Diplomatic relations
Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of state, intergovernmental, or non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern Diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. ...
exist between the
Republic of Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
and the
Federative Republic of Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. Both nations are members of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
.
History

The first official contact between Austria and Brazil occurred in November 1817 when Austrian Archduchess
Maria Leopoldina of Austria
Don (honorific), Dona Maria Leopoldina of Austria (22 January 1797 – 11 December 1826) was the first Empress of Brazil as the wife of Emperor Dom (title), Dom Pedro I of Brazil, Pedro I from 12 October 1822 until her death. She was ...
arrived to
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
to marry Crown Prince (and future Emperor)
Pedro I of Brazil
''Don (honorific), Dom'' Pedro I (12 October 1798 – 24 September 1834), known in Brazil and in Portugal as "the Liberator" () or "the Soldier King" () in Portugal, was the founder and List of monarchs of Brazil, first ruler of the Empire of ...
. Maria Leopoldina became Empress of Brazil in 1822 and is also the mother of Emperor
Pedro II of Brazil
''Don (honorific), Dom'' PedroII (Pedro de Alcântara João Carlos Leopoldo Salvador Bibiano Francisco Xavier de Paula Leocádio Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga; 2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed the Magnanimous (), was the List o ...
.
In 1825, Austria recognized the independence of Brazil from its separation from
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
.
In 1859, the first Austrian immigrants began arriving to Brazil.
In 1871, Emperor Pedro II paid a visit to Austria during his first European tours and met with his cousin Emperor
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I ( ; ; 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the Grand title of the emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 1848 until his death ...
. While in
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, Pedro II paid his respects to the tomb of his daughter,
Princess Leopoldina of Brazil
Princess Leopoldina of Brazil (Leopoldina Teresa Francisca Carolina Miguela Gabriela Rafaela Gonzaga; 13 July 1847 – 7 February 1871) was the daughter of Emperor Pedro II and Empress Teresa Cristina. She shared the first name of her grandmot ...
, who died in Vienna earlier that year.
Pedro II would return to Austria for second time in 1877.
In 1891, Austria recognized the Republic of Brazil, two years after the abdication of Emperor Pedro II. In 1925, Austria opened a consulate in Rio de Janeiro. While Austria & Brazil were technically on the enemy sides in WW1, Brazil wasn't really hostile to Austria and
only declared war on Germany in October 1917. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
,
Brazilian Expeditionary Force
The Brazilian Expeditionary Force (, FEB), nicknamed (literally "the Smoking Snakes"), was a military division of the Brazilian Army and Air Force that fought as part of Allied forces in the Mediterranean Theatre of World War II. It numbere ...
s fought in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
against German troops (which also included Austrian soldiers) during the
Italian campaign. After the war, Austria and Brazil re-established diplomatic relations.
In December 1952, Brazil presented a preliminary draft resolution at the
United Nations General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...
to restore the full sovereignty of Austria. The preliminary draft was accepted with 48 votes. The initiative did not have immediate direct effects, however, it contributed to that, in a difficult time, the discussion about an Austrian State treaty remained on the international agenda.
In 1992, Austrian Chancellor
Franz Vranitzky
Franz Vranitzky (; born 4 October 1937) is an Austrian politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), he was Chancellor of Austria from 1986 to 1997.
Early life and career
As the son of a foundryman, Vranitzky was born in ...
paid a visit to Brazil. In March 1997, on the occasion of the bicentenary of the birth of Maria Leopoldina of Austria, a monument of her was inaugurated in Parque Quinta da Boa Vista, in front of the
National Museum of Brazil
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ...
, in Rio de Janeiro.
In 2006, Brazilian President
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...
paid a visit to Austria, the first by a Brazilian President. There have been numerous visits between leaders of both nations.
In 2019, there was a community of 10,000 Austrians living in Brazil. In 2015, there was a community of 4,900 Brazilians living in Austria.
High-level visits
High-level visits from Austria to Brazil
* Foreign Minister
Karl Gruber
Karl Gruber (3 May 1909 in Innsbruck – 1 February 1995 in Innsbruck) was an Austrian politician and diplomat. During World War II, he was working for a German firm in Berlin. After the war, in 1945 he became Landeshauptmann of Tyrol for a short t ...
(1952)
* Vice-Chancellor
Bruno Pittermann
Bruno Pittermann (3 September 1905 – 19 September 1983) was an Austrian social democrat politician.
Early life
Pittermann was trained in geography, history, and pedagogy. In his youth, he took a job as an education expert in the Chamber of ...
(1960)
* Foreign Minister
Willibald Pahr
Willibald P. Pahr (born in Vienna on 5 June 1930) is an Austrian politician and diplomat. Biography
From 1976 to 1983, he was Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs, from 1983 to 1986 he served as ambassador to Germany. From 1986 to 1989 he held ...
