President António José Seguro concluded his address at the official Portugal Day ceremony in Angra do Heroísmo, on Terceira Island in the Azores, with an appeal for hope, which he described as “one of the words of the middle ground” capable of countering growing polarisation among the Portuguese people.
Referring to what he called “an age of trenches”, marked by anxieties surrounding the economy, geopolitics and urban security, which “create the impulse to close ranks and build walls”, Seguro argued that “the words of the middle ground are becoming increasingly scarce”. He described these as words “more of tolerance than exclusion” and “more of openness than distance”, calling them “an antidote to the virus of polarisation, which tends to replace argument, debate, and negotiation”.
The President portrayed his election, in a presidential run-off against Chega leader André Ventura, as having been driven by a desire to unite the country. Revisiting one of his most familiar expressions, he described the nation as “common ground where there is room for everyone”, including those of different origins and faiths. He concluded that Portugal is living through a period “that demands the courage to make difficult choices without yielding to populism”.
Seguro also delivered a pointed message to Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, who applauded the speech, lamenting the fact that many young Portuguese continue to leave the country because “the gains made in education and qualifications have not been matched by wages”, while housing remains “virtually inaccessible” for many family budgets.
In that context, the President called for “policies that retain talent rather than export it”, for “salaries that reflect productivity and qualifications”, for “housing that enables young people to build a life in the country where they were born”, and for a state that “simplifies rather than complicates”.
The former Socialist Party leader opened his first Portugal Day address with a quotation from Azorean writer Vitorino Nemésio: “When I think of the sea, the sea returns”, using it as the starting point for a reflection on how the Atlantic taught the Portuguese “to look further afield”. That outlook, he said, helped shape a collective spirit that is “resilient in the face of storms, humble before immensity and determined in the face of the unknown”.
The strategic importance of the Azores, and particularly Terceira Island, home to the Lajes Air Base used by the United States, led the President to address Portugal’s relationship with the current US administration in indirect terms. He said the archipelago is a place that imposes responsibilities and duties “within the framework of the full assertion of our sovereignty, our interests and our strategic future”.
He stressed that this must always be pursued “with mutual respect for the commitments that have been undertaken, whether with another country or with the international community and the Charter of the United Nations”, adding that these obligations are inseparable from one another.
Source: LUSA
Photo credit: Ricardo Gregório
