Portugal’s Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Rui Machete and His Highness the Aga Khan on June 3 signed a landmark agreement between the Republic of Portugal and the Ismaili Imamat for the establishment of a formal seat of the latter in Portugal.

The agreement marks the first such accord in the Imamat’s modern history. It will come into effect once it has been approved by Portugal’s parliament and ratified by the president.

Also present at the signing ceremony was Portugal’s Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho, among other senior government officials.

Thanking the government for inviting the Ismaili Imamat to establish its permanent seat in Portugal, the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, hailed the agreement as a milestone in the Imamat’s history, which spans more than 1,400 years.

The Imamat is the institution or office of the Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He noted that the agreement provides an enabling framework that will facilitate the work of the Ismaili Imamat and the Imam globally.

The accord will result in intensified co-operation between Portugal and the Ismaili Imamat in supporting research and the knowledge society and in improving the quality of life of the Portuguese.

The agreement builds on a series of earlier accords. They include an agreement on religious and cultural matters and a protocol on international co-operation with the Aga Khan Development Network, which serves communities across the world irrespective of their ethnicity or faith.

The Ismailis are an ethnically and linguistically diverse Shia community residing in many countries across the world.

Portugal has one of the largest concentrations of Ismaili Muslims in Europe. The Ismailis are the only Shia Muslim community led by a living Imam who is vested with global religious authority and has the responsibility for the community’s spiritual and material wellbeing.