Presidents of Brazil and Portugal meet to boost cooperation
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Tuesday (Feb. 18) welcomed the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on his state visit to Brasília. The two held working meetings at the Planalto presidential palace and in the evening attended the ceremony to award the Camões Literature Prize to Adélia Prado at the Itamaraty palace, home of Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Relations.
Camões is the main prize for Portuguese-language literature and Adélia Prado will be represented by her son Eugênio Prado.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro is also on an official visit. He and President Lula will chair the Brazil–Portugal Summit—which is in its 14th edition—on Wednesday (19). Bilateral acts are expected to be signed on the occasion.
The high-level meeting brings together leaders from both governments to discuss and strengthen bilateral cooperation in various areas—including defense, security, justice, science, the environment, trade, health care, and culture. The previous edition of the summit was held in Lisbon in 2023, during President Lula’s visit to the European country.
“Relations between Brazil and Portugal go far beyond the historical dimension. There is mutual interest in deepening trade and investment flows and creating new partnerships in the scientific, technological, cultural, and educational fields. In this regard, Brazil emerges as a relevant player for the future of the European country’s economic and commercial relations,” a statement issued by the Brazilian president’s office reads.
The 200th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations will be celebrated in 2025.
As it stands today, over 500 thousand Brazilians live in Portugal, and some 150 thousand Portuguese people live in Brazil. It is the second largest Brazilian community abroad, behind only the US.
In 2024, the Brazil–Portugal trade flow amounted to $4.7 billion. Brazilian exports totaled $3.4 billion, with a national surplus of $2.1 billion.
