Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro stated this Monday, November 24, that closer relations between Africa and Europe “can and should be greater” and is crucial for the economic evolution of the two continents and the prevention of conflicts.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 7th African Union-European Union Summit, which began this Monday in Luanda and ends on Tuesday, Luís Montenegro highlighted the “great understanding” between the two blocs on essential matters, including the valorization of multilateralism as a path to “a safer world, with more peace and security”.
However, he stressed that this strengthening of relations “could be greater”. “We leave here with the conviction that this closer relationship between Europe and Africa can and should be even greater, because it is crucial for the economic evolution of both continents, for solving the concrete problems of the populations and, for example, moderating migratory flows that so often result from a lack of economic opportunities”he stated.
Montenegro said that these challenges also put pressure on global balances, in a context in which “there is a confluence of positions” that Portugal has highlighted on several occasions.
“I have often said that this corresponds to the way Portugal has always asserted itself in the world: Portugal is a country that builds bridges, that brings cultures together and brings people together,” he said, adding: “Nothing better than being here today in Luanda, 50 years after this country’s independence, so that we can affirm this in an open, calm and, I would even say, exemplary way.”
Montenegro highlighted that Portugal has “a unique authority to tell the world” that it is possible to have more development and avoid many of the conflicts that exist today in Europe and Africa.
“But, to achieve this, we have to cooperate more and have a culture of diversification and interaction with all commercial and political blocs in the world”, he highlighted.
Before the summit, Montenegro met, in the morning, with the Angolan President, João Lourenço, at the Presidential Palace, in what was the fourth meeting since July 2024, to continue the “strengthening of relationships” and the cooperation work that has been intensifying.
“We are at a time when we exchange experiences and have objectives that are also transposed to EU-AU cooperation, for example in the energy transition, environmental sustainability, participation in international organizations, peace processes or governance”, he listed, highlighting that these are areas in which Portugal has been involved.
Regarding environmental sustainability, he highlighted the “innovative” mechanism for converting debt into environmental investment, already applied in Cape Verde and in the preparation phase in São Tomé and Príncipe.
“I don’t want to use the expression debt forgiveness, because I don’t want it to be understood that way. I want it to be understood as an investment in humanity, an investment in the common good of all of us, and that’s what we’re doing.”
He also highlighted the participation of Portuguese military personnel in peacekeeping missions in the Central African Republic, in the north of Mozambique, in Cabo Delgado, among other operations that aim to safeguard areas of greater conflict, as well as in the maritime domain.
Montenegro mentioned the need to reprogram the functioning of the United Nations so that the deliberations of both the General Assembly and the Security Council can be effective and recalled that Portugal proposed a reformulation of the Security Council with greater representation of some geographies, “in particular the African continent.”
PM argues that peace agreement in Ukraine involving the EU and NATO must pass through the member states
The Prime Minister defended, on the other hand, that any peace agreement for Ukraine that concerns the European Union and NATO will have to be validated by the respective Member States.
“Any enshrinement in a peace agreement that concerns Europe, the European Union or NATO naturally requires a statement from the Member States of the European Union and the Member States of NATO”he stated.
“There is a positive assessment regarding the evolution of the situation in the last 24 hours, with the meetings that have taken place in Geneva, Switzerland, and in which the United States of America delegation has interacted with Ukraine and has also interacted with the European Union and with several of our partners”, said the official, in statements made on the sidelines of the African Union-European Union Summit.
Montenegro highlighted the informative nature of the special summit called by the president of the European council, also Portuguese António Costa, and in which it was possible to “prove that some of the (…) concerns (…) are beginning to be safeguarded”.
He specifically pointed out the idea that “there is no fair and lasting peace agreement without Ukraine’s intervention”.
Still, the prime minister warned of “the complex process” to guarantee the end of the conflict: “It involves security guarantees, it involves financing for the reconstruction of Ukraine, it involves several components, the final design of which, in my opinion, is still far from being achieved”.
Previously, António Costa announced “significant progress” in the negotiations and highlighted, precisely, that decisions such as sanctions, enlargement and asset freezing must pass through the European Union.
“Yesterday’s meeting, [domingo] in Geneva, between the United States, Ukraine, European Union (EU) institutions and their representatives, was marked by significant progress”, said the president of the European Council.
“The United States and Ukraine have informed us that the discussions were constructive and that progress was made on a number of issues. We welcome this step forward and, although some issues need to be resolved, the direction is positive”, he added, after an informal meeting of the European Council, which also served to reaffirm European support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion.