| Constitution |
|---|
Foreign relations of Portugal are linked with its historical role as a major player in theAge of Discovery and the holder of the now defunctPortuguese Empire.Portugal is aEuropean Union member country and a founding member ofNATO. It is a committed proponent ofEuropean integration andtransatlantic relations.Paulo Rangel is the currentMinister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal.
Historically, the focus of Portuguese diplomacy has been to preserve its independence,vis-à-vis, the danger ofannexation bySpain, and the maintenance of theAnglo-Portuguese Alliance, which officially came into being in 1386, and with theUnited Kingdom as asuccessor toEngland, it is still in place today.
Other goals have also been constant such as the political stability of theIberian Peninsula and the affirmation of Portuguese interests inEurope and theAtlantic (also in theIndian andPacific Oceans throughout different moments in history).

Portugal was a founding member ofNATO (1949),Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (1961), andEuropean Free Trade Area (1960); it left the latter in 1986 to join theEuropean Economic Community, which would become theEuropean Union (EU) in 1993. In 1996, it co-founded theCommunity of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). The country is a member state of theUnited Nations since 1955.
Recently, the primacy of the United States and inter-governmental organizations such as NATO and theUnited 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 theEU-15 between 1995 and 2004 (only behind Spain andGreece in absolute terms, and behindIreland and Greece in aper capita basis).[1] Portugal is a proponent ofEuropean 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 andAfrica and to begin to take steps to make the European economy dynamic and competitive. In 2002, theeuro began to circulate as Portugal's currency.José Sócrates, asPrime Minister of Portugal, presided over the rotativePresidency of the Council of the European Union for the period July–December 2007.[2] 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 theTreaty of Lisbon.
Portugal was a founding member of NATO; it is an active member of the alliance by, for example, contributing proportionally large contingents inBalkan 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 ofIbero-American Summit. Portugal held the chairmanship of theOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for the year 2002. The chairman-in-office was Portuguese Foreign MinisterAntónio Martins da Cruz.
Portugal holds claim to the disputed territory ofOlivença on thePortugal-Spain border.
List of countries which Portugal maintains diplomatic relations with:
| # | Country | Date[3] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 October 1143 | |
| 2 | 9 May 1386[4] | |
| — | 12 February 1481[5] | |
| 3 | 7 January 1485 | |
| 4 | February 1641 | |
| 5 | 18 March 1641[6] | |
| 6 | 10 June 1641 | |
| 7 | 24 October 1779 | |
| 8 | 13 May 1791[7] | |
