Constitution |
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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. João Gomes Cravinho is the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal.
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).
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). [1] 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. [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 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.
Portugal holds claim to the disputed territory of Olivença on the Portugal-Spain border.
List of countries which Portugal maintains diplomatic relations with:
# | Country | Date [3] |
---|---|---|
1 | Spain | 5 October 1143 |
2 | United Kingdom | 9 May 1386 |
— | Holy See | 12 February 1481 [4] |
3 | France | 7 January 1485 |
4 | Netherlands | February 1641 |
5 | Denmark | 18 March 1641 [5] |
6 | Sweden | 29 July 1641 |
7 | Russia | 24 October 1779 |
8 | United States | 13 May 1791 [6] |
9 | Brazil | 29 August 1825 |
10 | Belgium | 8 August 1834 [7] |
11 | Greece | 22 July 1835 [8] |
12 | Argentina | 9 August 1852 |
13 | Uruguay | 16 October 1852 [9] |
14 | Peru | 26 March 1853 [10] |
15 | Colombia | 9 April 1857 |
16 | Thailand | 10 February 1859 [11] |
17 | Japan | 3 August 1860 |
18 | South Africa | February 1886 |
19 | Italy | 15 July 1872 |
20 | Switzerland | 5 November 1872 |
21 | Paraguay | 9 November 1878 |
22 | Chile | 28 February 1879 |
23 | Mexico | 6 December 1879 |
24 | Bolivia | 10 May 1879 |
25 | Serbia | 14 November 1882 |
26 | Dominican Republic | 1 May 1883 [12] |
27 | Guatemala | 20 August 1884 [13] |
28 | Luxembourg | 21 May 1891 |
29 | Panama | 21 May 1904 [14] |
30 | Norway | 17 March 1906 [15] |
31 | Costa Rica | 10 July 1913 |
32 | Venezuela | 11 December 1913 [16] |
33 | Romania | 27 August 1917 |
34 | Cuba | 16 May 1919 [17] |
35 | Finland | 10 January 1920 |
36 | Czech Republic | 18 October 1920 [18] |
37 | Austria | 4 April 1922 [19] |
38 | Poland | 13 May 1922 |
39 | Egypt | 25 June 1925 [20] |
40 | Turkey | 28 May 1926 [21] |
41 | Ireland | 26 February 1942 [22] |
42 | Philippines | 4 July 1946 |
43 | Iceland | 23 January 1948 [23] |
44 | Ecuador | 28 August 1948 |
45 | India | 22 June 1949 |
46 | Pakistan | 4 November 1949 |
47 | Indonesia | 13 September 1950 [24] |
48 | Canada | 12 April 1952 |
49 | Germany | 10 November 1952 [25] |
50 | Sri Lanka | 7 January 1953 [26] |
51 | Morocco | 16 May 1955 |
52 | Lebanon | 1955 |
53 | Iran | 15 October 1956 |
54 | Tunisia | 21 May 1957 |
55 | Nicaragua | 3 March 1958 [27] |
56 | Honduras | 20 October 1958 |
57 | Ethiopia | 6 January 1959 |
58 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 7 July 1960 |
59 | Australia | 4 August 1960 |
60 | Madagascar | 20 September 1960 [28] |
61 | South Korea | 15 April 1961 [29] |
62 | Republic of the Congo | 25 May 1961 |
— | Sovereign Military Order of Malta | 19 December 1962 [30] |
63 | Iraq | 8 February 1963 |
64 | Haiti | 1965 |
65 | El Salvador | 15 March 1966 [31] |
66 | Eswatini | 6 September 1968 |
67 | Malawi | 26 March 1969 |
68 | Jordan | 5 July 1972 [32] |
69 | Bulgaria | 26 June 1974 |
70 | Hungary | 1 July 1974 |
71 | Mongolia | 25 July 1974 |
72 | Senegal | 2 September 1974 |
