“The idea of the LPAZ forum, from the outset, is to look at the Atlantic in a transdisciplinary way, with a view from the Azores and in the Azores from one of its peripheries, which is the island of Santa Maria, which has a history in the geostrategic function of the Azores, from its discovery to more recently the aeronautical or space issue,” António Monteiro, from the organization, told Lusa.

From Thursday to Saturday, around 30 speakers from seven countries will present a “holistic” and “transdisciplinary” view of the Atlantic, with experts from international relations, political science, history, oceanography, philosophy, and literature.

The event will feature speeches by Florence Fix, Andrea Vacha, Luís Nuno Rodrigues, Pedro Seabra, Tomé Ribeiro Gomes, Giuseppe Formato, Graça Índias Cordeiro, Dulce Maria Scott, José Domingues de Almeida, Yves Laberge, Diogo Marques, Ana Salgueiro, Véronique Le Ru, Cláudio Gomes, Ana Azevedo, Isabel Valente, Pedro Martins, Maxi Shoeman and Onésimo Teotónio de Almeida.

The Secretary of State for National Defense, Ana Isabel Xavier, will also speak at the forum, which will take place at the Vila do Porto Municipal Library and the Hotel Santa Maria.

For António Monteiro, the Azores must be “aware of its geostrategic value,” which is not limited to “military issues.”

For the organizer and president of LPAZ – Associação para a Promoção e Valorização do Aeroporto de Santa Maria (Association for the Promotion and Enhancement of Santa Maria Airport), the archipelago’s location can be understood as a “point of union of cultures, diversity and the aggregation of the entire North Atlantic.”

“We are at the center of the world. We have to embrace this centrality and build it too, and not just be hostage to external visions and the attributions given to the Azores by external powers. It’s not a fight between us and them. It’s about us also contributing to the construction of a common project,” argues António Monteiro, who also has a degree in international relations.

The space projects planned for the island of Santa Maria will also be discussed in a session with Ricardo Conde, president of the Portuguese Space Agency, and Paulo Quental, coordinator of EMA-Space.

During the forum, a book will be launched based on the papers presented at the 2023 edition of the event, a work coordinated by Dulce Maria Scott, Diniz Borges, Ana Mónica Fonseca, and António Monteiro.

The LPAZ Forum 2024 is organized by the LPAZ Association in collaboration with various national and international university study centers, including the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute from Fresno State.