The Regional Assistant Secretary of the Presidency for Foreign Affairs defended in Ponta Delgada the opening of new dimensions of cooperation and a new centrality for the Azores, in addition to defending their status as Outermost Region (OR) of the European Union.
 
Speaking at the opening session of the conference on "The Outermost Regions of the European Union," Rui Bettencourt stressed that the ORs status must be defended "with firmness and with strong arguments in this evolution of the European Union and the world."
 
"We have strong arguments and we have weaknesses that are ongoing. We have a strong European belief that puts the Azores in the common European destiny so that we, together with our European partners, may show who we are, how fragile we are, how we should be treated and how we want to be defended," said the government official.
 
"The pro-European position of the Azores imposes on us the obligation to defend the Outermost Region" status, which acknowledges the particular weaknesses of ORs in the European Union, added Rui Bettencourt.
 
According to the Assistant Secretary for External Relations, the conference, which runs for two days at the University of the Azores, is an "interesting moment of reflection" on an important matter for the Azores: the Outermost Regions. In this context, the Forum on Outermost Regions will be held on March 30 and 31 in Brussels, where the Region will take active part.
 
Rui Bettencourt conveyed his belief that this two-day conference will promote a reflection that will allow us "to move forward with strategic thinking on Outermost Regions and their relation with our partners, our neighbours and among ourselves. Moreover, this reflection should be also about our identity because, "despite our weaknesses, we also have our identity."