In the chapter entitled “A global and humanist country” of the Program of the XXIV Constitutional Government, the executive claims to assume “convincingly and ambitiously the four essential axes” of Portuguese foreign policy: “active commitment to European construction, deepening and strengthening the Portuguese-speaking space, intensification of transatlantic cooperation and defense of multilateralism”.

At the UN, the Government undertakes to “promote the candidacy of the Portuguese language as an Official Language of the UN, within the horizon until 2030” – a desire of Portuguese diplomacy and the other Portuguese-speaking countries, also defended within the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP).

Conflicts

Regarding ongoing conflicts, the program states that Portugal, “within the framework of the European Union and NATO, will support Ukraine, at a humanitarian, political, financial and military level, in defense against aggression by the Russian Federation, in reconstruction plans and efforts and in the ongoing EU enlargement process”.

The EU accession process, which also includes Moldova, the Western Balkans and Georgia, “must be preceded by a reform of the Union's institutional and financial architecture to ensure the effectiveness of its action”, states the program on Foreign Policy , supervised by the Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel.

Regarding the war in the Middle East, “Portugal will fight for the adoption of the two-state solution, recognizing Israel's right to self-defense against terrorism, demanding the release of all hostages and advocating strict respect for the rules of international humanitarian law, defending a ceasefire that provides humanitarian aid and the establishment of negotiations with a view to a lasting peace, which will involve the self-determination of the Palestinian people”.

The Government does not explicitly commit to recognizing the Palestinian State now, at a time when the head of the Spanish executive, Pedro Sánchez, is leading a movement within the 27 for this step - which he intends to discuss with the Portuguese Prime Minister, next Monday on Friday in Madrid, on his first official visit abroad since taking office.

Regarding a possible candidacy of former Prime Minister António Costa for the presidency of the European Council, Minister Paulo Rangel said last week that the Portuguese Government will not oppose the possibility of him occupying a position in the European institutions.