“We are together, we are united, and we are firm,” declared Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa at the Belém Palace in Lisbon, alongside the President of Estonia, Alar Karis, whom he welcomed with military honours at the start of his state visit to Portugal.
In a statement lasting around five minutes, delivered in Portuguese, the head of state said that “for more than three and a half years, Europe has been experiencing the flagrant and illegal violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by the Russian Federation, an obvious threat to European peace and security”.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa described Portugal’s position, as a member of the European Union and NATO since 2004, as one of constant support “without hesitation or ambiguity” for Ukraine.
The President also mentioned that “Portugal has been cooperating militarily with Estonia in recent years”, where “it is currently on a NATO air policing mission”, and that the two countries collaborate “in other areas, such as cyber defence”.
“It is in this context that the current state visit allows us to strengthen political, diplomatic, military, economic, scientific, educational and technological cooperation and open up avenues for collaboration with a view to the future. And, above all, to tell everyone, in our countries and beyond, that we are together, we are united, and we are steadfast,” he added.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was in Estonia in October last year for a meeting of the Arraiolos Group, which brings together presidents without executive powers from European Union countries, and was received by Alar Karis at the Presidential Palace.