Rádio Renascença reported this week that the US Consulate in Ponta Delgada will be on the list of budget cuts for Elon Musk’s new department in the US government, which should be of great concern to the Azores and Portugal. It should be noted that this is the oldest continuously operating US diplomatic post in the world and a symbol of the historical and strategic relations between Portugal and the United States.
However, the importance of the consulate is not merely protocol. The hypothetical closure of the institution could have negative effects in several dimensions, such as the weakening of historical and cultural relations between Portugal and the United States, sustained by long-standing Portuguese- – mainly Azorean – emigration to the North American continent, as well as the geostrategic and security implications, since the importance of the Lajes Base has historically been recognized as crucial to the geostrategic interests of the United States and NATO. Avoiding scaremongering, the truth is that the closure of the consulate could be a sign that the US is devaluing this relationship, opening up space for other powers to seek to strengthen their influence in Portugal and Europe – through the Lajes Base.
We need an urgent and determined response from the Regional Government of the Azores and the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is essential to find out from the US government whether this is true and to make every diplomatic effort to raise awareness and prevent this from happening. The Azores and Portugal cannot stand by and watch a historic and strategic link of incalculable value being weakened. The moment demands action and firmness in defending the interests of the region and the country!

Rodrigo Pereira in Diário dos Açores

NOVIDADES features occasional opinion pieces from various leading thinkers and writers from the Azores to give the diaspora and those interested in the current Azores a sense of the significant opinions on some of the archipelago’s issues.

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).