Brazil & Greece

In the past 10 years, there have been a number of high-level contacts between the two nations, including a Brazilian Parliamentary Delegation visit to Greece, a "reciprocal visit" by a Greek Parliamentary Delegation, a meeting between two Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and a visit by the Greek Prime Minister "on the occasion of the EU LAC Summit Meeting in Rio de Janeiro in 1999."

The meeting of the two foreign ministers in April 2009 was the first time a Brazilian foreign minister had visited Greece in an official capacity. Greece's Dora Bakoyannis and Brazil's Celso Amorim discussed opportunities for joint endeavours and further cooperation in the fields of tourism, aircraft building, shipping, agriculture and general trade. Greece has pledged support for Brazil's bid for a permanent place on permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council while Brazil has committed to support Greece in receiving a post at the Human Rights Council in 2013. There are more than 50000 greek immigrants in Brazil, which is the 8th largest economy in the world and the first military power in Latin Amercia.

The Empire of Brazil

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

The Empire of Brazil was a political entity that comprised present-day Brazil under the rule of Emperors Pedro I and his son Pedro II, the Magnanimous. Founded in 1822, it was replaced by a republic in 1889.

As a result of the Napoleonic occupation of Portugal, the Portuguese royal family, the Braganzas (Portuguese: os Braganças), went into exile in Brazil, the most important of the Portuguese colonies. What followed was a period when Brazil actually became the capital of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves, a whole new status, and enjoyed self-government under the Braganza dynasty, with no reference to the authorities in Lisbon. This nurtured a distaste for the idea of returning to status quo ante upon the overthrow of Napoleon's influence over Portugal. Therefore, Brazil came to be independent of Portugal, albeit under the rule of a member of the Portuguese royal family.

After its independence from the Portuguese on September 7, 1822 Brazil became a monarchy, the Empire of Brazil, which lasted until the establishment of a republican government on November 15, 1889. Two emperors occupied the throne in that period: Pedro I, from 1822 to 1831; and Pedro II, from 1831 to 1889. King João VI of Portugal also held the title of Emperor of Brazil as stipulated by the treaty recognizing Brazilian independence.

The end of the Empire in 1889 and the foundation of the republic was a reactionary development following the abolition of slavery in 1888, which had created a serious threat to the interests of the economic and political oligarchy.