Foreign relations of Portugal are linked with its historical role as a major player in the Age of Discovery and the holder of the now defunct Portuguese Empire. Portugal is a European Union member country and a founding member of NATO. It is a committed proponent of European integration and transatlantic relations. Paulo Rangel is the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal.
Historical Historically, the focus of Portuguese diplomacy has been to preserve its independence, vis-à-vis, the danger of annexation by Spain, and the maintenance of the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, which officially came into being in 1386, and with the United Kingdom as a successor to England, it is still in place today.
Other goals have also been constant such as the political stability of the Iberian Peninsula and the affirmation of Portuguese interests in Europe and the Atlantic (also in the Indian and Pacific Oceans throughout different moments in history).
International organizations
Portugal was a founding member of NATO (1949), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (1961), and European Free Trade Area (1960); it left the latter in 1986 to join the European Economic Community, which would become the European Union (EU) in 1993. In 1996, it co-founded the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). The country is a member state of the United Nations since 1955.
Recently, the primacy of the United States and inter-governmental organizations such as NATO and the United Nations have also been paramount in the affirmation of Portugal abroad.
Portugal has been a significant beneficiary of the EU. It was among the top beneficiaries of the EU-15 between 1995 and 2004 (only behind Spain and Greece in absolute terms, and behind Ireland and Greece in a per capita basis). Portugal is a proponent of European integration and held the presidency of the European Union for the second time during the first half of 2000, and again in the second half of 2007. Portugal used its term to launch a dialogue between the EU and Africa and to begin to take steps to make the European economy dynamic and competitive. In 2002, the euro began to circulate as Portugal's currency. José Sócrates, as Prime Minister of Portugal, presided over the rotative Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the period July–December 2007. In this post, Sócrates and his team focused on the EU-Brazil (1st EU-Brazil summit) and EU-African Union (2007 Africa-EU Summit) relations, as well as in the approval of the Treaty of Lisbon.
Portugal was a founding member of NATO; it is an active member of the alliance by, for example, contributing proportionally large contingents in Balkan peacekeeping forces. Portugal proposed the creation of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) to improve its ties with other Portuguese-speaking countries. Additionally, Portugal has participated, along with Spain, in a series of Ibero-American Summit. Portugal held the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for the year 2002. The chairman-in-office was Portuguese Foreign Minister António Martins da Cruz.
Disputes Portugal holds claim to the disputed territory of Olivença on the Portugal-Spain border.
International visits
List of international prime ministerial trips made by Luís Montenegro List of international prime ministerial trips made by António Costa
Diplomatic relations List of countries which Portugal maintains diplomatic relations with: #CountryDate12—34567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253545556575859606162—636465666768697071727374757677787980818283848586— (suspended)87888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173—174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189—190
Bilateral relationships Africa Country Formal relations beganNotes Algeria has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Algiers.See Angola–Portugal relations.
Portugal ruled Angola for 400 years, colonizing the territory from 1483 until independence in 1975. Angola's war for independence did not end in a military victory for either side, but was suspended as a result of a coup in Portugal, that replaced the Caetano regime with a Military junta. Angola has an embassy in Lisbon and a consulate-general in Porto. Portugal has an embassy in Luanda and a consulate-general in Benguela.See Cape Verde–Portugal relations
Cape Verde has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Praia. DR Congo has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Kinshasa. Egypt has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Cairo. Equatorial Guinea has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Malabo. Ethiopia is accredited to Portugal from its embassy in Paris, France. Portugal has an embassy in Addis Ababa.See Guinea-Bissau–Portugal relations
Guinea-Bissau has an embassy in Lisbon and a consulate-general in Albufeira. Portugal has an embassy in Bissau. Ivory Coast has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal is accredited to Ivory Coast from its embassy in Dakar, Senegal. Libya has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal's embassy in Tripoli is currently suspended due to the current Libyan Crisis.See Morocco–Portugal relations
Morocco has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Rabat.See Mozambique–Portugal relations.
Mozambique gained independence from Portugal in 1975. Mozambique has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Maputo and a consulate-general in Beira. Nigeria has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Abuja.See Portugal–São Tomé and Príncipe relations.
Portugal has an embassy in São Tomé. São Tomé and Príncipe has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Dakar. Senegal has an embassy in Lisbon.See Portugal–South Africa relations.
Portugal has an embassy in Pretoria and consulates-general in Cape Town and Johannesburg. South Africa has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal is accredited to Tanzania from its embassy in Maputo, Mozambique. Portugal has an embassy in Tunis. Tunisia has an embassy in Lisbon.
