Augusto Santos Silva said, in statements to Lusa, that the European bloc assumed a common position of solidarity with France, after the trilateral alliance between Australia, United Kingdom and United States (AUKUS), has led to the termination a previous agreement between Australia and France regarding the purchase of submarines.

"In general, we ourselves express our solidarity with France, which has not been treated with due respect in this process", said the Portuguese minister, adding that "clearly, the form was not one that should have been followed".

"In terms of content, too, Australia made a very debatable decision," he added.

“It is very important that the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union are as aligned as possible in their strategies for the Indo-Pacific. And that is why we must all avoid gestures that disturb this unity”, declared the Portuguese minister.