Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India The discovery of the sea route to India is the description sometimes used in Europe and among the Portuguese for the first recorded trip made directly from Europe to India via the Atlantic Ocean. It was undertaken under the command of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama during the reign of King Manuel I in 1497–1499. Considered by Europe to be one of the most remarkable voyages of the Age of Discovery, it consolidated the Portuguese maritime presence over the Indian Ocean and that country's dominance of global trade routes. The plan for
East Timor–Portugal relations Portugal as the administrative authority in East Timor. For their part, Portuguese officials saw a "moral obligation" to continue involvement in the affairs of a former colony. Portugal tried to get the Indonesian government to agree to a settlement, and even independence, for East Timor. However, Indonesia refused the offer because of fears that other secessionist movements could be emboldened. In 2007 and 2010, East Timorese President José Ramos Horta (who himself is half Português) visited Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates. Sócrates said that Portugal will strengthen relations with East Timor in various sectors, including education, justice, technology and politics,