António José Seguro will call Manuela Teixeira Pinto to the Civil House, handing her diplomatic advisory duties. Having worked in diplomacy since 1996, he has served since 2022 as Deputy Permanent Representative of Portugal to the European Union (REPER), in Brussels.
The name, advanced by Renaissance Radio, was confirmed to DN this Monday afternoon. The presence of Manuela Teixeira Pinto in the Insurance team will also have a mission to provide specific advice on the international scene as part of the recent interventions of the United States of America in several countries, from Venezuela to military action in Iran.
Manuela Teixeira Pinto has experience in the functioning of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), served in the Permanent Delegation of Portugal to NATO between 2018 and 2022 and also served in the Portuguese Mission to the United Nations. He had already been Portugal’s representative to the EU between 2001 and 2005. In the Sócrates Government, he served as chief of staff to the Secretary of State for European Affairs, and also joined the cabinet of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
She has a degree in International Relations from the University of Minho and a postgraduate degree in European Studies from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon. He is yet another influential figure in the international advice of the future President, and, as DN reported, there is great respect for the fieldwork carried out in universities. In this area, Defense, Portuguese Institute of International Relations has three larger figures among the circle closest to the elected President. Carlos Gaspar is director at IPRI, guest professor at Autónoma and a central figure, continuing the consultancy he had already provided with Ramalho Eanes, Mário Soares and Jorge Sampaio. He advised at the Civil House from 1976 to 2006.
Just like Gaspar, who investigates Trump and the North American reality, also with coordination functions is Nuno Severiano Teixeira, with recent work, for example, on the Greenland issue, identifying Trump’s global interests and orientations on the subject. He is a full professor at Universidade Nova de Lisboa, was vice-rector of the same institution and presides over the board of directors of the Portuguese Institute of International Relations, having experience as minister of Defense (government of José Sócrates) and Internal Administration (with Guterres). The strengths in Defense, but also in responding to crises in the territory, have made it one of the non-negotiables on this journey.
Sónia Sénica is also a researcher at IPRI, an assistant professor in the International Relations department at the Autonomous University of Lisbon and a guest professor at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, having, until now, a career in foreign policy and studying the Russian Federation. The global understanding of the geopolitical phenomenon, DN knows, was one of the subjects of greatest study for Seguro, visibly alarmed by the international situation, not only due to the period of conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but also due to the risk of NATO being threatened and, consequently, forcing European defense agreements. Seguro’s discursive strategy has been measured in this chapter, which does not mean that he has not already identified many of the positions he understands. come to defend in terms of sovereignty. Ana Santos Pinto’s work on investment in Defense and the logic of dual application in the economy also does not go unnoticed.
Insurance wants strategic autonomy
António José Seguro, like most candidates, never prioritized the Defense issue during the campaign, even when the threats to Greenland were public. Valuing “diplomatic” paths, he always defended that Portugal should move towards a “European vision” and seek some “strategic autonomy.” This naturally implies investment in Defense, which includes, despite considering that the figure of 5% of GDP can only happen if it represents a dual and scientific investment, that is, covering other areas, namely Civil Protection and Security Forces.
Given the importance of the topic, Seguro called Defense to the first Council of State, in which he already hopes to have the five names nominated by Parliament, to hear contributions from the main parties. He wants a matter of consensus in this chapter and has previously said that “Portugal must have a voice in Europe.”
Seguro takes office as president of the Republic in a week, on March 9. You will extend the program to other regions of the country, passing through the municipality of Arganil, Guimarães, ending in Porto, where you will be welcomed at the city hall.
Leave a Reply