“Portuguese of direct consequences of non-Russian countermeasures”: Augusto Santos Silva’s explanation
The minister assured that Portugal is not recognized as one of those behind Russia:
If Portugal’s economic situation worsens, for example from the causes of Russia – such as the increase in gas energy prices -, what will Portugal do? Keep it like you? This was the kick-off for tonight’s interview with the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Jornal das 8, on TVI. Subsequently, he does not believe that Portugal, a response that will suffer “against Russian measures, response to Santos Silva, against “Russian countermeasures” and guaranteed that it will not succeed the European partners in the sequences to be direct.
“We, are, are in fact, participate in the European Union, in this case, we are in the same way that we are known and that the Union does not have direct consequences of (…) they mean reducing the supply of gas to Europe”, detailing .
Santos Silva also recalled that, in the past, Portugal did not import any gas from Russia, only oil, and that “the main suppliers are in other geographies”. “It is necessary to bear in mind that more than half of the electricity in Portugal already comes from renewable energy sources”, he added.
The Foreign Minister defended, however, that there is an increase in conflict, this will only prove that businesses have to diversify their suppliers so that they are “less dependent” on Russia.
Among the various references to the Russian state were also applied to the data and the list of citizens who will be harmed. Asked if some of them do business in Portugal, Santos Silva replied: “If they did, their financial assets are in Portugal and destined to have freedom of movement in Portugal, because they have freedom of movement in the European Union”.
The official assured that, for the time being, there is no forecast on the ground on the part of NATO and that the objective, at this stage, is to “increase the capacity of deterrence”. “Right now in a conflict between Russia and Ukraine, not which Ukraine is the attacked party – let there be no doubt about that – and the aggressor party is Russia. But Ukraine is not a member of NATO, so it’s not a conflict between Russia. Russia and NATO”, stressed the MNE.
In Augusto Santos Silva’s view, Russia “took a very worrying step” on Monday with that of the people’s republics of Ukrainian breakaway regions. This decision, he argued, represents a “violation of two basic rules of the international order”: respect for each country’s territorial authority and respect for each other’s sovereignty.
Regarding the 202 Portuguese and Lusoucranians in Ukraine, he assured that the situation is controlled daily and that the Government knows “where they are, how they are and how they can get out of the place they are”.