The Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa - CPLP), was established to promote cultural, economic, social, political coordination and cooperation among Lusophone countries where Portuguese is the official language. It was created by the Founding Declaration signed in Lisbon on 17 July 1996 by Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Prinsipe and Mozambique. With the subsequent accession of East Timor and Equatorial Guinea, the number of CPLP members increased to 9. Additionally, 29 countries, including Türkiye and 4 international organizations have Associate Observer status.

Türkiye’s application for Associate Observer status to the CPLP, which was initiated in line with its multidimensional foreign policy, was accepted at the CPLP Summit Meeting held in Dili, Timor-Leste, in July 2014. The Associate Observer status of Türkiye marked a new era in its relations with the Lusophone World and since then, various activities are carried out to contribute to the promotion of the Portuguese language and culture, as well as to increase our economic, commercial and social ties with the CPLP member countries.