73 | Guinea-Bissau | 29 November 1974 |
74 | Bangladesh | 16 December 1974 |
75 | Ivory Coast | 28 January 1975 |
76 | Gabon | 30 January 1975 |
77 | Sierra Leone | 18 February 1975 [33] |
78 | Syria | 19 February 1975 |
79 | Burundi | 22 February 1975 |
80 | Cyprus | 5 March 1975 |
81 | Algeria | 7 March 1975 |
82 | Kuwait | 1 April 1975 |
83 | Tanzania | 1 April 1975 |
84 | Zambia | 3 April 1975 |
85 | Yemen | 18 April 1975 |
— | North Korea (suspended) [34] | 22 April 1975 |
86 | Ghana | 27 May 1975 |
87 | Mozambique | 25 June 1975 |
88 | Vietnam | 1 July 1975 |
89 | Niger | 10 July 1975 |
90 | Nigeria | 10 July 1975 |
91 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 18 July 1975 |
92 | Cape Verde | 18 July 1975 |
93 | Malta | 22 July 1975 |
94 | Malaysia | December 1975 |
95 | Libya | 1975 |
96 | Rwanda | 12 February 1976 |
97 | Mauritania | 3 March 1976 |
98 | Angola | 9 March 1976 |
99 | Liberia | 19 March 1976 |
100 | Lesotho | 29 March 1976 |
101 | Afghanistan | 14 April 1976 |
102 | United Arab Emirates | 20 June 1976 |
103 | New Zealand | 22 June 1976 |
104 | Bahrain | 10 July 1976 |
105 | Seychelles | 16 August 1976 [35] |
106 | Nepal | 1 September 1976 |
107 | Gambia | 8 September 1976 |
108 | Grenada | 8 September 1976 |
109 | Papua New Guinea | 15 October 1976 |
110 | Myanmar | 14 November 1976 [36] |
111 | Mauritius | 12 December 1976 |
112 | Mali | 17 December 1976 |
113 | Kenya | 10 January 1977 |
114 | Cameroon | 12 February 1977 |
115 | Central African Republic | 15 February 1977 |
116 | Fiji | 21 February 1977 |
117 | Equatorial Guinea | 9 March 1977 |
118 | Chad | 4 April 1977 |
119 | Suriname | 2 May 1977 |
120 | Israel | 12 May 1977 |
121 | Albania | 21 June 1977 |
122 | Benin | 21 July 1977 |
123 | Trinidad and Tobago | 2 September 1977 |
124 | Togo | 18 March 1978 |
125 | Burkina Faso | 7 July 1978 [37] |
126 | Guinea | 2 January 1979 |
127 | China | 2 February 1979 [38] |
128 | Guyana | 14 February 1979 |
129 | Jamaica | 26 February 1979 |
130 | Oman | 26 October 1979 |
131 | Zimbabwe | 18 April 1980 |
132 | Botswana | 21 April 1980 |
133 | Saudi Arabia | 18 July 1980 |
134 | Singapore | 7 January 1981 |
135 | Sudan | 11 January 1981 |
136 | Qatar | 1 May 1982 |
137 | Antigua and Barbuda | 20 March 1983 |
138 | Somalia | 3 April 1983 |
139 | Vanuatu | 30 August 1983 |
140 | Tonga | 1 November 1983 |
141 | Kiribati | 15 November 1983 |
142 | Nauru | 31 January 1984 |
143 | Barbados | 23 February 1989 [39] |
144 | Estonia | 1 October 1991 |
145 | Latvia | 2 October 1991 |
146 | Lithuania | 4 October 1991 |
147 | Namibia | 22 November 1991 |
148 | Uganda | 2 December 1991 |
149 | Belarus | 26 January 1992 [40] |
150 | Ukraine | 27 January 1992 |
151 | Croatia | 3 February 1992 |
152 | Slovenia | 3 February 1992 |
153 | Liechtenstein | 6 February 1992 [41] |
154 | Georgia | 23 May 1992 |
155 | Armenia | 25 May 1992 |
156 | Cambodia | 29 May 1992 [42] |
157 | Azerbaijan | 4 August 1992 |
158 | Tajikistan | 7 August 1992 |
159 | Turkmenistan | 13 August 1992 |
160 | Kyrgyzstan | 18 August 1992 [43] |
161 | Kazakhstan | 19 August 1992 |
162 | Uzbekistan | 28 August 1992 |
163 | Belize | 9 December 1992 [44] |
164 | Slovakia | 2 January 1993 |
165 | Moldova | 10 February 1993 [45] |
