Political Relations

Establishment of relations between Greece and Portugal

More information on the establishment of relations between Greece and Portugal can be found on the following link

https://200years.mfa.gr/en/diplomatic-consular-relations-en/portugal/

GENERAL

Establishing diplomatic relations between Greece and Portugal goes back to the year 1882, when a Royal Consulate General is founded in Lisbon and a Consulate, 2nd class on the island of Madeira, probably due to the needs of the expanding Greek merchant marine. Eight years later, in 1890 another Consulate, 2nd class opens in the city of Porto. Having said that, it should be however mentioned that according to other available sources, diplomatic relations between the two countries can be traced back to 1835, when the first Greek Ambassador, Count Andreas Metaxas, starts his mission at Madrid with an assumed parallel accreditation to Lisbon.

Whatever the state of things, it is in 1946 that a resident Embassy of Greece is definitely established and has been functioning ever since (founding Law 2663/23.11.1946).

BILATERAL POLITICAL RELATIONS

Relations between Greece and Portugal are excellent. The two countries share the same views and approach on a wide range of European and international issues. Cooperation between the two countries within the European Union and NATO is very satisfactory with the two sides displaying traditionally respect and understanding for each other’s priorities and sensitivities.

The bilateral conventional framework consists of the Airtransport Agreement (Athens, 16.05.1986), the Agreement on Abolishing Visas (Lisbon, 08.06.1955), obviously now irrelevant, the Agreement of Cultural and Scientific Cooperation (Athens, 10.07.1980), the Trade and Merchant Marine Agreement (Lisbon, 18.08.1938), the Protocol on Tourist Cooperation (Lisbon, 25.10.1982), as well as the Convention on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Tax Evasion on Income Taxes (Lisbon, 02.12.1999). The processing of the Agreement on Tourist Cooperation has been completed and is expected to be signed on a commonly agreed date. Furthermore, the bilateral Memorandum  for Economic Cooperation is expected to be completed soon as well as the bilateral Agreement on Defense Cooperation.

Cooperation is equally satisfactory in the field of mutually supporting respective candidatures in International Organizations and Agencies, with both countries supporting each other’s important bids at the U.N. and elsewhere.

In May 2016 a Parliamentary Greek-Portuguese Friendship Group was established with the participation of MPs from political parties such as PSD, PS, PCP and  Mr. Manuel Pureza, BE, as President.

Concerning bilateral visits, it is to be noted the state visit of the Portuguese Prime Minister Mr. Antonio Costa to Athens (April 2016), within the framework of which  a bilateral meeting between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the two countries took place, the state visit of the Greek President of the Republic Mr. P. Pavlopoulos to Portugal, 29-31 January 2017, the scheduled stare visit of the Portuguese President of the Republic Mr. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to Greece, 13-14 March 2017. Moreover, the visits of the Prime Minister of Greece Mr. Tsipras to Lisbon, on  28th of January 2017, in the framework of  the 2nd meeting of the leaders of Mediterranean EU countries as well as on 1-2 December 2017, following an invitation of the Portuguese Prime Minister to participate as an Observer to the of the European Socialist Party’s meeting. Furthermore, the official visit of the President of the Portuguese Parliament Mr. Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues in Greece (9-10.11.2017). Additionally, other visits include those of the Greek Minister of Finance E. Tsakalotos (January 2016), the former Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs N. Xidakis (February 2016), the Greek Alternate Minister of National Defense D. Vitsas (September 2016), the visit of the Portuguese Deputy Minister of National Defense M. Perestrello to Athens (June 2017) and the work visit of the Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs G. Katrougalos to Lisbon (September 2017). In October 2016 consultations were carried out in Athens between the General Directors of European Affairs from both countries’ Ministries of Foreign Affairs.

Portugal-Greece and Portugal
General information

In a letter dated 2/14 November 1834, the Queen of Portugal, Dona Maria II recognized the enthronement of the then King Otto of Greece, thus recognizing the new Greek state and promising to maintain the best relations of friendship with it.

