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Africaportal Politicsportal |
The foreign relations of Ghana are controlled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ghana. Ghana is active in the United Nations and many of its specialised agencies, the World Trade Organization, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States. Ghana generally follows the consensus of the Non-aligned Movement and the OAU on economic and political issues not directly affecting its own interests. Ghana has been extremely active in international peacekeeping activities under UN auspices in Lebanon, Afghanistan, Rwanda, and the Balkans, in addition to an eight-year sub-regional initiative with its ECOWAS partners to develop and then enforce a cease-fire in Liberia. Ghana is also a member of the International Criminal Court.
Ghana's foreign policy since independence has been characterised by a commitment to the principles and ideals of non-alignment and Pan-Africanism as first enunciated by Kwame Nkrumah in the early 1960s. For Nkrumah, non-alignment meant complete independence from the policies and alliances of both East and West and support for a worldwide union of so-called non-aligned nations as a counter to both East and West power blocs. Pan-Africanism, by contrast, was a specifically African policy that envisioned the independence of Africa from Western colonialism and the eventual economic and political unity of the African continent.[1]
The PNDC, like most of its predecessors, made serious and consistent attempts at the practical application of these ideals and principles, and its successor, the NDC government, promises to follow in the PNDC's footsteps. Under the NDC, Ghana remains committed to the principle of non-alignment in world politics. Ghana is also opposed to interference in the internal affairs of both small and large countries. This is a departure from Nkrumah's foreign policy approach; Nkrumah was frequently accused of subverting African regimes, such as Togo and Ivory Coast, which he considered ideologically conservative. The NDC government, like the PNDC before it, believes in the principle of self-determination, including the right to political independence and the right of people to pursue their economic and social development free from external interference. Another feature of NDC rule carried over from the PNDC era is faithfulness to what a leading scholar of Africa has called "one of the most successful neoclassical economic reform efforts supported by the IMF and the World Bank." [1]
The broad objectives of Ghana's foreign policy thus include maintaining friendly relations and cooperation with all countries that desire such cooperation, irrespective of ideological considerations, on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs. Africa and its liberation and unity are naturally the cornerstones of Ghana's foreign policy. As a founding member of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), NDC policy is to adhere faithfully to the OAU Charter. [1]
Another important principle of Ghana's foreign policy involves the closest possible cooperation with neighbouring countries with which the people of Ghana share cultural history, ties of blood, and economics. The results have included various bilateral trade and economic agreements and permanent joint commissions involving Ghana and its immediate neighbours, sometimes in the face of latent ideological and political differences and mutual suspicion, as well as numerous reciprocal state visits by high-ranking officials. These measures have contributed significantly to subregional cooperation, development, and the reduction of tension. [1]
As an example of Ghana's interest in regional cooperation, the country enthusiastically endorsed formation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 1975. This organisation was created specifically to foster inter-regional economic and political cooperation. It has served as a useful vehicle for contacts with neighbouring West African governments and for channelling increased Ghanaian exports to regional markets. Since 1990 ECOWAS has been engaged in a peacekeeping mission in Liberia to which Ghana has contributed a large contingent of troops. Ghana has participated in other international peacekeeping efforts as well, sending soldiers to operations of the United Nations (UN) in Cambodia in 1992-93 and Rwanda in 1993–94. [1]
