Outermost regions are Europe's "valuable asset" in new international order, says Faria e Castro - Communication

Subsecretário Regional da Presidência

The Regional Under Secretary of the Presidency, Pedro de Faria e Castro, emphasised today in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria the important role of the European Union's Outermost Regions (ORs) in a "new international order."

For Faria e Castro, who spoke on the panel "The external dimension of strategic European policies in the ORs" as part of the conference on "The regional integration of the ORs," the nine ORs of the European Union "will certainly be a very valuable asset for Europe's affirmation in this new era." In this regard, he noted that "a profound political reflection will be carried out by their institutions on the foreseeable establishment of a new international order."

In his speech, the Regional Under Secretary emphasised the "interest" and "mission" of the Azores in external relations, both for the Atlantic basin and the surrounding archipelagos, and "in a dimension of enormous strategic potential for the American continent."

Faria e Castro mentioned the relations between the Azores and Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe, with whom they share "interests already identified."

"In another approach, which we consider to be very important for the new framework of the international system, we also intend to be an important vehicle for the European Union's cooperation with the American continent," said the Regional Under Secretary. In this regard, he explained the Region's interest in North America (the United States and Canada), "where there is an important community of Azoreans or their descendants" and with whom the Azores have "a historical connection," and in the South, especially with Brazil, Portugal's brother country, "where Azorean culture is still alive in some of its states."

"The European Union knows about our interest. It knows about our mission," said Faria e Castro. He emphasised the fact that the Azores are an autonomous region, also highlighting their geographical reality and consequent geostrategic context.

This conference, which took place as part of the debates on the future of Europe and the Spanish Presidency of the EU, was attended by representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament, the ORs and their respective states (Portugal, Spain and France). The initiative aimed to reflect on future matters, such as the concept of "regional integration" of the ORs and the need for flexibility in the implementation of certain common policies.