Prime Minister Antonio Costa today criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “reckless threats to resort to nuclear weapons” and called on Russia to end hostilities without escalating the conflict in Ukraine.
Antonio Costa made the news at the start of his speech at the general debate of the 77th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, a gathering marked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its global consequences.
“Russia must be allowed to develop a serious and sustained dialogue toward a ceasefire and peace. This is not the time for Russia to escalate the conflict or make reckless threats to resort to nuclear weapons.” , he said.
Opening his address in Portuguese, the Prime Minister noted that the United Nations was created in 1945 to maintain world peace and security and “save future generations from the horrors of war.” These targets could not be achieved. Around the world, many children and even adults have never known peace.”
He then spoke of the “unjustified and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, a flagrant violation of international law, a violation of the United Nations Charter” and “disastrous consequences for the Ukrainian people, brutally affecting civilians.”
Antonio Costa defended that “the seriousness of the committed acts necessitates an independent, impartial and transparent investigation, so that the crimes committed go unpunished” and “again, condemning the Russian aggression” and “reiterating the support of Portugal for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine”.
The Prime Minister expressed Portugal’s solidarity with everyone around the world, especially on the African continent, affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Energy and Food Crisis – After almost three years of suffering from pandemic crisis”.
Therefore, he wanted to “clearly and clearly state that the necessary economic sanctions against Russia will not affect, directly or indirectly, the production, transportation and payment of grain or fertilizers.”
“We welcome the efforts of the entire United Nations system, especially its Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, to resolve this conflict and mitigate its harmful consequences, such as the resulting food crisis,” he said.
“It is up to us to support the efforts of African countries and provide African solutions to African problems,” the Prime Minister said about African countries.
Referring to Portugal’s contribution to peacekeeping operations, Costa said, “Immense pride in the contribution of the armed forces across the continent under the UN, NATO or the EU”.
Regarding climate action, the Portuguese Prime Minister highlighted the importance of complying with previously established agreements, because “countries like Portugal, which suffer from the scourge of forest fires, understand very well the problems of climate change”.
In November this year, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, he expressed hope that the United Nations Conference on Climate Change would “lead to an inclusive transition, ensuring a more balanced distribution of climate finance between mitigation and adaptation.”
“The transition to a prosperous, green and digital future leaves no one behind. Social policies must be at the heart of our action, the growth of our economies, the fight against climate change”, he defended.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa also said that Portugal wants to contribute to making the UN more fair, effective and representative, with a candidacy for non-permanent membership of the Security Council in 2027-2028.
Costa reaffirmed the Portuguese position in favor of reforming the Security Council, saying that the organization “includes the African continent” and that “at least Brazil and India will have a permanent seat”.
According to the Prime Minister, it is essential that “smaller states are more fairly represented” in the UN Security Council, which should reflect the changes that have taken place globally since 1945.
“The world has changed radically since then,” he insisted.
“The challenges we face today make it inevitable that we continue to transform this house of ours, which is more efficient, fair and more representative. Portugal is also ready to make its contribution. That is why we are candidates for the Security Council in two years. 2027-2028 and will earn your trust once again. We hope that,” he added, linking the candidacy to UN reform.
Antonio Costa said that “strengthening multilateralism is not an option” but “an absolute necessity to face global challenges” and build “a more peaceful, sustainable, more inclusive and prosperous future”.
“Today is the time to move from words to action: with more cooperation, more unity and multilateralism. Portugal, as always, will not miss this call,” he promised at the end of his speech, which was made in Portuguese.
Currently, the United States, Russia, France, the United Kingdom and China are permanent members of the UN Security Council with veto power.
The prime minister defended the Security Council as “representative, dynamic and functional, capable of responding to the challenges of the 21st century without being paralyzed, and whose action will be scrutinized by the rest of the United Nations.”
In his view, on the other hand, it should be “a system that integrates a comprehensive vision of security, especially recognizing the role of climate change as an accelerator of conflicts”.
“The transformative potential of the United Nations is immense, but it needs to be given the necessary tools to meet the high expectations placed on it by the people of the world,” he opined.
(News updated at 23:10)
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