Portugal: Two Women’s Legacy—A Bridge Forged to Russia from the Western Edge of Europe

The 240th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Lisbon and Moscow, celebrated in 2019, was made possible through the efforts of two very important women with great political vision, Catherine II, Tsarina of the Russian Empire, and Queen Mary I from the Portuguese Empire. Portugal with its Atlantic vocation and Russia with its continental vocation began a long-lasting friendly relationship until an enforced break in 1917 which lasted until 1976. Following the Cold War, as the Soviet Union was collapsing in 1991, the new Russian Federation was focused on its own domestic path through an extensive transition period, whilst Portugal was initiating necessary development in the wake of Salazar’s long dictatorship through European integration. The beginning of this democratic period showed that Portugal had three very specific objectives being implemented in terms of foreign policy, none of them regarding Russia: (1) Atlanticist with NATO, (2) European with the European Union and (3) “Lusophony” (native-speaker links) with Portuguese-speaking countries and former colonies of the Portuguese-Speaking Countries Community (CPLP).