“I only did what a head of state should do, which was to contact the Guinean head of state to see how he was doing, which I did yesterday [Wednesday],” stated Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to journalists at the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon, regarding the situation in Guinea-Bissau.
The President of the Republic reported that Sissoco Embaló told him he was “in good health and considered the situation from his perspective as one that didn’t warrant, for now, any type of comment.”
“I thought that more than that would be interfering in an internal Guinean situation. I informed the Government that the reaction was one of gratitude, positivity, and kindness,” added the head of state.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa spoke at the end of a joint visit with the Slovak President, Peter Pellegrini, to the Champalimaud Foundation.
Asked about the situation in Guinea-Bissau, where a group of military personnel announced on Wednesday that they had taken power, anticipating the release of the general election results from November 23, the President of the Republic began by saying that he has been following the events through the Portuguese Government and aligns with its stance.
“It is an internal matter of that country, but, naturally, it justifies the concern of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP),” which convened “a meeting to address this matter,” he stated.
According to the Portuguese head of state, “there is nothing like not expressing opinions about a matter without verifying what the facts are and respecting what is being defined in a sovereign country regarding its internal affairs.”
“We have not received any reports involving Portuguese people so far,” he added.
In his view, the Portuguese Government has taken a “very sensible and careful” position on the events in Guinea-Bissau.
The President affirmed the message that “the ideal is that there are no disturbances in the order and normal life of people and institutions, that the contours of the evolution of the ongoing electoral process are understood, because it was still ongoing,” and what is “the immediate outcome of the events.”
Regarding the peace negotiations in Ukraine, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa reiterated that “there is no point in finding a quick solution if it is a quick solution with many weaknesses and, therefore, quickly surpassed by events and pleasing no one.”
“It doesn’t please Russia, which has held a very firm and clear position from the beginning on this matter. It doesn’t please Ukraine, which has fundamental points that President Zelensky constantly repeats, in terms of territorial integrity, borders, and the guarantee of its own armed defense capability,” he pointed out.
“And naturally, it doesn’t please Europe, because it is not a solution that is lasting, that provides lasting security. In a short time, more so than long, everything will be re-discussed,” he added.
The head of state warned that “reaching a ceasefire leaving fundamental issues open has shown to have many problems, even in other areas like the Middle East, has daily problems and raises questions every day.”
“Therefore, for all these reasons, it is necessary to continuously follow the steps being taken and never let, from the European side, all of it, essential points drop, which are not only for Ukraine, but for any state in the future, notably European,” he defended.
[News updated at 17:30]
