The US Consulate in Ponta Delgada is among 17 consulates that could be closed as part of a broad plan by Donald Trump’s administration to reduce the US diplomatic presence worldwide. The information is contained in an internal State Department memo, published by “The New York Times” and quoted by “SIC Notícias”.

According to the internal document, the closure of the Azorean consulate is part of a broader strategy that foresees the extinction of 10 embassies and 17 consulates, as well as the reduction or consolidation of personnel in other diplomatic missions abroad.

The memorandum, which has no date, expands on the initial plans outlined this year, which aimed to close a dozen posts and lay off local staff. Now, with the new proposal, the cuts would cover practically every continent.

The closure of the consulate in Ponta Delgada follows the closure of other European diplomatic posts in cities such as Marseille, Strasbourg, Lyon (France), Florence (Italy), Edinburgh (UK), and Thessaloniki (Greece).

According to “The New York Times”, these measures align with the Trump administration’s plans to reduce public spending and with a proposal discussed within the State Department to cut up to 50% of its budget.

Among the diplomatic posts targeted, the memorandum proposes the closure of ten embassies: in the Central African Republic, Eritrea, Gambia, Lesotho, the Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Luxembourg, Malta, Grenada, and the Maldives, whose functions would be carried out by embassies in neighboring countries.

17 consulates are earmarked for closure: in Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Rennes, and Strasbourg (France), Düsseldorf and Leipzig (Germany), Mostar and Banja Luka (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Thessaloniki (Greece), Florence (Italy), Ponta Delgada (Portugal), Edinburgh (United Kingdom), Duala (Cameroon), Medan (Indonesia), Durban (South Africa), and Busan (South Korea).

The document also foresees the significant reduction or elimination of the US diplomatic presence in Mogadishu (Somalia), the closure of the Diplomatic Support Center in Baghdad (Iraq), and cuts in the Baghdad and Erbil missions. It is also proposed that consular services in countries such as Japan and Canada, operating from a single city, be consolidated.

In Correio dos Açores, Natalino Viveiros-director.

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.