The Regional Assistant Secretary of the Presidency for External Relations stated in Ponta Delgada that the Azores need to have "a clear and external clairvoyant policy that anticipates" developments in order to position themselves properly.
 
"Today, the European and world situation is extremely complex and very volatile; it changes very rapidly," said Rui Bettencourt. He spoke at the end of an open class with students from the University of Porto, stressing the importance of having "a strategy" to disseminate and explain what the Azores are today in Europe and in the world, especially among young people and future professionals outside the Region.
 
According to the Secretary for External Relations, it was "interesting" to be able to present to final year students of the International Relations course of a national university the characteristics of the Azores as an Outermost Region (ORs) and as an Autonomous Region. On the occasion, he took the opportunity to explain what Autonomy of the Azores and its value are but also what this implies, mentioning its difficulties as an Outermost Region and as a Region with self-government bodies, besides explaining how the Azores are positioned in the current and international context.
 
For the government official, it was an "educational initiative" on the Autonomy of the Region, where there is a concern for the economy and the endogenous growth of the nine islands of the archipelago. The session also focused on the Region's Political-Administrative Statute and its Outermost Region status, according to Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
 
In his speech, the Regional Secretary also emphasised that the Azores, an Outermost Region, have weaknesses and potentialities, highlighting the characteristics of the archipelago and its privileged geographic position in the middle of the Atlantic. The maritime territory of the archipelago has contributed to the "global projection and the maritime tailoring" of Europe.
 
Rui Bettencourt also spoke about the work developed by the Regional Government as part of the Azorean society's involvement in the definition of post-2020 period, the presentation of proposals for the Multiannual Financial Framework and the "European Citizenship - Europe for Azoreans" programme. In this regard, various activities are being developed under the aforementioned programme with different target groups, seeking to raise awareness and involve people in the European project.