“We are always well received on all visits, but Spain, well, Spain is Spain, Spain is special. Spain was, and remains, for Portugal and the Portuguese, a unique case of affection, complicity, memories, and sharing. There is a centuries-old history of commonality between states and peoples. We are family,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in Madrid, where he was received by the Spanish Head of State, Felipe VI.

The President of the Republic said that it was not “by chance” that Spain was chosen as the destination for his first and last official trips as Head of State, a position he assumed ten years ago and will leave on 9 March.

🔴 #EnDirecto | Almuerzo ofrecido por los Reyes en honor del presidente de la República Portuguesa, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, en el Palacio Real de Madrid. https://t.co/6ZkL8PNmhK

— Casa de S.M. el Rey (@CasaReal) February 20, 2026

After highlighting the common history full of parallels between Portugal and Spain throughout the centuries, the President considered that the simultaneous accession to the European Union “determined an unprecedented rapprochement between the two countries.”

“In the past, we often competed with each other in the rest of the world. Today, and increasingly in the future, Portugal and Spain are united to increase their scale and thus compete more effectively globally. And thus, also better defend the rules-based international order, international law, the Charter of the United Nations and Human Rights,” he stated.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also said he was certain that the next President, António José Seguro, would also choose Spain as the first destination for his foreign visits to “reaffirm the fraternity” between Portugal and Spain and between Portuguese and Spaniards.

During a speech delivered partly in Spanish, the President thanked the King and Queen of Spain, Felipe VI and Letizia, for “the always so warm hospitality” they had shown him over the past ten years, as well as Spain’s assistance in recent weeks due to the storms that hit Portugal, particularly with resources from the Armed Forces, logistical support, and in managing the dams on shared rivers.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was speaking during a luncheon at the Royal Palace of Madrid, hosted by the King and Queen of Spain in honour of the Portuguese president, which was attended by nearly 100 guests and also included the presence of the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez.