"We will not allow any backtracking," said the secretary general of the Northwest Atlantic Axis of the Iberian Peninsula, a cross-border institution that brings together 42 municipalities in the north of Portugal and Galicia, in an interview with Lusa. On Tuesday, the Government approved the construction of the new airport for the Lisbon region at the Alcochete Firing Range, also deciding to mandate Infraestruturas de Portugal to complete the studies for the construction of the Third Tagus Crossing and the Lisbon-Madrid high-speed rail link. Previously, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, had already met with his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares, and assured that there was consensus between the two parties regarding the high-speed rail connections and the "same level of priority" that should be given to the line between Madrid and Lisbon and the one that is planned to connect Lisbon, Porto and Vigo, in Galicia. "Each one of them has a different logic and they are not incompatible. We have never raised any incompatibility with the connection to Madrid. What we do not want is for Madrid and Lisbon to exert an outdated centralism and raise incompatibilities with our connection," warned Xoán Mao. The head of the Atlantic Axis also considered it "obvious that the concern of Brussels and the governments has to be what is delayed, which is Madrid-Lisbon", which the Government wants to see ready in 2034. "As for the priority being the same, well... of course it worries us. Whenever the subject of Lisbon is raised, it starts to be the same priority and in the end the North is left out," he warned, acknowledging that the high-speed project on the Lisbon-Vigo axis "is moving forward, but it could be perfectly stopped". The official warned that "if the priorities change, it could be stopped", considering that "it would be very paradoxical if a man from Lisbon, like António Costa, developed the projects in the North, and a man from the North like Luís Montenegro paralysed them". Xoán Mao believes that if the PSD/CDS-PP Government led by Luís Montenegro "changed its priorities in relation to the North, the country would pay a high price in terms of social cohesion, but the PSD would pay a very high price in political terms, starting with the local elections" of 2025, in which "the North would not forgive it". The secretary general of the Atlantic Axis also challenges the governments of Portugal and Spain so that at the next Iberian Summit, in October, they "make public the agreement on where the [rail] bridge over the Minho River will be", giving a political signal that "the priorities are the same" regarding the Lisbon-Madrid connection. Xoán Mao also said that the Atlantic Axis has already requested a meeting with the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, who "has not yet responded". "I hope he gives us an answer quickly, because if he gives priority to other meetings and takes too long, then perhaps it would be worth postponing it, waiting and asking only the next minister," he said. Considering that the Lisbon-Madrid connection "is less structuring and probably less competitive than that of Lisbon with Galicia", the Atlantic Axis recognises that "the two capitals have to be connected". However, he recalled that "there is a very important tourism factor for the country, which is the Camino de Santiago, whereas between Madrid and Lisbon the Camino de Santiago is not done", recalling that on the Lisbon-Galicia axis tourists can also go "to Braga, a city that is very important in terms of religion and religious architecture, to Porto, Coimbra, Leiria-Fátima, and to Lisbon". "Let us not forget that the connection between Lisbon and Galicia is also the one that provides an outlet and coordinates the two Citroën [Stellantis group] factories, the one in Vigo and the one in Mangualde", on the Linha da Beira Alta, he recalled, on an axis "where the entire population lives, which connects to the ports and airports". The Lisbon-Porto high-speed line should connect the two main cities of the country in one hour and 15 minutes, with possible stops in Gaia, Aveiro, Coimbra and Leiria. The Porto-Vigo route is estimated to take 50 minutes. The first phase (Porto-Soure) of the high-speed line in Portugal should be ready in 2030, with the second phase (Soure-Carregado) scheduled to be completed in 2032, with the connection to Lisbon ensured via the Linha do Norte. The public tender for lot 1 (Porto-Oiã) of the first phase was launched in January, and that for lot two (Oiã-Soure) should be launched in July. The connection to Lisbon will proceed in 2025. The connection from Porto to Vigo, in Galicia (Spain), after 2030, will have stations at Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, Braga, Ponte de Lima and Valença (district of Viana do Castelo). In total, according to the previous Government, the investment costs on the Lisbon-Valença axis amount to around seven to eight billion euros. Also Read: Association defends that Lisbon-Madrid does not compromise the Transmontana line (Portuguese version)