In August 1994, Rawlings became ECOWAS chairman, a post that had eluded him since the PNDC came to power. He immediately undertook several initiatives to reduce tensions and conflict in West Africa. Notable among them was the Akosombo Accord of September 12, designed to end civil war in Liberia. [1]
List of Countries which Ghana maintains diplomatic relations with:
# | Country | Date |
---|---|---|
1 | United Kingdom | 6 March 1957 [2] |
2 | India | 6 March 1957 [3] |
3 | Japan | 6 March 1957 [4] |
4 | Philippines | 6 March 1957 [5] |
5 | United States | 6 March 1957 [6] |
6 | Germany | 24 June 1957 [7] |
7 | Liberia | June 1957 [8] |
8 | France | 7 July 1957 [9] |
9 | Canada | 30 October 1957 [10] |
10 | Israel | October 1957 [11] |
11 | Russia | 15 January 1958 [12] |
12 | Australia | 21 February 1958 [13] |
13 | Tunisia | 11 June 1958 [14] |
14 | Guinea | 1958 [15] |
15 | Turkey | 1958 [16] [17] |
16 | Serbia | 10 January 1959 [18] |
17 | Lebanon | 30 March 1959 [19] [20] |
18 | Ethiopia | 10 April 1959 [21] |
19 | Netherlands | 9 May 1959 [22] |
20 | Indonesia | 2 September 1959 [23] |
21 | Sudan | 20 September 1959 [24] |
22 | Belgium | 2 October 1959 [25] |
23 | Cuba | 23 December 1959 [26] |
24 | Poland | 31 December 1959 [27] |
25 | Saudi Arabia | 1 April 1960 [28] |
26 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 1 July 1960 [29] |
27 | China | 5 July 1960 [30] |
28 | Switzerland | 19 July 1960 [31] |
29 | Nigeria | 1 October 1960 [32] |
30 | Mali | 14 October 1960 [33] |
31 | Italy | 8 November 1960 [34] |
32 | Brazil | 1960 [35] |
33 | Libya | 1960 [36] |
34 | Morocco | 1960 [37] |
35 | Czech Republic | 18 January 1961 [38] |
36 | Somalia | 25 February 1961 [39] |
37 | Sri Lanka | 6 March 1961 [40] |
38 | Ivory Coast | 15 March 1961 [41] |
39 | Argentina | 28 March 1961 [42] |
40 | Senegal | 21 April 1961 [43] |
41 | Sierra Leone | 27 April 1961 [44] |
42 | Burkina Faso | 12 June 1961 [45] |
43 | Hungary | 29 July 1961 [46] |
44 | Afghanistan | 2 August 1961 [47] |
45 | Mexico | 8 August 1961 [48] |
46 | Bulgaria | 10 August 1961 [49] |
47 | Romania | 10 August 1961 [50] |
48 | Niger | 24 August 1961 [51] |
49 | Albania | August 1961 [52] |
50 | Denmark | 28 September 1961 [53] |
51 | Chile | 6 October 1961 [54] |
52 | Sweden | 27 April 1962 [55] |
53 | Benin | 20 June 1962 [56] |
54 | Uganda | 1962 [57] [58] |
55 | Togo | 21 January 1963 [59] |
56 | Algeria | 2 May 1963 [60] |
57 | Cameroon | 20 August 1963 [61] |
58 | Kenya | 16 December 1963 [62] |
59 | Republic of the Congo | 8 February 1964 [63] |
60 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1 March 1964 [64] |
61 | Malawi | 8 July 1964 [65] |
62 | Burundi | 25 August 1964 [66] |
63 | Zambia | 30 November 1964 [67] |
64 | North Korea | 28 December 1964 [68] |
65 | Venezuela | 16 March 1965 [69] |
66 | Vietnam | 25 March 1965 [70] |
67 | Norway | 19 May 1965 [71] |
68 | Gambia | 28 May 1965 [72] |
69 | Mongolia | 7 December 1965 [73] |
70 | Tanzania | 20 December 1965 [74] |
71 | Lesotho | 24 November 1966 [75] |
72 | Central African Republic | 14 June 1967 [76] |
73 | Chad | 24 July 1967 [77] |
74 | Spain | 10 November 1967 [78] |
75 | Jamaica | 15 November 1967 [79] |
76 | Austria | 23 December 1967 [80] [81] |
77 | Malaysia | 1967 [82] |
78 | Luxembourg | 21 February 1968 [83] |
79 | Rwanda | 1969 [84] |
80 | Equatorial Guinea | 4 June 1971 [85] |
81 | Greece | 31 July 1973 [86] |
82 | Malta | 27 February 1974 [87] |
83 | Bangladesh | 19 July 1974 [88] |
84 | Iran | 1974 [89] |
85 | Kuwait | 1974 [90] |
86 | Portugal | 27 May 1975 [91] |
— | Holy See | 20 November 1975 [92] |
87 | Suriname | 24 November 1975 [93] |
88 | Angola | 8 October 1976 [94] |
89 | Papua New Guinea | 22 August 1977 [95] |
90 | Cape Verde | 4 October 1977 [96] |
91 | South Korea | 14 November 1977 [97] |
92 | Finland | 1 December 1977 [98] |
93 | Iceland | 1977 [99] |
94 | Bahrain | 9 April 1978 [100] |
95 | Mozambique | 27 June 1978 [101] |
96 | Guyana | 14 May 1979 [102] |
97 | Botswana | 21 May 1979 [103] |
— | Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic | 24 August 1979 [104] |
98 | Zimbabwe | 1980 [105] |
99 | Qatar | 25 July 1981 [106] |
100 | United Arab Emirates | 25 August 1981 [107] [108] |
101 | Belize | September 1981 [109] |
102 | Uruguay | 24 May 1982 [110] |
103 | Thailand | 25 October 1985 [111] |
104 | Peru | 23 June 1987 [112] |
105 | Bolivia | 3 December 1987 [113] |
