Belarus-Portuguese relations

Belarus-Portuguese relations

Portugal Belarus
Portugal	Belarus

The Belarusian-Portuguese relations include bilateral relations between Portugal and Belarus ( port. : Bielorússia ). The countries have had diplomatic relations since 1991. Until Belarus became independent in 1991, relations were determined by the Portuguese-Soviet relationship .

The relationships are considered friendly, but are comparatively weak. Belarus is the only country in Europe that is not a member of the Council of Europe , and its relationship with NATO , of which Portugal is a founding member, is generally considered to be strained. Belarus became one of the eastern EU partner countries in 2009 , but Belarus’s continued planned economy and the country’s democratic deficits prevented further rapprochement. This is how Portugal and Belarus meet today BC. a. in the sporting and cultural field, although they work together in some joint multilateral organizations, in particular the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the various UN organizations . Mutual state visits have also been taking place since 2017, albeit not at the highest level. In addition, the small Belarusian community in Portugal is a link.

557 Belarusian citizens were registered in Portugal in 2018, most of them in the greater Lisbon area (160). In 2014, two Portuguese were registered as consular in Belarus; in 2018, ten Portuguese citizens were newly registered in Belarus.

history

Portugal recognized the independence of Belarus in 1991, and in 1992 both states established diplomatic relations. The two countries did not open mutual embassies afterwards. The Portuguese ambassador for Russia has since received double accreditation in the Belarusian capital Minsk , while the Belarusian representative in the French capital Paris is also responsible for Portugal.

Portugal and Belarus as members (green) of the space treaty : the two states are partners in a number of multilateral organizations, but they are generally not considered to be very closely linked and have few direct bilateral agreements

This was followed by a slight rapprochement with the EU , which largely came to a standstill in 1994 when President Aljaksandr Lukashenka , who has since been largely autocratic , took office . Nevertheless, the EU and Belarus concluded a Stabilization and Association Agreement in 1995 . Since Belarus did not open its economy to a market economy afterwards and its democratic deficits persisted, Portugal and Belarus also only converged slowly. On February 22, 1996 , José Manuel Peixoto Vilas-Boas de Vasconcelos Faria , Portuguese ambassador in Moscow , was the first representative of Portugal to be accredited in Minsk.

The admission of Belarus to the Eastern Partnership of the EU in 2009 brought a slight convergence. The ongoing Western criticism of the government of Belarus, for example the human rights situation, the lack of freedom of the press or the failure to observe diplomatic immunities in the country, led to the imposition of an expanded arms embargo by the EU Council of Ministers in June 2011 .

Portugal and Belarus have been getting closer again since 2017. That year, for the first time in the history of bilateral relations, direct consultations between the two foreign ministries took place, and Portugal opened an honorary consulate in the Belarusian capital Minsk .

On April 12 and 13, 2018, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus made a state visit to Portugal, where he met his Portuguese counterpart, visited the Portuguese Parliament and signed a bilateral agreement on economic cooperation.

The Portuguese Embassy on Grokholsky Street in Moscow: Belarus belongs to the administrative district of the Portuguese Ambassador to Russia

diplomacy

Portugal does not have an embassy in Belarus, which belongs to the administrative district of the Portuguese embassy in the Russian capital Moscow . There is a Portuguese honorary consulate in the Belarusian capital Minsk .

See also : List of Portuguese ambassadors in Belarus

Belarus also does not have its own embassy in the Portuguese capital Lisbon ; the Belarusian representation in Paris is responsible . Consulates of Belarus have not yet opened in Portugal either (as of August 2019).

economy

Production facilities of the CUF chemical works in Barreiro : acids and other chemicals are Portugal's main export goods to Belarus, from where iron and steel in particular come to Portugal for further processing.

The bilateral trade volume between Portugal and Belarus amounted to 15.672 million euros in 2018 ( 2017 : 13.963 million, 2016 : 7.006 million, 2015 : 10.931 million, 2014 : 8.760 million), with a trade surplus of 10.932 million euros In favor of Portugal ( 2017 : 3.608 million, 2016 : 3.538 million, 2015 : 9.795 million, 2014 : 6.866 million). In 2018, 53 Portuguese companies were trading with Belarus.

In 2018 Belarus imported goods worth EUR 13.302 million from Portugal ( 2017 : 8.786 million, 2016 : 5.272 million, 2015 : 10.363 million, 2014 : 7.813 million), 32.4% of which were chemical-pharmaceutical Products, 15.1% agricultural products, 12.8% wood and cork, 10.5% shoes and 10.4% paper and cellulose.