166 | Bahamas | 27 May 1993 [44] |
167 | North Macedonia | 15 November 1994 |
168 | Andorra | 22 December 1994 [46] |
169 | Maldives | 9 February 1995 |
170 | Marshall Islands | 10 February 1995 [47] |
171 | Federated States of Micronesia | 24 March 1995 [48] |
172 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1 March 1995 [49] |
173 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 12 April 1995 |
174 | Laos | 1 June 1995 |
— | Cook Islands | 12 August 1995 |
175 | San Marino | 29 August 1995 |
176 | Eritrea | 8 June 1995 [44] |
177 | Samoa | 9 June 1995 [50] |
178 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 13 November 1995 |
179 | Djibouti | 19 March 1996 [44] |
180 | Brunei | 22 March 1996 [44] |
181 | Palau | 17 May 1996 [51] |
182 | Saint Lucia | 19 September 1996 [44] |
183 | Solomon Islands | 20 November 1996 [52] |
184 | Comoros | 27 December 1996 [44] |
185 | Dominica | 27 December 1996 [44] |
186 | East Timor | 20 May 2002 |
187 | Montenegro | 18 May 2007 |
188 | Monaco | 13 November 2008 [53] |
189 | Tuvalu | 26 May 2009 |
— | Kosovo | 14 November 2011 [54] |
190 | South Sudan | 23 April 2013 [44] |
Country | Formal relations began | Notes |
---|---|---|
Algeria | 7 March 1975 [3] | |
Angola | 9 March 1976 [3] | See Angola–Portugal relations. Portugal ruled Angola for 400 years, [55] 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. |
Cape Verde | 18 July 1975 [3] | See Cape Verde–Portugal relations
|
Democratic Republic of Congo | 7 July 1960 [3] |
|
Egypt | 24 November 1942 [3] |
|
Equatorial Guinea | 9 March 1977 [3] |
|
Ethiopia | 6 January 1959 [3] |
|
Guinea-Bissau | 29 November 1974 [3] | See Guinea-Bissau–Portugal relations |
Ivory Coast | 28 January 1975 [3] |
|
Libya | 1975 [3] |
|
Morocco | 16 May 1955 [3] |
|
Mozambique | 25 June 1975 [3] | See Mozambique–Portugal relations. Mozambique gained independence from Portugal in 1975. |
Nigeria | 10 July 1975 [3] |
|
São Tomé and Príncipe | 18 July 1975 [3] | See Portugal–São Tomé and Príncipe relations.
|
Senegal | 2 September 1974 [3] |
|
South Africa | February 1886 [3] | See Portugal–South Africa relations.
|
Tanzania | [3] |
|
Tunisia | 21 May 1957 [3] |
|
Country | Formal relations began | Notes |
---|---|---|
Argentina | 9 August 1852 [3] | See Argentina–Portugal relations
|
Belize | 9 December 1992 [44] | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 9 December 1992. [56] |
Brazil | 29 August 1825 [3] | 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. [57] 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.
|
Canada | 12 April 1952 [3] | See Canada–Portugal relations. |
Chile | 28 February 1879 [3] | See Chile–Portugal relations
|
Colombia | 9 April 1857 [3] |
|
Cuba | 1929 [3] |
|
El Salvador | 15 March 1966 [31] |
|
Mexico | 6 December 1879 [3] | See Mexico–Portugal relations.
|
Panama | 21 May 1904 [14] |
|
Peru | 26 March 1853 [10] |
|
United States | 13 May 1791 [6] | 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.
|
Uruguay | 16 October 1852 [9] | See Portugal–Uruguay relations.
|
Venezuela | 1914 [3] |
Country | Formal relations began | Notes |
---|---|---|
Armenia | 25 May 1992 [3] | See Armenia–Portugal relations.
|
Azerbaijan | 4 August 1992 [3] | See Azerbaijan-Portugal relations.
