Greece (Hellenic Republic)

The first visit of a Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs to Greece was in 2009, although Brazil has kept resident diplomatic representation in Athens since 1912. In 2011, President Dilma Rousseff visited  Athens  and met with  Prime-Minister George Papandreou.

Brazil and Greece have been exchanging support on candidatures to multilateral bodies. In 2005, Greece declared its support to Brazil’s bid to a permanent seat in a reformed United Nations Security Council.

In 2018, Brazilian exports amounted to US$ 172.21 million while imports of greek products totaled US$ 172.69 million. Main exports include coffee, soybeans, and aluminum ores. The balance of services is favorable to Greece, due to the wide participation of Greece in the international shipping industry. Besides the potential for cooperation in the ports and shipbuilding sectors, there are possibilities of partnerships in the energy and tourism sectors.

The Brazil-Greece relationship also has a relevant population component. It is estimated that about 4 thousand Brazilian nationals live in Greece. The flows of Brazilian tourists to Greece are also significant, with emphasis on the Cyclades Islands (Aegean Sea), which receive approximately 60 thousand Brazilian tourists per year.

Greece is a customer of aeronautical equipment produced by Brazil, and was the first country to purchase an EMBRAER aircraft to transport authorities, as well as the first to operate the Legacy in Europe.

Chronology of bilateral relations

2015 – Bilateral meeting between President Dilma Rousseff and Prime-Minister Alexis Tsipras, on occasion of the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York (September)

2015 – Bilateral meeting between President Dilma Rousseff and Prime-Minister Alexis Tsipras, on occasion of the CELAC-EU Summit, in Brussels (June)

2012 – Alexis Tsipras, former leader of the Coalition of the Radical Left - SYRIZA, visits Brazil and holds work meetings with President Dilma Rousseff and other Brazilian political leaders (December)

2011- President Dilma Rousseff visits Athens (April)

2011- Brazil rescues, via Athens, group of 150 Brazilians who were besieged in Benghazi, Libya, during an armed conflict in this country (February)

2010 – The Brazilian-Greek Business Council is created 

2009 – Minister of Foreign Affairs Celso Amorim visits Athens

2007 – Visit of the President of the Central Bank of Brazil, Henrique Meirelles, to Greece 

2006 – Creation of the Greek-Brazilian Parliamentary Friendship Group

2003 – Visit of Foreign Minister Celso Amorim visits Greece to participate in a meeting of Foreign Ministers of the European Union and Latin America

1980s – The number of Greek immigrants in Brazil decreases with the beginning of the reverse immigration flow, with Hellenic descendants going back to Greece

1958 – Elevation of the Brazilian diplomatic mission to Embassy status

1945 – Reopening of the Brazilian Legation in Athens

1941 – Closing of the Brazilian Legation, during World War II

1912 – The first Brazilian diplomatic mission (Legation) is opened in Athens

1883 – Settlement of the first Greek colony in Brazil, in the State of Santa Catarina