Speaking from Siauliai Air Base, on a visit to the Detached National Forces (FND) in the country, the head of government recalled that the "reality of Security on a global and European scale has changed profoundly in the last year", following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

He also took the opportunity to recall that "in few places" this fact is "more noticeable" than on the "eastern border" of the Atlantic Alliance, which includes countries like Lithuania.

And he elaborated that "that was why Portugal reinforced its participation in NATO missions on the eastern front" - something that happened in 2015 in Lithuania, as a result of the "annexation of Crimea" by Russia, and more recently in Romania, following the invasion from Moscow to Ukraine.

The Portuguese prime minister also made some considerations about what it means for the country to be part of this alliance: “It is certainly very important for all countries, but it is certainly more important for a country like Portugal, which, being in the extreme southwest of Europe, Europe, having a very deep Atlantic projection, ensured by the autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira, is, itself, in a frontier zone".

The minister also elaborated that "that is why Portugal must always be very active in the missions it performs at the service of multilateral organizations", recalling the involvement of Portuguese elements in initiatives of the "United Nations, the European Union and also NATO".