The XI Meeting “Strategic Triangle: Latin America – Europe – Africa” was the first initiative in Portugal to debate the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Held on the 23rd and 24th of February 2022, this 11th edition of “Triângulo” was attended by the President of the Republic of Cape Verde, the Vice-President of Colombia and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal.

The event, dedicated to the theme “Democratic Models and Economic Growth in the Atlantic Area”, began by analyzing the major challenges faced by liberal democracies today, as well as the best approaches to solving them, in order to guarantee the continuity of this form of government.

The importance of multilateralism as an international mechanism for responding to the various socioeconomic difficulties that plague countries was also debated, focusing on the triangulation between Latin America, Europe and Africa, with Portugal being a fundamental actor in the articulation and conciliation of the various interests. The prospects for economic growth in the post-pandemic world were also discussed.

However, the war in Ukraine ended up being present in all the panels, making this edition of the Strategic Triangle the first international conference to deal with the topic, both on the eve and on the day of the start of the Russian invasion. The conclusions were unanimous, repudiating military action but highlighting the need to maintain open diplomatic channels with Russia, in order to reach a peaceful conclusion to the war started by Moscow.

More than ever, the imperative need for triangular multilateralism has been affirmed to deal with the effects that situations like this have on a global level, looking specifically at what it means for the South-South axis.

The XI Strategic Triangle Latin America – Europe – Africa was attended by the European University, SEGIB, Friedrich Naumann Foundation, EU-LAC Foundation, CAF – Development Bank of Latin America, CESO, Real Instituto Elcano, Institut Royal des Études Strátegiques, among several others.