| 9 | 28 July 1821[8] | |
| 10 | 29 August 1825 | |
| 111 | 8 August 1834[9] | |
| 12 | 22 July 1835[10] | |
| 13 | 14 February 1846 | |
| 14 | 14 February 1846 | |
| 15 | 26 March 1853[11] | |
| 16 | 9 April 1857 | |
| 17 | 10 February 1859[12] | |
| 18 | 3 August 1860 | |
| 19 | 24 October 1860[13] | |
| 20 | February 1886 | |
| 21 | 5 November 1872 | |
| 22 | 6 December 1879 | |
| 23 | 10 May 1879 | |
| 24 | 14 November 1882 | |
| 25 | 1 May 1883[14] | |
| 26 | 20 August 1884[15] | |
| 27 | 21 May 1891 | |
| 28 | 21 May 1904[16] | |
| 29 | 17 March 1906[17] | |
| 30 | 26 November 1912 | |
| 31 | 10 July 1913 | |
| 32 | 11 December 1913[18] | |
| 33 | 27 August 1917 | |
| 34 | 16 May 1919[19] | |
| 35 | 10 January 1920 | |
| 36 | 18 October 1920[20] | |
| 37 | 4 April 1922[21] | |
| 38 | 13 May 1922 | |
| 39 | 25 June 1925[22] | |
| 40 | 28 May 1926[23] | |
| 41 | 26 February 1942[24] | |
| 42 | 4 July 1946 | |
| 43 | 23 January 1948[25] | |
| 44 | 12 August 1948[26][27] | |
| 45 | 28 August 1948 | |
| 46 | 4 November 1949 | |
| 47 | 13 May 1950[28] | |
| 48 | 12 April 1952 | |
| 49 | 10 November 1952[29] | |
| 50 | 7 January 1953[30] | |
| 51 | 1955 | |
| 52 | 15 October 1956 | |
| 53 | 18 December 1956[31] | |
| 54 | 21 May 1957 | |
| 55 | 3 March 1958[32] | |
| 56 | 20 October 1958 | |
| 57 | 6 January 1959 | |
| 58 | 7 July 1960 | |
| 59 | 4 August 1960 | |
| 60 | 20 September 1960[33] | |
| 61 | 15 April 1961[34] | |
| 62 | 25 May 1961 | |
| — | 19 December 1962[35] | |
| 63 | 8 February 1963 | |
| 64 | 1965 | |
| 65 | 15 March 1966[36] | |
| 66 | 6 September 1968 | |
| 67 | 26 March 1969 | |
| 68 | 5 July 1972[37] | |
| 69 | 26 June 1974 | |
| 70 | 1 July 1974 | |
| 71 | 25 July 1974 | |
| 72 | 2 September 1974 | |
| 73 | 29 November 1974 | |
| 74 | 16 December 1974 | |
| 75 | 28 January 1975 | |
| 76 | 30 January 1975 | |
| 77 | 18 February 1975[38] | |
| 78 | 19 February 1975 | |
| 79 | 22 February 1975 | |
| 80 | 5 March 1975 | |
| 81 | 7 March 1975 | |
| 82 | 19 March 1975 | |
| 83 | 1 April 1975 | |
| 84 | 1 April 1975 | |
| 85 | 3 April 1975 | |
| 86 | 18 April 1975 | |
| — | 22 April 1975 | |
| 87 | 27 May 1975 | |
| 88 | 25 June 1975 | |
| 89 | 1 July 1975 | |
| 90 | 10 July 1975 | |
| 91 | 10 July 1975 | |
| 92 | 18 July 1975 | |
| 93 | 18 July 1975 | |
| 94 | 22 July 1975 | |
| 95 | December 1975 | |
| 96 | 1975 | |
| 97 | 12 February 1976 | |
| 98 | 3 March 1976 | |
| 99 | 9 March 1976 | |
| 100 | 29 March 1976 | |
| 101 | 14 April 1976 | |
| 102 | 20 June 1976 | |
| 103 | 22 June 1976 | |
| 104 | 10 July 1976 | |
| 105 | 16 August 1976[40] | |
| 106 | 1 September 1976 | |
| 107 | 8 September 1976 | |
| 108 | 8 September 1976 | |
| 109 | 15 October 1976 | |
| 110 | 14 November 1976[41] | |
| 111 | 12 December 1976 | |
| 112 | 17 December 1976 | |
| 113 | 10 January 1977 | |
| 114 | 12 February 1977 | |
| 115 | 15 February 1977 | |
| 116 | 21 February 1977 | |
| 117 | 9 March 1977 | |
| 118 | 4 April 1977 | |
| 119 | 2 May 1977 | |
| 120 | 12 May 1977 | |
| 121 | 21 June 1977 | |
