NEW’S | Azores must harness strategic value of Lajes Base, stresses Artur Lima

The Vice-President of the Regional Government, Artur Lima, defended on Monday in the town of Lajes that the Lajes Base “is not a museum piece” but rather a “rehabilitated asset for the country, the USA, Europe and NATO, which the Azores should make the most of for their regional and local development.”

“Let there be no doubt that we want to serve. However, we also want to be equally served with fair and well-deserved compensation for our geostrategic importance,” he reiterated.

Artur Lima spoke at the Recreio Lajense Society on the sidelines of a conference titled “Portugal is the Azores – the USA and the Azores in the Cold War (1945-1965),” delivered by Tácito Rolim, a professor at the State University of Ceará and a PhD in History.

“The Azores, and Lajes in particular, have not ceased to be, and will never cease to be, a key asset for the Western defence and security policy,” he stressed, pointing out that “geopolitics is not static and circumstances evolve and change.”

In his opening speech, the Vice-President of the Government recalled that the Lajes Base had brought the archipelago and Terceira Island “progress, development, employment and affirmation of the Region at world level,” but had “consequences that need to be effectively solved.”

In this regard, Artur Lima highlighted the soil and aquifer contamination in Praia da Vitória, which has required “a demonstration of strength, firmness and dialogue so that the matter can be dealt with with the care it deserves.”

Nevertheless, Artur Lima stressed that ” years of special relations with the USA” and “a friendly presence on Terceira Island” are “justifiable conditions for creating an interpretation centre that values this historical heritage.”

“The Lajes Base Interpretation Centre will have a component focused on heritage and culture. It also aims to be a space dedicated to research and the scientific production of new knowledge about the geostrategic role of the Region,” he said.

This initiative was organised as part of the study and work plan for the creation of the Lajes Base Interpretation Centre, developed in collaboration with the Historical Institute of Terceira Island (IHT).

The scientific committee of the interpretation centre will be made up of António José Telo, professor of History at the Military Academy, Luís Andrade, professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of the Azores, and Tácito Rolim, speaker at the conference.

GRA/RÁDIOILHÉU