Regional representative uses Portugal Day to stress time ‘cannot be wasted’
Portugal Day celebrations saw regional representative of the Azores, Pedro Catarino, strike out for the “culture of dialogue and consultation” that he believes has been missing between authorities on the strategic archipelago and national bodies.
“Bearing in mind that it is the Azores that truly give Portugal an Atlantic dimension, their position can never be disregarded, second-guessed, supplemented or viewed with suspicion. This must be the case internally, when defining the legislative framework for the distribution of national and regional powers and competences. This must also be the case externally, in Europe and internationally”, he said yesterday, against the backdrop of commemorations in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira.
Portugal Day celebrations in the Azores were this year focussed on the sea, which, according to Pedro Catarino, will “determine the future, the level of prosperity and the region’s place and relevance in the world”.
Catarino pointed out that “the Constitution has a decentralised and decentralising vision of the public domain” and that the Political-Administrative Statute of the Azores establishes the “fundamental principle of shared management” of the sea, but that it had not been possible so far “to define a stable regulatory framework with which both parties – the Republic and the Region – fully identify”.
“We cannot afford to put off the legislative definition of a balance point any longer – especially as a major extension and deepening of the Azores Maritime Park is pending, with the establishment of the largest network of marine protected areas in the entire North Atlantic”, he warned.
For Pedro Catarino, “the terms of shared management cannot be defined unilaterally by just one of the parties” and “the definition of maritime policies requires specific institutional channels for communication and consultation between both parties.
“The existence of a culture of dialogue and consultation between the Republic and the region can only strengthen our capacity for internal action and our position within the framework of the European Union and the UN, with positive repercussions in the ongoing negotiation processes and, in particular, in the process of extending the Portuguese Continental Shelf – for which a favourable decision is expected in the near future”, he added.
“The greater the role of the Azores and the more the centrality of the region and its direct interest in the North Atlantic are recognised, the more our country will benefit and be strengthened,’ he stressed.
And then he cut to the chase, emphasising the region’s geostrategic position, claiming that “with emerging tensions between Western countries and Russia and China”, the Azores “are once again taking on great strategic importance, which is fundamental if the North Atlantic is to continue to be a zone of peace and security”.
Catarino also considered it essential to “step up the commitment to scientific research into marine resources” and argued that “there is no way out of the environmental challenge other than through the sea, the preservation of its ecosystems and the sustainable exploitation of its resources“.
On the other hand, he emphasised that the blue economy is one of the sectors “with the greatest potential for growth” and that “it can bring many benefits to the Azores and Portugal”.
This year, the President of the Republic decided to honour three personalities from the Azores linked to the sea with the rank of Commander of the Order of Merit: marine biologist João Pedro Barreiros, underwater photographer Nuno Sá and, posthumously, Serge Viallelle, a pioneer in cetacean watching in the archipelago.
The celebrations also included a panel on The Azores and the Sea, chaired by Admiral António Silva Ribeiro, which also included the pro-rector of the University of the Azores João Gonçalves, the professor at the Faculty of Law of the Catholic University Armando Rocha and project manager of the Oceano Azul Foundation Sílvia Tavares.
As bizarre as this may sound in today’s geopolitical context, it wasn’t so long ago that the United States was considering winding down its air base on the Terceira island, and the government of the day was seemingly prepared to lease the space to China…
The base is equally on the radar of Kremlin propagandists.
Source material: LUSA
