Marcelo defends multilateralism in the open class at the Paris Peace Forum
The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, defended multilateralism as “the only way to solve the problems of the world”, in an open class for political science students at the Paris Peace Forum.
“It is impossible to speak of governance without choosing between unilateralism and multilateralism. I am for multilateralism because I believe that multilateralism is the only way to solve problems in the world,” he said.
The President spoke of the importance of civil society in this process, stating that “a stronger civil society” is inseparable from “lasting international institutions” and stressed the importance of strengthening the UN and the European Union.
Asked what reforms are needed by one of the students at the hearing, the Portuguese President explained that at the UN, the Security Council “does not correspond to reality today”, since it has neither Africa nor Latin America in its permanent composition nor India.
As for the EU, Marcelo mentioned the deepening of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), stating that “without this, there will always be crises” and a “common but minimal policy on migration and refugees”, stressing that both “require European convictions and European ideals. ”
Recovering the defence of multilateralism, the president concluded by stating that “international institutions need reforms, but they can never be forgotten or replaced.”
The Paris Peace Forum, which concludes celebrations of the centenary of the Armistice, brought together 60 heads of state and 30 international organizations to discuss ideas for global security.