Americas Country Formal relations beganNotesSee Argentina–Portugal relations
Formal relations between Portugal and Argentina began on 26 May 1812. Argentina has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Buenos Aires and three honorary consulates (in Comodoro Rivadavia, Mendoza and Rosario). Both countries are full members of the Organization of Ibero-American States. Argentine Ministry of Foreign Relations: list of bilateral treaties with Portugal (in Spanish only)Both countries established diplomatic relations on 9 December 1992.See Brazil–Portugal relations.
Relations between Brazil and Portugal have spanned over four centuries, beginning in 1532 with the establishment of São Vicente, the first Portuguese permanent settlement in the Americas, up to the present day. Relations between the two are intrinsically tied because of the Portuguese Empire. They continue to be bound by a common language and ancestral lines in Portuguese Brazilians, which can be traced back hundreds of years.
Brazil has an embassy in Lisbon and consulates-general in Faro and Porto. Portugal has an embassy in Brasília, consulates-general in Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, São Paulo and consulates in Belém, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Recife and Santos.See Canada–Portugal relations.
Canada has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Ottawa and consulates-general in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Both nations are part of NATO.See Chile–Portugal relations
Chile has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Santiago. Formal relations began in 1857. Colombia has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Bogotá. Cuba has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Havana. El Salvador has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal is accredited to El Salvador from its embassy in Mexico City, Mexico. See Mexico–Portugal relations.
Formal relations between Portugal and Mexico began on 20 October 1864. Mexico has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Mexico City. Both countries are full members of the Organization of Ibero-American States. Panama has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Panama City. Peru has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Lima.See Portugal–United States relations.
Portugal was among the first nations to establish diplomatic ties with the United States. Contributing to the strong ties between the United States and Portugal are the 20,000 Americans living in Portugal and some sizable Portuguese communities in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, California, and Hawaii. The latest census estimates that 1.3 million individuals living in the United States are of Portuguese ancestry, with a large percentage coming from the Portuguese Autonomous region of the Azores. Portugal has an embassy in Washington, D.C., and consulates-general in Boston, New York, Newark and San Francisco and consulates in New Bedford and Providence. United States has an embassy in Lisbon.See Portugal–Uruguay relations.
Portugal has an embassy in Montevideo. Uruguay has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Caracas and a consulate-general in Valencia. Venezuela has an embassy in Lisbon.
Asia Country Formal relations beganNotesSee Armenia–Portugal relations.
Armenia is accredited to Portugal from its embassy in Rome, Italy.Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: direction of Armenians embassies around the world Portugal is accredited to Armenia from its embassy in Moscow, Russia. Portugal has recognized the Armenian genocide in 2019.See Azerbaijan-Portugal relations.
Azerbaijan is accredited to Portugal from its embassy in Rabat, Morocco. Portugal is accredited to Azerbaijan from its embassy in Ankara, Turkey.See Bahrain–Portugal relations. Bahrain was ruled by the Portuguese Empire from 1521 until 1602, when they were expelled by Shah Abbas I of the Safavid dynasty.See China–Portugal relations.
China has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Beijing and consulates-general in Macau and Shanghai.See India–Portugal relations.
Relations between India and Portugal began amicably in 1947 when the former achieved independence. Relations went into decline after 1950 over Portugal's refusal to surrender its enclaves of Goa, Daman and Diu on India's west coast. By 1955, the two nations had cut off diplomatic relations, triggering a crisis which precipitated in the invasion of Portuguese India in 1961. Portugal refused to recognize Indian sovereignty over the annexed territories until 1974 when, following the Carnation Revolution, the new government in Lisbon recognized Indian sovereignty and restored diplomatic relations. Relations have turned cordial since then and a number of state visits have been made, treaties have been signed. Indo-Portuguese bilateral trade grew from US$69 million in 1991 to US$289.52 million in 2005. The Indian state of Goa hosted the 2013 Lusophony Games, the third edition of the multi-sport event for delegations representing every Portuguese-speaking National Olympic Committees. India has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in New Delhi and a consulate-general in Panjim, Goa.See Indonesia–Portugal relations.
In 1999, Indonesia and Portugal restored diplomatic relations, which were broken off following the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in 1975. Indonesia has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Jakarta.See Portuguese–Safavid relations and Iran–Portugal relations
Iran has an embassy in Lisbon. Portugal has an embassy in Tehran. Iraq has an embassy in Lisbon.