|
Bahrain | 10 July 1976 [3] | 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. |
China | 2 February 1979 [38] | See China–Portugal relations. |
East Timor | 20 May 2002 [3] | See East Timor–Portugal 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 neighboring Indonesia between 1975 and 1999, and has committed troops and money to East Timor, in close cooperation with the United Nations, East Timor's Asian neighbors.
|
India | 22 June 1949 [3] | See India–Portugal relations.
|
Indonesia | 4 January 1965 [3] | 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.
|
Iran | 15 October 1956 [3] | See Iran–Portugal relations
|
Iraq |
| |
Israel | 12 May 1977 [3] | The Estado Novo regime did not recognize Israel. Full diplomatic relations with the Israeli government were established in 1977, following the Portuguese revolution of 1974. [60]
|
Japan | 3 August 1860 [3] | See Japan–Portugal relations.
|
Kazakhstan | 19 August 1992 [3] |
|
North Korea | 22 April 1975 [3] | See Portugal–North Korea relations. In 1975, North Korea and Portugal established diplomatic relations. [61] In 2017, Portugal cut diplomatic ties with North Korea. [62] |
Pakistan | 4 November 1949 [3] |
|
Philippines | 4 July 1946 [3] |
|
Qatar | 1 May 1982 [3] |
|
Saudi Arabia | 18 July 1980 [3] |
|
South Korea | 15 April 1961 [29] | See Portugal–South Korea relations Although far apart in geographical terms, the known contacts between Portugal and Korea date from the beginning of the 17th century.
|
Thailand | 10 February 1859 [11] |
|
Turkey | 20 March 1843 [3] | See Portugal–Turkey relations Turkey's 161 years of political relations with Portugal date back to the Ottoman period when the Visconde do Seixal was appointed as an envoy to Istanbul. Diplomatic relations ceased during World War I and were re-established in the Republican period in 1926. A resident embassy was established in 1957.
|
United Arab Emirates | 20 June 1976 [3] |
|
Vietnam | 1 July 1975 [3] |
|
Country | Formal relations began | Notes |
---|---|---|
Albania | 19 December 1939 [3] | See Albania–Portugal relations. |
Andorra | 22 December 1994 [46] | See Andorra–Portugal relations
|
Austria | April 1696 [3] | See Austria–Portugal relations
|
Belgium | July 1834 [3] |
|
Bulgaria | 26 June 1974 [3] | See Bulgaria–Portugal relations.
|
Croatia | 3 February 1992 [3] |
|
Cyprus | 5 March 1975 [3] |
|
Czech Republic | 1921 |
|
Denmark | 18 March 1641 [5] | See Denmark–Portugal relations.
|
Estonia |
| |
Finland | 10 January 1920 [3] |
|
France | 1485 [3] | See France–Portugal relations Portuguese links to France have remained very strong and the country is considered one of Portugal's main political partners.
|
Germany | 1871 [3] | See Germany–Portugal relations
|
Greece | 22 July 1835 [8] | See Greece–Portugal relations
|
Holy See | 23 May 1179 [3] |
|
Hungary | 1 July 1974 [3] |
|
Iceland | 23 January 1948 [23] |
|
Ireland | 1942 [3] |
|
Italy | 15 July 1872 [3] | See Italy–Portugal relations
|
Kosovo | 14 November 2011 [54] | See Kosovo–Portugal relations. Portugal recognized Kosovo on 7 October 2008. [67] [68] [69] Kosovo has formally announced its decision to open an embassy in Lisbon. [70] |
Luxembourg |
| |
Malta | 22 July 1975 [3] | See Malta–Portugal relations.
|
Netherlands | February 1641 [3] | See Netherlands–Portugal relations
|
North Macedonia | ||
Norway | 17 March 1906 [15] | |
Poland | 13 May 1922 [3] | See Poland–Portugal relations
|
Romania | 27 August 1917 [3] | See Portugal–Romania relations
|
Russia | 24 October 1779 [3] | See Portugal–Russia relations.
