When asked whether the disagreement expressed by the CDS-PP regarding Portugal’s decision to recognize the State of Palestine would affect the coalition partners’ relationship, Nuno Melo emphasized that the Government is a “space of plural democracy” where ministers express differing opinions.
“Everything that was expressed was done so with the prior knowledge of the prime minister, aware of all the elements of opinion, which is legitimate, and I genuinely have nothing more to add,” Nuno Melo told journalists aboard the ‘Ocean Protector,’ a vessel of the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) docked in Tróia, Setúbal district.
On Saturday, CDS-PP declared its disagreement with the Government’s decision to recognize the State of Palestine, stating that it is neither “timely nor consequential” and should only occur within the “framework of an institutional peace process.”
“CDS-PP has always supported the two-state solution but considers that, at this moment in the conflict, the recognition is neither timely nor consequential,” reads a statement issued by the party, which is part of the coalition Government with the PSD.
Regarding a potential increase in Portuguese armed forces’ presence in Eastern Europe as part of NATO’s “Eastern Sentinel” mission, the Minister of Defense reiterated Portugal’s solidarity with its allies, stressing that decisions will align with what is determined for the defense of democracy and freedom.
“We are on the right side of history. More operational decisions, let’s say, will be weighed in due time and communicated,” he added.
