The vice-president of the Regional Government called for the region to be valued in five dimensions: the underwater world, the sea, land, air, and space, highlighting the contribution it can make to the world economy, peace, and social development.“More than our geostrategic position, it is our geostrategic space that we have to value, that has to be studied, for the contribution it makes to the Atlantic dimension of Europe, the contribution to world peace and world security,” said the vice president of the Azorean executive, Artur Lima, speaking to journalists yesterday. He was speaking in Angra do Heroísmo on the sidelines of the opening session of the 63rd Congress of the European Regional Science Association (ERSA), which runs until Friday and has more than 700 participants from 63 countries.

According to Artur Lima, until now the Azores stood out in three dimensions: land, sea, and air, but it is taking steps in space and on the submarine platform.“The extension of the submarine platform, the submarine cables, all of this is important, all of this passes through here and all of this constitutes our geostrategic space,” he said, stressing ‘the importance of the Azores’ geostrategic space for the economy, for peace and for society.” The vice-president of the regional government said that the potential of the Azores in these five dimensions “must be valued first by the Portuguese government and then by the European Commission and the United States, any others interested in the Azores, as well as, and of course, all the NATO partners, who have [in the region] a strategic and important base for the defense of Europe.” He also stressed that the Azores could be “the ideal space” to host “research and some experiments”.

“We’re moving in this direction, both in the science and technology parks, Terinov and Nonagon, and also by stimulating and supporting new experiments that may come about. Just recently, I received Commander [Jacques] Cousteau with interesting ideas about the underwater world and experiments that he might carry out in the Azores, we had the GlexSummit, doing a Mars-like mission,” he said. Until Friday, more than 700 specialists in regional and urban economics and economic geography will be debating the “Scientific Dialogues for Peace and Sustainable Development” in Angra do Heroísmo.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.