The President of the Regional Government reiterated on Wednesday morning the importance of the geostrategic importance position of the Azores and defended the idea that “the islands are a necessary meeting point between continents as well as between North and South.”

For Carlos César, the recent phenomena and international alignments “increasingly raise awareness for the importance of the Atlantic as a privilege area for cooperation,” thus being entirely valid the idea conveyed by Franklin Roosevelt, according which the United States regarded the Atlantic area “not as a finished product, but rather as an ongoing project.”

Speaking at the opening session of another forum dedicated to the former American president – 2nd Franklin D. Roosevelt Azorean Forum to take place on Terceira, which was jointly organised by the Luso-American Foundation for Development (FLAD) and the Government of the Azores – the President of the Government pointed out the clear choice of the American statesman by dialogue and cooperation likewise the current American President, Barack Obama and concluded that both share the political belief that defends “cooperation in planning and action with all those who desire a peaceful world.”

“If Roosevelt had to govern in a changing world marked the emergence of war and of expansionist ambitions, which led him to define and implement a policy of strategic alliances focused on the Atlantic; nowadays we are facing other similar situations,” reminded the President of the Government.

The emergence of so-called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) will be - as he pointed out – one of these situations, but the constitution and the progressive expansion of the European Union as well as the proliferation of erratic micro-powers have put into consideration a possible new world order.

And it is in the face of a new generation of intercontinental conciliation and strategic policies that Portugal, “given the history and biography of its autonomous regions,” may become one of the leading nations under the reformulation of the relations in the Atlantic.

Carlos César stressed that he has repeatedly said that this is the duty of an innovative democracy and this is what the State needs in order to enhance the competitive advantages of its geography and Atlantic platform.

“And I say that because we have missed some opportunities, such as the challenge that I launched in the first edition of this forum which would have allowed the Lajes Air Base to reposition itself both as a fundamental infrastructure and as a crucial link with the South, but this is now an unattainable wish. I have also conveyed the concern to ensure a fast resolution with an in-depth analysis of the issue regarding a possible implementation of a training ground for fighters at the Air Base No.4,” stressed the President of the Regional Government.

Furthermore, the President of the Regional Government stressed that “given their location, their historical role in the strengthening of the American and Brazilian nations, their close relation and effective cooperation with the African archipelagos in the Atlantic, the Azores will always be considered a cornerstone of this strategy to enhance the importance of the Atlantic.”

According to Carlos César, partnerships with North American institutions, the implementation of infrastructures for high-end scientific research and the projection of the Azores demonstrate that the Region is an asset for the Portuguese nation.

“The Lajes Air Base – which many insist on evaluating, often negatively, based only on the latest developments in aviation or in progress of military technology – is, in this context, much more than a simple support to the external project of the region. The Azores are much more than a name at the bilateral talks,” concluded Carlos César.