Paulo Rangel highlighted the advantages of the Portuguese candidacy and asked for support in the vote that will take place in 2026 and in which Portugal will face Germany and Austria.

According to the minister, Portugal will present “preventative diplomacy”, “build bridges” and focus on “protection”.

"We have three main mottos for this campaign: On the one hand, the idea of ​​preventing and avoiding conflicts. Then, being on the Security Council with what we call preventive diplomacy. Secondly, building bridges, and being partners. We believe that, on an international level, and I would even say on a global level, the Portuguese State is known for its ability to build bridges across all continents - from Oceania to Asia, from Africa to the Americas or Europe", defended Rangel in statements to journalists.

"Portugal has what is called 'soft power', it has a great capacity for soft power, therefore for building bridges. This is very relevant not only in security issues but also in agendas such as, for example, financial reform internationally, so that the debt of the poorest countries, as in the case of Africa, can be restructured. And then we will also have the idea of ​​protection", he argued.

The election in question for the Security Council - one of the most important bodies of the United Nations, whose mandate is to ensure the maintenance of international peace and security - takes place in 2026, for the 2027/2028 biennium.

Portugal's direct opponents are Germany and Austria, in a dispute for the two non-permanent member places assigned to the group of Western Europe and Other States.

The candidacy was formalised in January 2013 and elections for the aforementioned mandate will take place during the 81st General Assembly of the United Nations, in 2026, the year in which António Guterres ends his second five-year term as UN Secretary-General.

On Monday, the Government announced that it had allocated 1.7 million euros to this candidacy.

Paulo Rangel is confident that Portugal will be able to differentiate itself from Germany and Austria, two countries that "represent the same language, the same space" and have "very similar cultures".

Portugal, the minister observed, has as its advantage and differentiation factors the "more Atlantic vocation, the more maritime vocation, the more universalist vocation", in addition to "an important presence in the Americas and Africa, and a great tradition in Asia ", which are "very relevant assets".

"I am absolutely convinced that (...) if we run a campaign in line with what is the Portuguese tradition at the United Nations, we will be assured of our election as a non-permanent member for the 2027/2028 biennium. This is not an excess of trust. As I say, we will have to work until the end.

"I think Portugal has a lot of chances. And, in fact, it has proven in the past to have very difficult opponents and to have managed to win. I think that the trump card is, firstly, the Portuguese global and universalist vocation. This ability to dialogue with the world whole", highlighted by Paulo Rangel, in New York.

Asked about the future of relations between the United Nations and the new North American administration of Donald Trump - which in the first presidential term cut funding to several UN agencies and withdrew from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Culture (UNESCO) -, Paulo Rangel said he believes that the multilateral entity will be prepared for possible "constraints".

"Obviously, we know that President Trump's doctrine in his first term was always to invest less in multilateral relations and greater investment in bilateral relations. Therefore, this had some consequences for the financing of the UN. But, as far as I know, the UN is also prepared to have some constraints at this level, so, honestly, I wouldn't dramatise this issue either", said the minister.