The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE; ; literally: ''Ministry of External Relations'') conducts

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 ...

's foreign relations with other countries. It is commonly referred to in Brazilian media and diplomatic jargon as Itamaraty, after the

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

which houses the ministry (originally in

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 ...

, and currently in a second location which also bears this name in

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 ...

). Since 1 January 2023, the minister responsible is

Mauro Vieira Mauro Luiz Iecker Vieira (born 15 February 1951) is a Brazilian diplomat serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil since 1 January 2023 under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Vieira occupied the same office between 2015 and 2016 duri ...

. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs operates 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 Alexandre de Gusmão Foundation.

History

There were three relevant moments that defined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the institution that would later be established. The first was the signature of the 1750 Spanish–Portuguese treaty, which re-established the borders set in the

Treaty of Tordesillas The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in Tordesillas, Spain, on 7 June 1494, and ratified in Setúbal, Portugal, divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Crown of Castile, along a meridian (geography) ...

. This moment was not a foreign issue policy of Brazil per se, but was instead a pursuit of interests by the Portuguese in their largest colony. There was, however, a notable Brazilian in the diplomatic corps,

Alexandre de Gusmão Alexandre de Gusmão (17 July 1695 in Santos – 9 May 1753 in Lisbon) was a Colonial Brazilian diplomat. He is regarded as one of the best diplomats of his time, chiefly for his role in negotiating the Treaty of Madrid in 1750 (revoked in 17 ...

, who directed the Portuguese foreign policy of trying to separate the Americas from the subject of European successions. The height of Gusmão's diplomatic effort was the signing of the Treaty of Madrid of 1750, in which territorial issues in South America were resolved. The second relevant historic moment was the

transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil The Portuguese royal court transferred from Lisbon to the Portuguese colony of Brazil in a strategic retreat of Queen Maria I of Portugal, prince regent John, the Braganza royal family, its court, and senior officials, totaling nearly 10,000 ...

in 1808 as a result of the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, when the capital of the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire was a colonial empire that existed between 1415 and 1999. In conjunction with the Spanish Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It achieved a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa ...

and all its

bureaucracy Bureaucracy ( ) is a system of organization where laws or regulatory authority are implemented by civil servants or non-elected officials (most of the time). Historically, a bureaucracy was a government administration managed by departments ...

were transferred to Rio de Janeiro. The transfer of the Portuguese Court heavily influenced the Brazilian institutions that would later form. Finally, there was the participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the process of recognizing Brazilian

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

. This moment's relevance surpassed the creation of Brazilian diplomatic institutions and for the first time tested the negotiation skills of Emperor

Peter I Peter I may refer to: Religious hierarchs * Saint Peter (c. 1 AD – c. 64–68 AD), a.k.a. Simon Peter, Simeon, or Simon, apostle of Jesus * Pope Peter I of Alexandria (died 311), revered as a saint * Peter I of Armenia (died 1058), Catholicos ...

's diplomatic corps, which achieved recognition from every world power. From that moment on and since its inception in 1822, Itamaraty has defined some of its basic principles of action such as the peaceful resolution of principles and non-intervention. With the conclusion of

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 ...

and the creation of the United Nations in 1945 the ministry consolidated Brazil's presence in international forums. Notable diplomats in the history of Itamaraty include the

Viscount of Uruguay Paulino José Soares de Sousa, the Viscount of Uruguai (4 October 1808 – 15 July 1866), was a congressman, a senator, a State Councillor and a skilful diplomat. Born in Paris, he distinguished himself during the 1850s when, as Minister of For ...

, the

Baron of Rio Branco Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight, ...

and

Osvaldo Aranha Oswaldo Euclides de Souza Aranha (, 15 February 1894 – 27 January 1960) was a Brazilian politician, diplomat and statesman, who came to national prominence in 1930 under Getúlio Vargas.

.CARVALHO, Carlos Delgado de. História Diplomática do Brasil. Brasília, Senado Federal, 1998;CASTRO, Flávio Mendes de Oliveira. História da Organização do Ministério das Relações Exteriores. Brasília, Editora Universidade de Brasília, 1983. Site do Ministério das Relações Exteriores: www.mre.gov.br

Main mission

The main mission of Brazilian diplomatic embassies and consulates abroad is to promote the country's interests, provide assistance to Brazilian citizens and support the activities of Brazilian companies in foreign markets.

Diplomatic missions

Permanent

diplomatic missions A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes ...

are meant to carry out representation, negotiation and information activities, as well as the protection of Brazilian interests with governments of other states and

international organizations An international organization, also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is an organization that is established by a treaty or other type of instrument governed by international law and possesses its own leg ...

. Brazil has an extensive diplomatic network, consisting of over 220 overseas missions: *131

embassies A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes a ...

*52 consulates-general, consulates, and vice-consulates *1 commercial office *1 representative office *15 delegations *100+

honorary consulate A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

Structure

* Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs * General Secretariat for Foreign Affairs * Secretariat for Latin America and the Caribbean ** Department of Regional Integration ** Department of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean ** Department of South America ** Department of

Mercosur The Southern Common Market (commonly known by abbreviation ''Mercosur'' in Spanish and ''Mercosul'' in Portuguese) is a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994. Its full me ...

* Secretariat for Europe and North America ** Department of Europe ** Department of North America * Secretariat for Africa and the Middle East ** Department of Africa ** Department of the Middle East * Secretariat for Asia and the Pacific ** Department of China, Russia and Central Asia ** Department of India, South and Southeast Asia ** Department of Japan, Korean Peninsula and Pacific * Secretariat for Economic and Financial Affairs ** Department of Commercial Policy ** Department of Economic Policy, Finance and Services * Secretariat for Multilateral Political Affairs ** Department of Strategic Affairs, Defense and Disarmament ** Department of International Organizations ** Department of Human Rights and Social Issues * Secretariat for Trade Promotion, Science, Technology, Innovation and Culture ** Department of Commercial Promotion, Investments and Agriculture ** Department of Science, Technology, Innovation and Intellectual Property ** Brazilian Cultural Center * Secretariat for Brazilian Communities Abroad and Consular and Legal Affairs ** Department of Brazilian Communities Abroad and Consular Affairs ** Department of Immigration and Judicial Cooperation * Secretariat for Climate, Energy and Environment ** Department of Environmental Affairs ** Department of Climate ** Department of Energy * Secretariat for Administrative Management ** Department of Administration ** Department of Technology and Management of Information ** Department of External Service * Rio Branco Institute

Notes and references

External links

Official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(Archive)
Official website of the Instituto Rio Branco, the Brazilian Diplomatic Academy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Brazil) Foreign relations of Brazil

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...