| 122 | 21 July 1977 | |
| 123 | 2 September 1977 | |
| 124 | 18 March 1978 | |
| 125 | 7 July 1978[42] | |
| 126 | 2 January 1979 | |
| 127 | 2 February 1979[43] | |
| 128 | 14 February 1979 | |
| 129 | 26 February 1979 | |
| 130 | 26 October 1979 | |
| 131 | 18 April 1980 | |
| 132 | 21 April 1980 | |
| 133 | 18 July 1980 | |
| 134 | 7 January 1981 | |
| 135 | 11 January 1981 | |
| 136 | 1 May 1982 | |
| 137 | 20 March 1983 | |
| 138 | 3 April 1983 | |
| 139 | 30 August 1983 | |
| 140 | 1 November 1983 | |
| 141 | 15 November 1983 | |
| 142 | 31 January 1984 | |
| 143 | 23 February 1989[44] | |
| 144 | 1 October 1991 | |
| 145 | 2 October 1991 | |
| 146 | 4 October 1991 | |
| 147 | 22 November 1991 | |
| 148 | 2 December 1991 | |
| 149 | 26 January 1992[45] | |
| 150 | 27 January 1992 | |
| 151 | 3 February 1992 | |
| 152 | 3 February 1992 | |
| 153 | 6 February 1992[46] | |
| 154 | 23 May 1992 | |
| 155 | 25 May 1992 | |
| 156 | 29 May 1992[47] | |
| 157 | 4 August 1992 | |
| 158 | 7 August 1992 | |
| 159 | 13 August 1992 | |
| 160 | 18 August 1992[48] | |
| 161 | 19 August 1992 | |
| 162 | 28 August 1992 | |
| 163 | 9 December 1992[49] | |
| 164 | 2 January 1993 | |
| 165 | 10 February 1993[50] | |
| 166 | 27 May 1993[49] | |
| 167 | 15 November 1994 | |
| 168 | 22 December 1994[51] | |
| 169 | 9 February 1995 | |
| 170 | 10 February 1995[52] | |
| 171 | 24 March 1995[53] | |
| 172 | 1 March 1995[54] | |
| 173 | 12 April 1995 | |
| 174 | 1 June 1995 | |
| — | 12 August 1995 | |
| 175 | 29 August 1995 | |
| 176 | 8 June 1995[49] | |
| 177 | 9 June 1995[55] | |
| 178 | 13 November 1995 | |
| 179 | 19 March 1996[49] | |
| 180 | 22 March 1996[49] | |
| 181 | 17 May 1996[56] | |
| 182 | 19 September 1996[49] | |
| 183 | 20 November 1996[57] | |
| 184 | 27 December 1996[49] | |
| 185 | 27 December 1996[49] | |
| 186 | 20 May 2002 | |
| 187 | 18 May 2007 | |
| 188 | 13 November 2008[58] | |
| 189 | 26 May 2009 | |
| — | 14 November 2011[59] | |
| 190 | 23 April 2013[49] | |
| Country | Formal relations began | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 7 March 1975[3] | ||
| 9 March 1976[3] | SeeAngola–Portugal relations. Portugal ruled Angola for 400 years,[60] colonizing the territory from 1483 until independence in 1975. Angola's war forindependence did not end in a military victory for either side, but was suspended as a result of acoup in Portugal, that replaced theCaetano regime with aMilitary junta. | |
| 18 July 1975[3] | SeeCape Verde–Portugal relations
| |
| 7 July 1960[3] |
| |
| 24 November 1942[3] |
| |
| 9 March 1977[3] |
| |
| 6 January 1959[3] |
| |
| 29 November 1974[3] | SeeGuinea-Bissau–Portugal relations | |
| 28 January 1975[3] |
| |
| 1975[3] |
| |
| 16 May 1955[3] |
| |
| 25 June 1975[3] | SeeMozambique–Portugal relations. Mozambique gained independence from Portugal in 1975. | |
| 10 July 1975[3] |
| |
| 18 July 1975[3] | SeePortugal–São Tomé and Príncipe relations.
| |
| 2 September 1974[3] |
| |
| February 1886[3] | SeePortugal–South Africa relations.
