Portugal and Japan elevate bilateral relationship to partnership

Prime Minister Luís Montenegro announced this Thursday that Portugal and Japan will elevate their bilateral relationship to a "strategic partnership," which will constitute a "new phase" in cooperation between the two countries.

"This is not just a vague designation, an expression; it is a commitment to further our cooperation at the cultural level, the economic level, and the development of new areas of relationship," Montenegro said at the end of a working meeting with outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, on the first day of his official visit to Japan.

The head of government highlighted security and defense, new technologies, energy, and the sharing of scientific knowledge between educational institutions as areas to be developed for the future in the bilateral relationship.

"This strategic partnership illustrates a common desire to work together, to converge, and to address our political, economic, and cultural relationship with a positive, efficient, and consistent purpose," he said.

At the beginning of the meeting, Montenegro had already thanked Prime Minister Ishiba for the words of solidarity he conveyed to Portugal regarding the August fires and the recent accident with the Elevador da Glória, which caused 16 deaths.

Montenegro was received at Kantei, the official residence of the Japanese Prime Minister, with a guard of honor, and, in his final statement, without the right to questions (contrary to what was indicated in the program), Montenegro highlighted the 480-year relationship between the two countries, considering that his two-day visit to Japan “constitutes a proof of friendship and an opportunity”.

In the political sphere, the Prime Minister stated that the joint declaration establishing the strategic partnership will mean "greater regularity" in meetings between the two countries, highlighting that on Thursday the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel, and the Minister of Economy and Territorial Cohesion, Manuel Castro Almeida, met with their counterparts.

On the economic front, the Prime Minister highlighted that there are more than a thousand Portuguese companies active in the Japanese market, in areas as diverse as agriculture, industry, pharmaceuticals, and energy, areas to which the strategic partnership will add others such as civil protection and security and defense.

"We also want to preserve what has been a shared cultural and linguistic heritage. I highlight the fact that many Japanese people are learning Portuguese, and that Japanese is also taught in Portugal," he said.

Montenegro also highlighted the Osaka exhibition, which he will visit on Friday, as “a perfect testament to this dimension of political, cultural and economic cooperation” and welcomed the success of the event, noting that the Portuguese Pavilion alone “has already been visited by more than 1.4 million citizens .”

At the international level, he emphasized that there is "a very large convergence" of positions with Japan, taking the opportunity to reiterate Russia's condemnation of "the violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," without, however, referring to Poland's recent complaint about the incursion of Russian drones into its airspace.

Before the Japanese Prime Minister, Montenegro also condemned North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile program.

"I am absolutely convinced that this visit will represent a new phase in our relationship, the beginning of a strategic partnership that is truly a new stage, aimed at bringing greater well-being and development to our countries," he emphasized.

Earlier, Japan's prime minister, who is resigning following his defeat in July's legislative elections, said cooperation between the two countries was "more important than ever" given the "challenging security environment" in the world.

Ishiba noted that around 120 Japanese companies operate in Portugal and that "business cooperation in the field of renewable energy and infrastructure continues to grow."

"We hope for further development of trade and investment relations between the two countries," he said, also expressing interest in "contributing to the economic and social development of Portuguese-speaking countries."

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