Portugal guarantees freedom of navigation

O minister for Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, said today that Portugal will not give up defending freedom of navigation, particularly in the Strait of Ormuz, stressing that the world's food security is at stake.

“It is not only freedom of navigation that is at stake, but also food security from all over the world and in particular from African countries,” he said during his speech at the Estoril 2026 Conferences, which runs until Friday in Carcavelos, Cascais.

The minister warned of the need to “fight for international law and the law of the sea” at a time when current armed conflicts endanger international maritime trade.

The issue is critical points such as the Black Sea, where the war in Ukraine affects cargo ships carrying cereals around the world, the Red Sea, the Suez Canal and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, where frequent attacks have blocked the fastest passage between Asia and Europe, forcing ships to divert their routes, as well as the Strait of Ormuz, where 20% of the oil consumed used to pass and which has been closed since the beginning of the war in Iran.

For the minister, the defence of international law must go through the United Nations, but we must also focus more on bilateral relations.

“ Our bilateral relations with the different countries of the world are becoming increasingly important,” he said, considering that this is the way to ‘face the great challenges we have to face’.

Although Portugal maintains European integration and transatlantic relations as its main objectives, relations with the Pacific countries, for example, are “an important part of national foreign policy,” Rangel said.

“ We have longstanding historical ties with China,” the Foreign Minister said, saying that the first embassy in Vietnam was opened this year, and an embassy was also scheduled to open in Malaysia in 2028.

The Estoril 2026 Conferences, which mark their tenth edition this year, focus on the theme “Reignite Democracy” at a time of global conflict, disinformation and growing polarisation.

During the two days in which the event takes place, the event will be attended by several international figures such as the political activist and leader of the Russian opposition Yulia Navalnaya, the former Prime Minister of Italy Enrico Letta, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern, the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Vsevolod Chentsov, and the Nobel Peace Prize (2003).