Foreign minister faces parliament over Lajes Air Base controversy

Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel is due to appear before parliament today amid growing political controversy surrounding the use of the Lajes Air Base in the Azores during the United States/ Israeli attacks on Iran.

The hearing, scheduled for 10am in Committee Room 7, comes around a month after it was first proposed before being postponed.

The debate was triggered by comments from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who praised Portugal’s cooperation and claimed the Portuguese government authorised the United States’ use of the strategic military base before even knowing the full details of Washington’s request.

Rubio’s remarks, to Fox News, sparked demands for clarification from opposition parties, with both the Socialist Party (PS) and LIVRE seeking an urgent parliamentary hearing with Minister Rangel.

While the PS request was rejected by the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee with votes from the PSD and CHEGA, a separate request submitted by LIVRE was approved after PSD social democrats abstained.

Today’s session will include the minister’s regular parliamentary appearance, a specific hearing requested by LIVRE on the Lajes controversy, and a period dedicated to other matters.

At the centre of the dispute are questions over what information exactly Lisbon received before authorising the use of the base, and whether Portugal followed the appropriate procedures regarding military operations linked to the escalating tensions with Iran.

Lajes Air Base, located on Terceira Island in the Azores, has long been a key strategic hub for U.S. military operations in the Atlantic and remains one of the most important pillars of defence cooperation between Portugal and the United States.

Rangel has previously said he is willing to provide all necessary explanations to MPs. The minister had initially proposed appearing before parliament on May 18, but the hearing did not take place because no committee meeting had been scheduled.

The foreign minister has also expressed support for holding the session in public. However, LIVRE and the Initiativa Liberal (IL) argued that at least part of the proceedings should be held behind closed doors because of the sensitive nature of issues involving national security, defence and foreign relations.

The hearing is expected to shed further light on Portugal’s role in supporting U.S. military operations and may intensify scrutiny of the government’s handling of one of the most sensitive foreign policy issues in recent months.

Source: Executive Digest

Natasha Donn

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.