|
Serbia | 14 November 1882 [3] | See Portugal–Serbia relations. Portugal established diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Serbia on 19 October 1917. [71] Relations continued with the successor Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The Portuguese recognized the government in exile of this state after the German occupation of 1941. [72] Relations with the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which took power in 1945 after World War II, were only established in 1974 after the Portuguese Carnation Revolution. [73] Following the dissolution of SFR Yugoslavia during the Yugoslav wars, Portugal maintained relations with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, later reconstituted as Serbia and Montenegro and finally as Serbia after Montenegro declared its independence in July 2006. [74] Portugal has an embassy in Belgrade. Serbia has an embassy in Lisbon. [74] In April 1999, Portugal participated in the NATO bombing of Serbia from the Aviano air base in Italy. [75] Portugal also provided troops as part of NATO peacekeeping efforts in the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo in 1999. [76] In April 1999, Serbia filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice regarding Portugal's use of force in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. [77] As of 2007, Portugal still had about 300 troops in Kosovo. [78]
In the January–October 2006 period, bilateral trade between Serbia and Portugal were estimated at US$12.7 million. [74] |
Spain | 5 October 1143 [3] | See Portugal–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. |
Sweden | 29 July 1641 [3] | See Portugal–Sweden relations
|
Switzerland | 5 November 1872 [3] |
|
Ukraine | 27 January 1992 [3] | See Portugal–Ukraine relations.
|
United Kingdom | 9 May 1386 [3] | See Portugal–United Kingdom relations. Portugal established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 9 May 1386. [94]
Both countries share common membership of the Atlantic co-operation pact, [97] Council of Europe, NATO, OECD, OSCE, and the World Trade Organization. Bilaterally the two countries have an Alliance. |
Country | Formal relations began | Notes |
---|---|---|
Australia | 4 August 1960 [3] | |
New Zealand | 22 June 1976 [3] |
|
The foreign relations of Ireland are substantially influenced by its membership of the European Union, although bilateral relations with the United States and United Kingdom are also important. It is one of the group of smaller nations in the EU and has traditionally followed a non-aligned foreign policy. Ireland has historically tended towards independence in foreign military policy, thus it is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and has a longstanding policy of military neutrality.
Foreign relations of Latvia are the primary responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Today's Republic of Latvia regards itself as a continuation of the 1918–1940 republic. After the declaration on the restoration of its full independence on August 21, 1991, Latvia became a member of the United Nations on September 17, 1991, and is a signatory to a number of UN organizations and other international agreements. Latvia welcomes further cooperation and integration with NATO, European Union, OECD and other Western organizations. It also seeks more active participation in UN peacekeeping efforts worldwide.
After achieving independence from the Soviet Union, the Republic of Moldova established relations with other European countries. A course for European Union integration and neutrality define the country's foreign policy guidelines.
The foreign policy of Sweden was formerly based on the premise that national security is best served by staying free of alliances in peacetime in order to remain a neutral country in the event of war, with this policy lasting from 1814 in the context of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars until the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine. In 2002, Sweden revised its security doctrine. The security doctrine at that point still stated that "Sweden pursues a policy of non-participation in military alliances," but permitted cooperation in response to threats against peace and security. The government also seeks to maintain Sweden's high standard of living. These two objectives required heavy expenditures for social welfare, defence spending at rates considered low by Western European standards, and close attention to foreign trade opportunities and world economic cooperation. In 2024, Sweden formally became part of a military alliance for the first time since the end of the War of the Sixth Coalition by joining NATO.
The foreign relations of Switzerland are the primary responsibility of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). Some international relations of Switzerland are handled by other departments of the federal administration of Switzerland.
The foreign relations of Albania are its relations with other governments and peoples. Foreign relations are conducted through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana. The current minister is Igli Hasani. The current ambassador to the United Nations is Ferit Hoxha.
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga CYC is a Spanish physicist and PSOE politician. After serving in the Spanish government as Foreign Affairs Minister under Felipe González (1992–1995) and as the Secretary General of NATO (1995–1999), leading the alliance during Operation Allied Force, he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary General of the Council of the European Union and Secretary-General of the Western European Union and held these posts from October 1999 until December 2009.
