“The general consensus around the election is a good sign,” defended Nuno Melo, who assured that the change in the organization’s leadership does not alter Portuguese participation.
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Defence Minister Nuno Melo on Wednesday stressed the consensus reached around the election of Mark Rutte as NATO Secretary General and said that this election does not change Portugal’s position in the organisation in any way.
In statements to journalists on the sidelines of his participation in the “Economy and Defense” seminar in Lisbon, organized by the CIP – Confederação Empresarial de Portugal and idD Portugal Defence, Nuno Melo considered “a good sign” that, “in very difficult times Geopolitically, the countries have reached a consensus on the succession of the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg as head of NATO.
“When everything changes from a geopolitical point of view, the general consensus around the election is a good signbecause stability in NATO helps to better face these challenges for the future,” said the Defense official.
Nuno Melo also defended that The change does not alter Portuguese participation in the organizationstating that Portugal “will give all its efforts to building peace, also strengthening military capabilities, because that is what they are for, to guarantee peace.”
Rutte, 57, current Prime Minister of the Netherlands, will succeed the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg as Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on October 1.
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Previously, the Minister of Defense spoke at this seminar that took place in the morning at the Culturgest building, in Lisbon, and reinforced the importance of investment in Defense as a fundamental means to protect Portuguese and Western democracies.
Nuno Melo stated that on the European continent There is already “a transition from a peace economy to a war economy” and reiterated the Government’s willingness to reinforce Defense resources to “recover the time that, to a certain extent, was lost time.”
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“Only with this broad approach will we be able to affirm Portugal as an ally and partner recognized by everyone and everywhere, relevant, useful and credible in the organizations of which we are part, be it NATO, the European Union, the UN, the CPLP and in the geographies where many of our interests are at stake,” he added.
The minister defended that investment in defense industries must have public and private origin, arguing that This association “achieves general benefits” and guarantees “return to the country’s economy”.
Nuno Melo also recalled the executive’s objective of achieving NATO’s goal of investing at least 2% of GDP in defence and stressed the need to resolve the “serious personnel situation, retain the best and value ex-combatants.”
In this speech he also called for a reinforcement of defense and greater involvement of Portuguese companies in the “reequipment of our armed forces and innovation in the military sector.”
“When we invest in the defense industry, we do not bet on war, we bet on peace, because it is through operationally strong armed forces that we achieve the deterrent element within NATO, from the beginning, which prevents Whatever you want, wars,” he concluded.
Source: Observadora