106 | Colombia | 23 June 1988 [112] |
107 | Seychelles | 10 October 1988 [112] |
— | State of Palestine | 17 February 1989 [114] |
108 | Panama | 24 February 1989 [115] |
109 | Oman | 1 March 1989 [116] |
110 | Cyprus | 5 May 1989 [117] |
111 | Maldives | 10 August 1989 [112] |
112 | Singapore | 11 October 1989 [118] |
113 | Namibia | 21 March 1990 [119] |
114 | Ireland | 1990 [120] |
115 | Brunei | 10 December 1991 [121] |
116 | Latvia | 3 January 1992 [122] |
117 | Estonia | 5 February 1992 [123] |
118 | Belarus | 5 May 1992 [124] |
119 | Armenia | 29 May 1992 [125] |
120 | Ukraine | 17 June 1992 [126] |
121 | Kyrgyzstan | 26 June 1992 [127] |
122 | Lithuania | 10 July 1992 [128] |
123 | Kazakhstan | 14 August 1992 [129] |
124 | Moldova | 28 August 1992 [130] |
125 | Azerbaijan | 11 September 1992 [131] |
126 | Turkmenistan | 17 September 1992 [132] |
127 | Georgia | 4 December 1992 [133] |
128 | Slovenia | 15 February 1993 [134] |
129 | Croatia | 17 February 1993 [135] |
130 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | June 1993 [136] |
131 | Slovakia | 1 October 1993 [137] |
132 | Uzbekistan | 28 October 1993 [138] |
133 | Tajikistan | 2 November 1993 [139] |
134 | South Africa | 6 May 1994 [140] |
135 | Barbados | August 1994 [141] |
136 | Guatemala | 26 September 1994 [142] |
137 | Myanmar | 13 January 1995 [143] |
138 | Cambodia | 24 May 1995 [144] |
139 | Yemen | 30 November 1995 [145] |
140 | North Macedonia | 7 February 1996 [146] |
141 | New Zealand | 23 June 1999 [147] |
142 | Costa Rica | 11 July 2000 [148] |
143 | Nicaragua | 16 May 2003 [149] |
144 | Eritrea | 26 August 2004 [150] |
145 | Ecuador | 10 May 2007 [151] |
146 | Jordan | 5 June 2007 [152] |
147 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1 August 2008 [153] |
148 | San Marino | 5 November 2008 [154] |
149 | Bahamas | 17 March 2011 [155] |
150 | Andorra | 31 March 2011 [156] |
151 | Honduras | 29 August 2011 [157] |
152 | Montenegro | 20 September 2012 [112] |
— | Kosovo (suspended) | 4 October 2012 [158] |
153 | Fiji | 12 October 2012 [159] |
154 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 13 February 2013 [112] |
155 | South Sudan | 15 September 2014 [160] |
156 | Comoros | 5 July 2015 [161] |
157 | East Timor | 15 June 2016 [162] |
158 | Dominica | 18 January 2018 [112] |
159 | Dominican Republic | 23 September 2019 [112] |
160 | Nepal | 25 September 2019 [112] |
161 | Monaco | 26 September 2019 [112] |
162 | Laos | 27 September 2019 [163] |
163 | Liechtenstein | 19 December 2019 [112] |
164 | Samoa | 20 December 2019 [112] |
165 | Antigua and Barbuda | Before March 2020 [164] |
166 | Paraguay | 17 June 2021 [165] |
167 | El Salvador | 18 September 2023 [166] |
— | Cook Islands | 8 November 2023 [167] |
168 | Madagascar | 24 September 2024 [168] |
169 | Saint Lucia | 24 September 2024 [169] |
170 | Djibouti | Unknown |
171 | Egypt | Unknown |
172 | Eswatini | Unknown |
173 | Gabon | Unknown |
174 | Grenada | Unknown [170] |
175 | Guinea-Bissau | Unknown [171] |
176 | Haiti | Unknown |
177 | Iraq | Unknown |
178 | Mauritania | Unknown |
179 | Mauritius | Unknown |
180 | Pakistan | Unknown |
181 | São Tomé and Príncipe | Unknown [172] |
182 | Syria | Unknown |
Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
---|---|---|
Algeria | 1962 | |
Burkina Faso | 12 June 1961 | See Burkina Faso–Ghana relations With the coming to power of Thomas Sankara in Burkina Faso in 1983, relations between Ghana and Burkina became both warm and close. Indeed, Rawlings and Sankara began discussions about uniting Ghana and Burkina in the manner of the defunct Ghana-Guinea-Mali Union, which Nkrumah had sought unsuccessfully to promote as a foundation for his dream of unified continental government. Political and economic ties between Ghana and Burkina, a poorer country, were strengthened through joint commissions of cooperation and through border demarcation committee meetings. Frequent high-level consultations and joint military exercises, meant to discourage potential dissidents and to protect young "revolutions" in each country, were fairly regular features of Ghana-Burkina relations. [173]
|
Egypt | 7 November 1957 |
|
Guinea | 1958 |
|