Foreign relations of Serbia are formulated and executed by the Government of Serbia through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Serbia established diplomatic relations with most world nations – 188 states in total – starting with the United Kingdom (1837) and ending most recently with Guyana (2024). Serbia has friendly relations with following neighboring countries: Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, and Hungary. It maintains colder, more tense relations with Albania and Croatia and to a lesser degree with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bulgaria due to historic nation-building conflict and differing political ideologies.
Foreign relations of Kosovo are accomplished by efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo. Kosovo operates 33 embassies abroad and is host to 22 embassies in Pristina. Kosovo has membership in several international organisations.
International governments are divided on the issue of recognition of the independence of Kosovo from Serbia, which was declared in 2008. The Government of Serbia does not diplomatically recognise Kosovo as a sovereign state, although the two countries have enjoyed normalised economic relations since 2020 and have agreed not to try to interfere with the other's accession to the European Union.
The foreign relations of Bulgaria are overseen by the Ministry of Foreign Relations headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Situated in Southeast Europe, Bulgaria is a member of both NATO and the European Union. It maintains diplomatic relations with 183 countries.
Austria–Kosovo relations refer to the bilateral relations of Austria and Kosovo. Kosovo has an embassy in Vienna and Austria has an embassy in Pristina.
The Hungary–Kosovo relations are foreign relations between Hungary and Kosovo. Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008 and Hungary recognized it on 19 March 2008. Hungary has an embassy in Pristina.Hungary was one of the first EU countries to officially recognize Kosovo’s independence after it declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Hungary recognized Kosovo’s sovereignty in 2008. This move positioned Hungary as one of the first EU countries to recognize Kosovo. In Hungary’s view Kosovo had the right to break away from Serbia after all of the tensions and establish itself as a sovereign nation. Hungary voted for Kosovo's entry into UNESCO, although the majority of members rejected Kosovo's request. Kosovo and Hungary have a close cooperation in the field of civil aviation and education, where for several years now, every year, scholarships have been awarded to students from Kosovo who study at Hungarian universities. Hungary, having been part of a region with its own history of national struggles, saw the recognition as a moral and diplomatic choice which was on Kosovo’s good and since then these two nations have good relations with one and other. This also mean that Hungary supports Kosovo in different ways, like Diplomatic Recognition, Advocacy in the EU, Support for Visa Liberalization, and also economics. The reason that it supports is because of Principles of Self-Determination and also Geopolitical and Strategic Interests. However, Hungary’s recognition didn’t come without complications. While Hungary had a strong belief in Kosovo’s right to independence, it was also aware that Kosovo’s recognition was controversial, particularly in the context of EU politics.
Italy–Kosovo relations are foreign relations between the Italian Republic and the Republic of Kosovo. Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008 and Italy recognised it on 21 February 2008. Italy has an embassy in Pristina since 15 May 2008. Kosovo will open an embassy in Rome. The two countries enjoy friendly relations.
Kosovo–United Kingdom relations are foreign relations between the Republic of Kosovo and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. When Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008, the United Kingdom became one of the first countries to announce the official recognition of a sovereign Kosovo on 18 February 2008. The United Kingdom has had an embassy in Pristina since 5 March 2008. Kosovo has had an embassy in London since 1 October 2008. The two countries have very good and friendly relations.
Diplomatic relations are maintained between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of North Macedonia.
Kosovo–Portugal relations are foreign relations between the Republic of Kosovo and the Portuguese Republic. Kosovo declared its independence on 17 February 2008 and Portugal recognised it on 7 October 2008. Portugal's embassy in Belgrade being accredited to Kosovo reflects the practical diplomatic setup between the two nations. Portugal's embassy in Belgrade handles relations with Kosovo, demonstrating a cautious but functional approach to the region's complex politics. Meanwhile, Kosovo has announced plans to open an embassy in Lisbon, signaling a commitment to deepening ties with Portugal.
Portuguese-Serbian relations date back to 1882. Portugal has an embassy in Belgrade, and Serbia has an embassy in Lisbon. Despite support by Portugal for the independence of Kosovo, Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković was keen to improve bilateral cooperation. Also, Portugal is backing Serbia's accession to the European Union (EU).
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