| |
| [3] |
| |
| 21 May 1957[3] |
|
| Country | Formal relations began | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 9 August 1852[3] | SeeArgentina–Portugal relations
| |
| 9 December 1992[49] | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 9 December 1992.[61] | |
| 29 August 1825[3] | SeeBrazil–Portugal relations. Relations between Brazil and Portugal have spanned over four centuries, beginning in 1532 with the establishment ofSão Vicente, the first Portuguese permanent settlement in theAmericas, up to the present day.[62] Relations between the two are intrinsically tied because of thePortuguese Empire. They continue to be bound by a common language and ancestral lines inPortuguese Brazilians, which can be traced back hundreds of years.
| |
| 12 April 1952[3] | SeeCanada–Portugal relations. | |
| 28 February 1879[3] | SeeChile–Portugal relations
| |
| 9 April 1857[3] |
| |
| 1929[3] |
| |
| 15 March 1966[36] |
| |
| 6 December 1879[3] | SeeMexico–Portugal relations.
| |
| 21 May 1904[16] |
| |
| 26 March 1853[11] | Main article:Peru–Portugal relations
| |
| 13 May 1791[7] | SeePortugal–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 sizablePortuguese communities inMassachusetts,Rhode Island,New Jersey,California, andHawaii. The latest census estimates that 1.3 million individuals living in the United States are of Portuguese ancestry, with a large percentage coming from thePortuguese Autonomous region of theAzores.
| |
| 16 October 1852[63] | SeePortugal–Uruguay relations.
| |
| 1914[3] |
| Country | Formal relations began | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 25 May 1992[3] | SeeArmenia–Portugal relations.
| |
| 4 August 1992[3] | SeeAzerbaijan-Portugal relations.
| |
| 10 July 1976[3] | SeeBahrain–Portugal relations. Bahrain was ruled by thePortuguese Empire from 1521 until 1602, when they were expelled byShah Abbas I of theSafavid dynasty. | |
| 2 February 1979[43] | SeeChina–Portugal relations. | |
| 22 June 1949[3] | SeeIndia–Portugal relations.
| |
| 4 January 1965[3] | SeeIndonesia–Portugal relations. In 1999, Indonesia and Portugal restored diplomatic relations, which were broken off following theIndonesian invasion ofEast Timor in 1975.
| |
| 15 October 1956[3] | SeeIran–Portugal relations
| |
| ||
| 12 May 1977[3] | SeeIsrael–Portugal relations TheEstado Novo regime did not recognize Israel. Full diplomatic relations with the Israeli government were established in 1977, following thePortuguese revolution of 1974.[66]
| |
| 3 August 1860[3] | SeeJapan–Portugal relations.
| |
| 19 August 1992[3] |
| |
| 22 April 1975[3] | SeePortugal–North Korea relations. In 1975, North Korea and Portugal established diplomatic relations.[67] In 2017, Portugal cut diplomatic ties with North Korea.[68] | |
| 4 November 1949[3] |
| |
| 4 July 1946[3] |
| |
| 1 May 1982[3] |
| |
| 18 July 1980[3] |
| |
| 15 April 1961[34] | SeePortugal–South Korea relations Although far apart in geographical terms, the known contacts between Portugal and Korea date from the beginning of the 17th century.
| |
| 10 February 1859[12] | SeePortugal–Thailand relations
| |
| 20 May 2002[3] | SeePortugal–Timor-Leste relations. East Timor was an overseas territory of Portugal for over 400 years. Portugal was a strong advocate of independence for East Timor, which was occupied annexed by neighboringIndonesia between 1975 and 1999, and has committed troops and money to Timor-Leste, in close cooperation with theUnited Nations and Timor-Leste'sAsian neighbors.
| |
| 20 March 1843[3] | SeePortugal–Turkey relations Turkey's 161 years of political relations with Portugal date back to theOttoman period when the Visconde do Seixal was appointed as an envoy toIstanbul. Diplomatic relations ceased duringWorld War I and were re-established in theRepublican period in 1926. A resident embassy was established in 1957.