Ivory Coast | 15 March 1961 | See Ivory Coast–Ghana relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 15 March 1961. [41] Ghana-Ivory Coast relations suffered from the same ups and downs that characterised Ghana-Togo relations. In early 1984, the PNDC government complained that Ivory Coast was allowing Ghanaian dissidents to use its territory as a base from which to carry out acts of sabotage against Ghana. Ghana also accused Ivory Coast of granting asylum to political agitators wanted for crimes in Ghana. Relations between Ghana and Ivory Coast improved significantly, however, after 1988. In 1989, after fifteen years of no progress, the Ghana-Ivory Coast border re-demarcation commission finally agreed on the definition of the 640-kilometer border between the two countries. The PNDC thereafter worked to improve the transportation and communication links with both Ivory Coast and Togo, despite problems with both countries. [175]
|
Kenya | 16 December 1963 | See Ghana–Kenya relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 16 December 1963.
|
Namibia | 21 March 1990 |
|
Nigeria | 1 October 1960 | See Ghana–Nigeria relations Ghana set up a commission in 1959 when Nigeria was still a dependent territory. This was elevated to High Commission status on the attainment of Nigeria's independence on 1 October 1960 [176] Despite close cultural ties, diplomatic relations between the two countries have in many instances been volatile. After the takeover in November 1993 by General Sani Abacha as the new Nigerian head of state, Ghana and Nigeria continued to consult on economic, political, and security issues affecting the two countries and West Africa as a whole. Between early August 1994 when Rawlings became ECOWAS chairman and the end of the following October, the Ghanaian president visited Nigeria three times to discuss the peace process in Liberia and measures to restore democracy in that country. [1] |
Senegal | 21 April 1961 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 21 April 1961.
|
South Africa | 6 May 1994 | See Ghana–South Africa relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 6 May 1994 [177]
|
Togo | 21 January 1963 | See Ghana–Togo relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 21 January 1963. [59] The strains in Ghana-Togo relations stretch back to pre-independence days. After 1918, following the defeat of Germany, the League of Nations divided the German colony of Togoland from north to south, a decision that divided the Ewe people among the Gold Coast, British Togoland, and French Togoland. After 1945, the United Nations took over the Togoland mandates. During the 1950s, when the independence of Ghana was in sight, demands grew for a separate Ewe state, an idea that Kwame Nkrumah, leader of the Gold Coast independence movement, opposed. Following a UN plebiscite in May 1956, in which a majority of the Ewe voted for union with Ghana, British Togoland became part of the Gold Coast. [1] [178] After Togolese independence in 1960, relations between Togo and Ghana deteriorated, aggravated by political differences and incidents such as smuggling across their common border. At times, relations have verged on open aggression. [175] The result of the transfer of Togoland to Ghana has meant that many Togolese keep one foot on either side of the border, living in Ghana by night and working in the markets of the capital, Lomé, by day. [178]
|
Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
---|---|---|
Argentina | 28 March 1961 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 28 March 1961 [42]
|
Brazil | 2 January 1961 |
|
Canada | 17 May 1957 |
|
Chile | 6 October 1961 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 6 October 1961 [54]
|
Colombia | 23 June 1988 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 23 June 1988 [179] Ghana and Colombia's diplomatic relations dated back to 1988 but it remained dormant until July 2013 when Colombia opened its embassy in Accra. Colombia helps Ghana by providing assistance on building capacity of the Ghana Police Service, Immigration Service and the Narcotics Control Board on cybersecurity and drug trafficking. [180]
|
Cuba | 23 December 1959 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 23 December 1959 [26]
|
Jamaica | 8 May 1968 | See Ghana–Jamaica relations
|
Mexico | 8 August 1961 | See Ghana–Mexico relations Ghana and Mexico established diplomatic relations on 8 August 1961. [48] Soon afterwards, both nations opened embassies in each other's capitals, respectively. In 1972, Ghana closed its embassy in Mexico City. Mexico closed its embassy in Accra in 1980. [181] Mexico re-opened its embassy in Ghana in 2013.
