美国国务卿马尔科·鲁比奥于周四抵达葡萄牙，这标志着他为期三天、访问三个北约盟国的行程进入最后阶段。预计在里斯本举行的会谈将涉及欧洲安全议题以及葡萄牙对美国军事行动的支持情况。一天前，鲁比奥曾在雅典发表演讲，呼吁欧洲各国坚守古希腊的价值观与传统，以捍卫西方文明。
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.
此次出访始于冰岛。鲁比奥预计将对葡萄牙官员表示感谢，感谢他们在伊朗战争期间允许美国使用位于大西洋中部亚速尔群岛的拉热斯空军基地。该基地地理位置优越，非常适合执行军事加油任务。值得注意的是，邻国西班牙曾拒绝允许美军利用其基地对伊朗发动攻击，而葡萄牙的支持举措因此备受瞩目。
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.
离开雅典前，鲁比奥说道：“葡萄牙是美国的优秀盟友，一个极具合作精神的伙伴，我们两国的关系正日益稳固并持续发展。此次出访的目的正是为了进一步巩固这些联系。”事实上，根据美葡两国协议，美国空军长期以来便在拉热斯基地驻军。
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.
与西班牙社会党领导人佩德罗·桑切斯拒绝允许美军以西班牙基地为跳板对伊朗实施军事行动不同，葡萄牙的中右翼政府则向华盛顿发出了“有条件许可”。葡萄牙外交部长保罗·兰热尔强调，这一许可并不涵盖任何违反国际法的敌对行动。政府官员们表示，葡萄牙此举正是履行作为美国盟友的责任。
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.
不过，这一决定在葡萄牙国内也引发了争议。继左翼小党“左翼集团”提出正式申诉后，葡萄牙总检察长办公室上周宣布，正在审查允许美军使用拉热斯基地的举措是否合法。
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.
西班牙的立场激怒了唐纳德·特朗普总统。特朗普公开批评西班牙政府以及其他那些在他看来未能充分支持其政策的欧洲国家。作为北约和欧盟中规模最小的成员国之一，葡萄牙迫切希望与大国建立联系。据北约统计，这个人口不足1100万的国家目前将国内生产总值的2%多一点用于国防开支；政府表示计划将这一比例提升至3%左右，其中也包括对民用基础设施的军民两用投资。
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.
北约称，葡萄牙现役军人数量约为2.5万人。鲁比奥在希腊表示：“我呼吁我们的盟友保持强大。我们希望看到一个强大的欧洲。”拉热斯空军基地最初由美国在二战期间启用。战后，里斯本与华盛顿签署正式协议，允许美国空军使用该基地——其长长的跑道足以供重型军用飞机起降。冷战结束后该基地规模有所缩减，如今主要承担跨大西洋军事航班的加油任务。
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.
此前，葡萄牙的中右翼政府也曾支持美国在阿富汗和伊拉克的军事行动。鲁比奥此访既凸显了葡萄牙在美国军事行动中所发挥的作用，也体现了美国加强与北约盟友联系的意图。
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.