Rubio reaches Portugal as Lajes base support sharpens NATO focus

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Portugal on Thursday on the last leg of a three-nation tour of NATO allies, with Lisbon expected to feature in discussions on European security and Portugal's support for US military operations. His stop comes a day after a speech in Athens in which he urged European countries to save Western civilization by upholding the values and traditions of ancient Greece.

Rubio, who began his trip in Iceland, is expected to thank Portuguese officials for allowing the US to use the Lajes Field air base in Portugal's mid-Atlantic Azores islands during the Iran war. The base is strategically located for military refuelling flights, and Portugal's backing has drawn attention because neighbouring Spain refused to allow American forces to use its bases for attacks on Iran.

Before leaving Athens, Rubio said, "Portugal is a great ally, a very cooperative ally of the United States and a country with which we already have a solid and growing relationship. And we visit these countries in order to reinforce those ties." He added, "That's the purpose of the trip." The US Air Force has long had a base at Lajes under an agreement with Portugal.

Unlike Spain, where Socialist leader Pedro Snchez refused permission for the American military to use Spanish bases to stage operations against Iran, Portugal's centre-right government gave Washington "conditional approval" to use Lajes Field. Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said the approval did not include hostile actions that go against international law. Members of the government said Portugal was carrying out the duties of a US ally.

The move has faced criticism at home. After a formal complaint by the small left-wing Left Bloc party, Portugal's attorney general's office said last week it is examining whether the use of Lajes Field was lawful. Spain's position angered President Donald Trump, who has publicly criticised its government and other European countries he considers not supportive enough of his administration's policies.

Portugal, one of the smallest members of NATO and the European Union, is keen to build ties with bigger countries. The country of fewer than 11 million people spends just over 2 per cent of its GDP on defence, according to NATO, and the government says it plans to raise that to around 3 per cent, including dual-use investment in civilian infrastructure. NATO says Portugal has around 25,000 military personnel. In Greece, Rubio said, "I'm asking our allies to be strong. We want a strong Europe."

Lajes Field was first used by the United States during World War II. After the war, Lisbon and Washington signed a formal agreement allowing the Air Force to use the base, whose long runway can handle heavy military aircraft. The base was scaled back after the Cold War and now mainly handles refuelling for trans-Atlantic military flights. A previous Portuguese centre-right government had also supported US military action in Afghanistan and Iraq. Rubio's visit underlined both Portugal's role in US operations and the wider effort to reinforce ties with NATO allies.

With PTI Inputs

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