain”. “I reserve the moment for a more detailed explanation, if there is room, for Parliament. Then it will be the right place. Fueling controversies regarding a subject that does not have the contours that were given to it is bad for institutions. That’s why I kept silent”, he explained.
