Portuguese Defense Minister Nuno Melo stated today that the town of Olivenza “is Portuguese”, citing treaty agreements, Expresso reports on September 13th. He stressed that “one does not renounce rights when they are just”.
When asked by journalists in Estremoz, in the Évora district, whether Olivenza is Portuguese or Spanish, the minister was clear:
Olivenza is Portuguese, naturally, and this is not a provocation.
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By treaty, Olivenza should be returned to the Portuguese state,
-Defense Minister Nuno Melo continued during the ceremony celebrating the Cavalry Regiment No. 3 Day in the Alentejan city.
Melo, who completed part of his military service in RC3, a unit also known as the Olivenza Dragoons, noted that “many view the issue of Olivenza in a caricatured way”.
Since the Treaty of Alcañices, Portugal has had the oldest defined borders, except for that small part,
-he emphasized that “regarding Olivenza, the Portuguese state does not recognize it as Spanish territory”.
Portuguese Defense Minister Nuno Melo. Photo
Olivenza is a border town claimed by Portugal since the Treaty of Alcañices in 1297. However, Spain annexed the town and continues to administer it as part of the Badajoz province in the autonomous community of Extremadura. Despite this, Spain acknowledged Portuguese sovereignty over Olivenza when it signed the Congress of Vienna in 1817.
Expresso, Atlantis.org
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