(a) Consular relations between the two countries were launched in 1834 with the appointment of the first Greek Honorary Consul in Lisbon by King Otto on September 28/October 10, 1834. The Portuguese philhellene, Colonel Antonio Figueira de Almeida (1784-1847), who had distinguished himself during the last phase of the Greek revolution was appointed Honorary Consul but never assumed his consular duties. His appointment was revoked in May 1835: On July 10/22, 1835, Mr Angelo Costa was appointed Consul of Greece in Lisbon.

On March 22/April 3, 1839 David Pacifico (also known as Don Pacifico) arrived in Piraeus and assumed his duties as Consul General of Portugal to Greece. In 1882, a second class Honorary Consulate was established in Madeira. Emilios Valaoritis, son of the famous Greek poet Aristotle Valaoritis, was appointed as Consul but he died shortly after his arrival to Madeira and was buried in Funchal. In 1890, an Honorary Consulate was established in Porto and in 1920 an Honorary Consulate General was established in Lisbon. Today there are three Honorary Consulates of Greece in Portugal, in Porto, Funchal (Madeira) and Ponta Delgada (Azores). Two Honorary Consulates of Portugal operate in Greece today, in Piraeus and Thessaloniki.

(b) Diplomatic relations were established when the Greek Ambassador to Madrid, Andreas Metaxas -later Prime Minister of Greece- was parallely accredited as Ambassador of Greece to Lisbon in June 1837 and presented his credentials to the Queen of Portugal, Dona Maria II in the summer of 1838. Later, the Ambassador of Greece in Paris was simultaneously accredited in Lisbon. In 1946, the Embassy of Greece was established in Lisbon. Portugal has also an Embassy in Athens. Before the start of its operation, the Ambassador of Portugal in Bucharest was simultaneously accredited to Greece.

Bilateral political relations

The relations between Greece and Portugal are excellent. They are characterised by a broad coincidence of views on a number of international and European issues, as demonstrates the fruitful bilateral cooperation in the framework of the United Nations, NATO, the European Union and other international organisations. The two countries also participate in the EUMED-9, through which they positively contribute to the development of the European Union’s policies.

The contractual framework of the bilateral Greek-Portuguese relations consists of:
-the Agreement on commerce and navigation (Lisbon, 15.8. 1938)
-the Agreement on the abolition of passport visas (Lisbon, 8.6.1955)
-the Agreement on cultural and scientific cooperation (Athens, 10.7.1980)
-the Agreement on aviation transport (Athens, 16.5.1986)
-the Agreement on the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax evasion for income taxes(Lisbon, 2.12.1999) and
-the Agreement on defence cooperation (Lisbon, 12.10.2020).

In the field of tourism, a Tourism Cooperation Protocol was signed in Lisbon in 1982 followed by a Tourism Cooperation Agreement in Athens in 2018. In the economic sector, a Memorandum of Economic Cooperation was concluded in Lisbon in 2018.

Greece and Portugal cooperate closely on migration issues, as Portugal is receiving for resettlement refugees, asylum seekers and minor refugees from Greece.  

In May 2016, a Portuguese-Greek Friendship Parliamentary Group was created for the first time in the Portuguese parliament. A similar group operates in the Hellenic Parliament.

Visits

After the fall of Portugal’s dictatorship in April 1974 and the restoration of democracy in Greece in July 1974, a period of continuous development of relations between the two countries began, which was made possible, in particular, through official visits by the Presidents of the Republic and other visits by the Prime Ministers, the Speakers of the Parliaments, Ministers, Deputy Ministers and prominent Mayors. Throughout these visits, the high level of bilateral relations and the common understanding of the international and European issues are constantly updated. Moreover, the frequent holding of official consultations between senior officials of the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs in the two capitals have further contributed to the deepening of the bilateral relations.

Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP)

In July 2021, Greece acquired associate observer status in the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries, an international organisation based in Lisbon composed by nine countries which have Portuguese as their official language: Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe, as well as East Timor. The Embassy of Greece in Lisbon performs the associate observer duties.

Concurrent accreditation in Sao Tome and Principe

The Embassy of Greece in Lisbon has also parallel accreditation for São Tomé and Príncipe, a CPLP member.