President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa spoke to journalists at the United Nations (UN) headquarters, accompanied by the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, before returning to Lisbon.
“I think the General Assembly met all the objectives defined by Portugal,” he stated.
The head of state remarked that the outcomes of recent bilateral meetings aimed at promoting Portugal’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for 2027-2028, to be elected in 2026 against candidates like Germany and Austria, were, “generally, frankly good.”
“The vote is only decided in June, but there are already many commitments, in addition to the written commitments that already existed, confirmations or revelations of positions,” he noted.
In his view, “There is a great appreciation for the activity of the UN Secretary-General,” António Guterres, as well as “a great appreciation for Portugal and Portuguese diplomacy.”
Among UN member states, there is a perception that “Portugal is a platform open to all continents, not confined to Eurocentric positions, but open to partnership with Africa, the Americas, especially Latin America, with Asia and the Pacific.”
“Hearing this from various countries is gratifying,” he added.
During this visit to New York, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa held bilateral meetings with senior representatives of Jordan, Tajikistan, Bhutan, Turkmenistan, Kiribati, Micronesia, Iraq, Kuwait, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Monaco, Papua New Guinea, and Kyrgyzstan, among others.
The head of state, however, highlighted the efforts of the Government and Portuguese diplomacy in this process as, “a task, as you can imagine, insane,” in which his role is to assist “as much as possible.”
“We spoke with multiple countries, dozens of countries, and the overall balance is very positive. Positive for Portugal, not just because of the candidacy, but due to the prestige Portugal holds. Therefore, essentially, I think this General Assembly went well for Portugal,” he concluded.
The President, who is less than six months away from the end of his second term, participated for the sixth and last time representing Portugal at the UN General Assembly.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also highlighted “the issue of recognizing the Palestinian State,” by several countries, including Portugal, prior to this UN session.
The Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, formally declared the recognition of the State of Palestine on Sunday at Portugal’s Permanent Mission to the UN, a decision Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa expressed “full support” for, justifying it as an attempt to safeguard “a sliver of a path” towards a two-state solution.
Following this declaration, the President spoke at an International High-Level Conference for a Peaceful Solution to the Palestinian Issue and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, co-organized by France and Saudi Arabia, on Monday.
The representation of Portugal in the annual general debate among world leaders has alternated between the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has been at the United Nations in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, and now in 2025.
In his speeches, he defended multilateralism and expressed support for António Guterres’s priorities as Secretary-General of this organization founded in 1945, which Portugal joined in 1955.
[Updated at 06:33]