(1980)
* Foreign Secretary General
Thomas Klestil
Thomas Klestil (; 4 November 1932 – 6 July 2004) was an Austrian diplomat and politician who served as the president of Austria from 1992 until his death in 2004. He was elected in 1992 and re-elected in 1998.
Early life and career
Born in V ...
(1991)
* Chancellor
Franz Vranitzky
Franz Vranitzky (; born 4 October 1937) is an Austrian politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), he was Chancellor of Austria from 1986 to 1997.
Early life and career
As the son of a foundryman, Vranitzky was born in ...
(1992)
* Foreign Secretary General Wolfgang Schallenberg (1993)
* Chancellor
Viktor Klima
Viktor Klima (born 4 June 1947) is an Austrian Social Democrat politician and businessman. He was chancellor of Austria from 1997 to 2000.
Early career
Born in Schwechat, Lower Austria, Klima started working for the then state-owned OMV oil co ...
(1999)
* President
Heinz Fischer
Heinz Fischer Order of Prince Henry, GColIH, Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, OMRI, Order of the Seraphim, RSerafO, Military Order of Saint James of the Sword, GCollSE (; born 9 October 1938) is an Austrian politician who served as the pre ...
(2005)
* Chancellor
Alfred Gusenbauer
Alfred Gusenbauer (; born 8 February 1960) is an Austrian politician who until 2008 spent his entire professional life as an employee of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) or as a parliamentary representative. He headed the SPÖ from 2 ...
(2008)
* Foreign Minister
Michael Spindelegger
Michael Spindelegger (; born 21 December 1959) is an Austrian politician. He served in the cabinet of Chancellor Werner Faymann as Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, foreign minister of Austria from 2008 to 2013 and as Fina ...
(2010)
* Foreign Secretary General Johannes Kyrle (2011)
High-level visits from Brazil to Austria
* Emperor
Pedro II of Brazil
''Don (honorific), Dom'' PedroII (Pedro de Alcântara João Carlos Leopoldo Salvador Bibiano Francisco Xavier de Paula Leocádio Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga; 2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed the Magnanimous (), was the List o ...
(1871 and 1877)
* Foreign Minister
Ramiro Saraiva Guerreiro (1982)
* Foreign Minister Roberto Costa de Abreu Sodré (1989)
* President
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...
(2006)
* Foreign Secretary General Ruy Nunes Pinto Nogueira (2012)
* Foreign Minister
Antonio Patriota
Antonio de Aguiar Patriota (born April 27, 1954) is the current Ambassador of Brazil to the United Kingdom and former Minister of Foreign Affairs. He took office as foreign minister on January 1, 2011, and remained in office until August 26, 2013 ...
(2013)
Agreements
Both nations have signed several agreements such as an Agreement of Commerce and Navigation (1826); Agreement to avoid double taxation in respect of taxes on income and capital (1976); Agreement on Economic and Industrial Cooperation (1986); Air Services Agreement (1995); Protocol of Intent on Technical Cooperation (2005); Protocol of Intent between the
Rio Branco Institute
The Rio Branco Institute (; Abbreviation: IRBr) is Brazil's diplomatic graduate school, internationally recognized as one of the best diplomatic academies in the world. It is the oldest government school in the country and the third oldest dip ...
and the
Diplomatic Academy of Vienna
The Diplomatic Academy of Vienna (DA; German: ''Diplomatische Akademie Wien''), also known as the Vienna School of International Studies, is a postgraduate professional school based in Vienna, Austria, with focused training for students and pro ...
(2005); Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of a Political Consultation Mechanism (2008) and an Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (2019).
Trade
In 2018, trade between both nations totaled €1.3 billion Euros. Austria's main exports to Brazil include: electronics, pharmaceuticals, paper, rails and chemicals. Brazil's main exports to Austria include: raw materials, aircraft, food products and beverages. Approximately 200 Austrian companies have branches in Brazil, of which more than half work in the
State of São Paulo
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
.
Resident diplomatic missions
;Of Austria
*
Brasília
Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...
(Embassy)
*
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
(Consulate-General)
;Of Brazil
*
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
(Embassy)
Pestalozzigasse4.JPG, Embassy of Brazil in Vienna
See also
*
Foreign relations of Austria
The 1955 Austrian State Treaty ended the four-power occupation and recognized Austria as an independent and sovereign state. In October 1955, the Federal Assembly passed a constitutional law in which "Austria declares of her own free will her pe ...
*
Foreign relations of Brazil
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for managing the foreign relations of Brazil. Brazil has the largest economy in Latin America and is a key political and economic power on the world stage. Brazil's foreign policy reflects its role a ...
*
Austrian Brazilians
*
Brazilians in Austria
*
Treze Tílias
*
Brazil–EU relations
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Austria-Brazil
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...