During the 7th African Union-European Union Summit which began today in Luanda and concludes on Tuesday, Luís Montenegro emphasized the “great understanding” between the two blocs on crucial issues, such as enhancing multilateralism for “a safer world with more peace and security.”
However, he noted that this strengthening of relations “can be greater.”
“We leave here convinced that this strengthening of relations between Europe and Africa can and should be increasingly stronger, as it is crucial for the economic development of both continents, to solve the concrete problems of the populations and, for instance, to moderate migratory flows that often result from a lack of economic opportunities,” he stated.
Montenegro pointed out that these challenges also pressure global balances, in a context where “there is a confluence of positions” that Portugal has noted on various occasions.
“I have often said that this corresponds to how Portugal has always positioned itself in the world: Portugal is a bridge-building country, bringing cultures and people together,” he said, adding: “There is nothing better than being here today in Luanda, 50 years after the independence of this country, to affirm it openly, calmly, and, I would say, exemplarily.”
Montenegro highlighted that Portugal has “a unique authority to tell the world” that it is possible to achieve more development and avoid many of the conflicts that exist today in Europe and Africa.
“But for that, we must cooperate more and have a culture of diversification and interaction with all commercial and political blocs in the world,” he emphasized.
Before the summit, Montenegro met in the morning with the Angolan President, João Lourenço, at the Presidential Palace. This was their fourth meeting since July 2024 to continue “strengthening relationships” and the cooperation work that has been intensifying.
“We are at a time when we are exchanging experiences and have goals that are also transposed to EU-AU cooperation, for example in energy transition, environmental sustainability, participation in international organizations, peace processes, or governance,” he enumerated, noting that these are areas in which Portugal has been involved.
On environmental sustainability, he highlighted the “innovative” mechanism of converting debt into environmental investments, already applied in Cabo Verde and in preparation in São Tomé and Príncipe.
“I do not want to use the term debt forgiveness because I do not want it to be understood that way. I want it to be understood as an investment in humanity, an investment in a common good for all of us, and that is what we are doing.”
He also pointed out the participation of Portuguese troops in peace missions in the Central African Republic, in northern Mozambique, in Cabo Delgado, among other operations aimed at safeguarding areas of higher conflict, as well as in the maritime domain.
Montenegro mentioned the need to reprogram the functioning of the United Nations so that decisions, both of the General Assembly and the Security Council, can be effective. He recalled that Portugal proposed a reformulation of the Security Council with greater representativeness of some geographies, “especially of the African continent.”