In the same period, Portugal imported goods from Belarus to the value of 2.370 million euros ( 2017 : 5.177 million, 2016 : 1.734 million, 2015 : 0.568 million, 2014 : 0.947 million), of which 40.9% were metal, 30, 6% food (mainly alcohol and spirits), 18.0% machines and devices, 6.4% wood and cork, and 2.1% ores and minerals.

In Portugal's foreign trade, Belarus was 86th as a buyer and 116th as a supplier. In Belarusian foreign trade, Portugal was 79th as a buyer and 43rd as a supplier.

The Portuguese Chamber of Commerce AICEP does not have a contact office in Belarus, the AICEP office in Moscow is responsible.

Culture

The Portuguese cultural institute Instituto Camões is not present in Belarus. A cultural exchange still takes place, v. a. through civil society institutions such as foundations, museums and cultural associations. So are z. B. Belarusian folk dance groups are also frequent guests at the numerous folklore festivals in Portugal.

Filmmakers from both countries are regular guests at film festivals . The Belarusian director Victor Asliuk, for example, received several awards at the most important Portuguese short film festival, Curtas Vila do Conde , in 2003 and 2010.

Sports

Soccer is a national sport in Portugal, while ice hockey is the most popular sport in Belarus .

Soccer

The Belarusian international Renan Bressan played for the Portuguese club Rio Ave from 2014 to 2016 .

Men

In the Portuguese national sport of soccer, the Portuguese national soccer team and the Belarusian national team have not yet met (as of August 2019).

Belarusian players rarely play for Portuguese clubs, including international Renan Bressan , who played for Rio Ave FC between 2014 and 2014 , and Vital Kutuzau , who played for Sporting Lisbon in 2002/2003 .

Women

The Portuguese national soccer team for women and the Belarusian women's national team have played against each other twice (as of August 2019), the first time on May 11, 2006 in Beja, Portugal . The qualifying game for the 2007 World Cup ended 1-0 for the Belarusians. Belarus also won the second leg on September 23, 2006 in the Belarusian capital Minsk , this time 3-2.

Belarus has not yet participated in the Portuguese Algarve Cup (as of August 2019).

Other

The Belarusian tennis player Max Mirnyi won doubles at the Portuguese ATP Oeiras in 2003.

In the Belarusian national sport of ice hockey, the Portuguese national ice hockey team and the selection of Belarus have not yet met.

Tennis players from Portugal and Belarus regularly compete in tournaments. The Belarusian Max Mirny won the most important tournament in Portugal, the ATP Estoril, in doubles in 2003 . At the most important women's tournament in Portugal, the WTA Oeiras , the Belarusian Wiktoryja Asaranka made it to the final in 2007 .

At the Canoe World Championships 2018 in Montemor-o-Velho , Portugal , Belarus finished 4th, the host finished 7th. At the Canoe European Championship 2013 at the same location, Belarus was 8th, Portugal 12th. Belarus has not hosted a Canoe World Cup so far , with the EM 2019 in Minsk , the country will host a canoe EM for the first time.

The European Rowing Championships 2010 also took place in Montemor-o-Velho , in which Belarus came 3rd, Portugal finished 12th. At the European Rowing Championships 2009 in Brest , Belarus , Portugal missed out, the hosts came in 4th.

Belarus and Portugal did not meet at the European Handball Championship in 1994 . The Belarusian team finished 8th, the host was 12th. Belarus has not yet hosted a European Handball Championship.

Web links

• Overview of Belarusian-Portuguese relations at the Diplomatic Institute in the Portuguese Foreign Ministry

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Website on Belarusian-Portuguese relations in the diplomatic portal of the Portuguese Foreign Ministry , accessed on September 14, 2019
2. ↑ List of foreign citizens in Portugal (by district) at the Portuguese Immigration Office Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras, accessed on September 14, 2019
3. ↑ Website on Belarusian-Portuguese migration at the Portuguese Scientific Observatório da Emigração , accessed on September 14, 2019
4. ↑ Foreign policy annual review and activity report of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry for 2017 under point 5 (English), accessed on September 14, 2019
5. ↑ Foreign policy annual review and activity report of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry for 2018 under point 5 (English), accessed on September 14, 2019
6. ↑ Information on Portuguese missions in Belarus in the portal for the international Portuguese communities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal, accessed on September 14, 2019
7. ↑ ^{a b c d} Overview of Portugal's economic relations with Belarus , Excel file retrieval from the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce AICEP, accessed on September 15, 2019