The Minister of Foreign Affairs reinforces that there can be no “doubts about which side Portugal is on”. João Gomes Cravinho is in favor of taking Russia to court for war crimes.
The Foreign Minister said on Tuesday that the “illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine by Russia” is the “fundamental fact that dominates international life” and Portugal must maintain its support for kyiv, which he described as consensual.
This invasion broke with fundamental principles of international law and order, such as those contained in the United Nations Charter or the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which Russia recognized Ukraine’s borders. It represents a true earthquake in the international system, in relations between countries, in the international economy, in food security”, said João Gomes Cravinho in his opening speech at the headquarters of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Portuguese Communities.
For Cravinho, this is a moment in which there can be no “doubts about which side Portugal is on, and we are proud to see the opinion polls that clearly show that the vast majority of Portuguese have no doubts.” “we don’t have either“, he reinforced.
In a regimental hearing in the Assembly of the Republic, the head of Portuguese diplomacy considered that the unity of the Euro-Atlantic community was “up to the challenge” and Portugal will continue to participate “actively in the European framework, in NATO and in the United Nations, reaffirming the defense of multilateralism as a fundamental model of response to global and regional challenges.”
In matters of principle, he reiterated that “anyone who violates international law in such a basic way must suffer a strategic defeat,” adding categorically: “besides being unfair, it would be very dangerous if Russia had won the cause in its invasion.” ” .
Assuming this is aera of transformation and volatility”, the Euro-Atlantic space has gained a new centrality and “Portugal must help Europe to assume the importance of this fact, especially within the framework of NATO”, he defended.
In response to a question from the PSD deputy, Tiago Moreira de Sá, João Gomes Cravinho was in favor of bringing those responsible for the invasion of Ukraine to court for war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression.
Distinguishing the latter, which could lead to the creation of an ‘ad hoc’ court that holds those who made “big decisions” accountable, the minister did not rule out the reform of the statutes of the International Criminal Court: “We will support a model that strengthens and does not weaken international lawin which Kosovo can be an example”.
He expressed, however, more caution in relation to the possible accession of Ukraine and other countries to the European Union, which will require reforms to avoid what he considered to be mistakes in the past.
Source: Observadora
