Portugal and USA reiterate the importance of Base das Lajes in bilateral relations – Economy
Portugal and the US recognized on Thursday the trust in transatlantic ties and the importance of the Lajes Base in the context of relations between the two countries, in yet another meeting of the Permanent Bilateral Commission (CBP).
“The intensity of contacts at all levels, the thematic scope and the excellence of the current moment in the bilateral relationship were evident”, acknowledged the two countries, in a statement released by the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
One of the points of discussion at this CBP meeting was the development of bilateral cooperation in the Azores, where the governments of both countries underlined the importance of Base das Lajes in the context of bilateral relations. “Portugal and the United States registered the existence of progress in questions of an environmental nature related to the activity of the Base”, concludes the position of the Portuguese Government, anchored in the joint declaration of the meeting.
The two teams highlighted that the 48th meeting of the CBP, which took place on Thursday, served to support the Atlantic cooperation effort, namely in the energy sector and its connection to the fight against climate change.
Recently, in statements to Lusa, the US ambassador in Lisbon, Randi Charno Levine, admits that the positions of Portugal and the United States are in tune with regard to environmental and energy policies, admitting that the port of Sines could become a important distribution point for Europe of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) of North American origin.
At the Thursday meeting, Portugal and the US also discussed security and defense issues, anchored in the presence of both countries in the Atlantic Alliance (NATO).
“The commitment of both parties to continued support for Ukraine in the context of the Russian invasion was reiterated. Topics of the international agenda were also discussed, with an exchange of views on the situation in Latin America, Africa, Indo-Pacific, as well as the different dimensions of the war in Ukraine,” the statement read.
The CBP was chaired jointly by the Director General of Foreign Policy of Portugal, Ambassador Rui Vinhas, and by Dereck J. Hogan, the main Deputy Deputy Secretary of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.
The meeting was also attended by the ambassador of Portugal to the USA, Francisco Duarte Lopes, the ambassador of the USA to Portugal, Randi Charno Levine, the vice-president of the regional government of the Azores, Artur Lima, the general director of National Defense Policy, Paulo Lourenço, the president of AICEP, the coordinator of the Centro Atlântico and representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Action and the Administration of the Port of Sines.