| |
| 20 June 1976[3] | SeePortugal–United Arab Emirates relations
| |
| 1 July 1975[3] |
|
| Country | Formal relations began | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 19 December 1939[3] | SeeAlbania–Portugal relations. | |
| 22 December 1994[51] | SeeAndorra–Portugal relations
| |
| April 1696[3] | SeeAustria–Portugal relations
| |
| July 1834[3] | SeeBelgium–Portugal relations
| |
| 26 June 1974[3] | SeeBulgaria–Portugal relations.
| |
| 3 February 1992[3] |
| |
| 5 March 1975[3] |
| |
| 1921 |
| |
| 18 March 1641[6] | SeeDenmark–Portugal relations.
| |
| ||
| 10 January 1920[3] |
| |
| 1485[3] | SeeFrance–Portugal relations Portuguese links to France have remained very strong and the country is considered one of Portugal's main political partners.
| |
| 1871[3] | SeeGermany–Portugal relations
| |
| 22 July 1835[10] | SeeGreece–Portugal relations
| |
| 23 May 1179[3] |
| |
| 1 July 1974[3] |
| |
| 23 January 1948[25] |
| |
| 1942[3] |
| |
| 15 July 1872[3] | SeeItaly–Portugal relations
| |
| 14 November 2011[59] | SeeKosovo–Portugal relations. Portugalrecognized Kosovo on 7 October 2008.[73][74][75] Kosovo has formally announced its decision to open an embassy in Lisbon.[76] | |
| ||
| 22 July 1975[3] | SeeMalta–Portugal relations.
| |
| February 1641[3] | SeeNetherlands–Portugal relations
| |
| 17 March 1906[17] | ||
| 13 May 1922[3] | SeePoland–Portugal relations
| |
| 27 August 1917[3] | SeePortugal–Romania relations
| |
| 24 October 1779[3] | SeePortugal–Russia relations.
| |
| 14 November 1882[3] | SeePortugal–Serbia relations. Portugal established diplomatic relations with theKingdom of Serbia on 19 October 1917.[77] Relations continued with the successorKingdom of Yugoslavia. The Portuguese recognized the government in exile of this state after the German occupation of 1941.[78] Relations with theSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which took power in 1945 afterWorld War II, were only established in 1974 after the PortugueseCarnation Revolution.[79] Following the dissolution of SFR Yugoslavia during theYugoslav wars, Portugal maintained relations with theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia, later reconstituted asSerbia and Montenegro and finally asSerbia afterMontenegro declared its independence in July 2006.[80] Portugal has an embassy inBelgrade. Serbia has an embassy in Lisbon.[80] In April 1999, Portugal participated in theNATO bombing of Serbia from theAviano air base inItaly.[81] Portugal also provided troops as part of NATO peacekeeping efforts in the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo in 1999.[82] In April 1999, Serbia filed a complaint with theInternational Court of Justice regarding Portugal's use of force in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.[83] As of 2007, Portugal still had about 300 troops in Kosovo.[84]
In the January–October 2006 period, bilateral trade between Serbia and Portugal were estimated at US$12.7 million.[80] | |
| 5 October 1143[3] | SeePortugal–Spain relations. Historically, the two states were long-standing adversaries, but in recent years, they have enjoyed a much friendlier relationship and in 1986, they entered the European Union together. | |
| 29 July 1641[3] | SeePortugal–Sweden relations
| |
| 5 November 1872[3] |
| |
| 27 January 1992[3] | SeePortugal–Ukraine relations.
| |
| 9 May 1386 | SeePortugal–United Kingdom relations. Portugal establisheddiplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 9 May 1386.[4][irrelevant citation]
Both countries share common membership of the Atlantic Co-operation Pact,[103] theCouncil of Europe,NATO, theOECD, theOSCE, theUnited Nations, theWorld Health Organization, and theWorld Trade Organization. Bilaterally the two countries have the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance, and a Double Taxation Convention.[104] |
| Country | Formal relations began | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 4 August 1960[3] | ||
| 22 June 1976[3] |
|
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