On 14 July 2026, Comendador Anthony Bailey, Honorary Consul-General of His Majesty The King of Tonga to the Portuguese Republic, attended the French National Day celebrations in Lisbon, at the invitation of H.E. Hélène Farnaud-Defromont, Ambassador of the French Republic to the Portuguese Republic.
The traditional 14 July 2026 celebrations brought together representatives of the Portuguese authorities, members of the diplomatic corps and guests from French and Portuguese public and civic life to commemorate the French National Day.
The Kingdom of Tonga and the French Republic enjoy exceptionally longstanding relations. France is one of Tonga’s oldest diplomatic partners, with the two countries having concluded a Treaty of Friendship in 1855, followed by a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation on 11 January 1980.
Royal and governmental exchanges between the two countries extend over many decades. HM King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV visited Paris in 1979 and maintained close links with France and its Pacific territories. His son and successor, the future HM King George Tupou V, then Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa, also developed close relations with France.
The relationship has an especially important Pacific dimension. Through the French overseas collectivity of Wallis and Futuna, France is one of Tonga’s closest geographical neighbours. ʻUvea (Wallis) and Tonga share deep Polynesian historical, cultural and familial connections extending back many centuries.
On 11 January 1980, Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa and French Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Olivier Stirn signed in Nukuʻalofa the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between France and Tonga, further strengthening the longstanding relationship between the two countries.
More recently, Prime Minister Hon. Huʻakavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni visited France in September and October 2023, where he met French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu. Tonga was also represented in Nice in June 2025 at the Third United Nations Ocean Conference and the 6th Pacific-France Summit, strengthening dialogue between France and the Pacific Island countries on ocean protection, climate change and sustainable development.
France and Tonga continue to cooperate in areas including defence, humanitarian assistance, health, education, renewable energy, climate resilience and ocean protection. France’s presence in the Pacific and Tonga’s position as a Pacific Large Ocean State give the relationship particular importance to both countries.
The celebrations in Lisbon on 14 July 2026 provided a welcome opportunity to recognise the longstanding friendship between the Kingdom of Tonga and the French Republic and their shared commitment to closer cooperation in the Pacific and internationally. The Consul-General is a regular visitor to France and lived in the country in the 1990’s.
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