|
Peru | 23 June 1987 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 23 June 1987 [184]
|
Suriname | 1 April 1977 | See: Ghana-Suriname relations |
United States | 6 March 1957 | See Ghana–United States relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 6 March 1957 [186] The United States is among Ghana's trading partners. The Office of the President of Ghana worked closely with the U.S. Embassy in Accra to establish an American Chamber of Commerce to continue to develop closer economic ties in the private sector. Major U.S. companies operating in the country include ACS, CMS Energy, Coca-Cola, S.C. Johnson, Ralston Purina, Star-Kist, A.H. Robins, Sterling, Pfizer, IBM, 3M, Motorola, Stewart & Stevenson, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and National Cash Register (NCR). Several U.S. firms recently made or are considering investments in Ghana, primarily in gold mining, wood products, and petroleum. U.S. mining giant Newmont entered Ghana's mining sector in 2004 and intends to invest up to $1 billion. In late 1997, Nuevo Petroleum concluded an oil exploration agreement accounting for one of Ghana's offshore mineral rights zones. Several other U.S. oil companies also are engaged in offshore exploration.
|
Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
---|---|---|
Bangladesh | 19 July 1974 | See Bangladesh–Ghana relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 19 July 1974 when Bangladesh High Commissioner to Ghana presented his credentials to the Head of State Colonel I. K. Acheampong. [187]
|
China | 5 July 1960 | See China–Ghana relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 5 July 1960. [30] Ghana's relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC) date back to 1960 when President Nkrumah became one of Africa's first leaders to recognise the country. Ghana and the PRC have had close and relatively good relations in that time despite a short period of relatively cold relations after Nkrumah was deposed in 1966.
|
India | 6 March 1957 | See Ghana–India relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 6 March 1957. [188]
|
Indonesia | 1959 |
|
Israel | 6 March 1957, severed 28 October 1973, restored 9 August 1994 | See Ghana–Israel relations
|
Japan | 12 March 1959 |
|
Malaysia | 5 December 1966 | See Ghana–Malaysia relations
|
Pakistan | 1958 | Pakistan and Ghana enjoy amicable and cordial relations. There has been historical support extended by Pakistan to the African states particularly OIC member states in which Ghana has significant importance. Despite this, there has been a low level of bilateral trade between the two countries. The volume of bilateral trade during 2011 was just $19 million. [189]
|
Saudi Arabia | 1 April 1960 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 1 April 1960.
|
Turkey | 1958 | See Ghana–Turkey relations |
Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
---|---|---|
Denmark | 28 September 1961 | See Denmark–Ghana relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 28 September 1961 when was accredited first Ambassador of Denmark to Ghana Mr. Hans Adolf Biering [53] Denmark has historic relations with Ghana from once possessing Danish Gold Coast.
|
France | 1957 |
|
Germany | 24 June 1957 | See Germany–Ghana relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 24 June 1957.
|
Italy |
| |
Malta | 27 February 1974 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 27 February 1974 [87]
|
Poland | 31 December 1959 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 31 December 1959 [27]
|
Russia | 14 January 1958 | See Ghana–Russia relations
|
Spain | 10 November 1967 | See Ghana–Spain relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 10 November 1967 [191]
|
United Kingdom | 6 March 1957 | See Ghana–United Kingdom relations Ghana established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 6 March 1957.
The UK governed Ghana from 1821 to 1957, when it achieved full independence. Both countries share common membership of the Atlantic co-operation pact, [193] the Commonwealth, the International Criminal Court, and the World Trade Organization. Bilaterally the two countries have a Development Partnership, [194] an Economic Partnership Agreement, [195] a High Level Prosperity Partnership, [196] and an Investment Agreement. [197] |
Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
---|---|---|
Australia | 21 February 1958 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 21 February 1958 [13]
|
New Zealand | 1 March 2001 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 1 March 2001. [198]
|
Ghana has been a member state of the Commonwealth since independence in 1957, firstly as a Dominion, then as a republic in the Commonwealth of Nations.
Burkina Faso has good relations with the European Union, African and certain Asian countries.
Cape Verde follows a policy of nonalignment and seeks cooperative relations with all friendly states. Angola, Brazil, the People's Republic of China, Cuba, France, Germany, Portugal, Senegal, Russia, South Korea and the United States maintain embassies in Praia.
Since its return to democracy in 1990, Chile has been an active participant in the regional and international arena. Chile assumed a two-year non-permanent position on the UN Security Council in January 2003 and was re-elected to the council in October 2013. It is also an active member of the UN family of agencies, serving as a member of the Commission on Human Rights and participating in UN peacekeeping activities. Chile hosted the second Summit of the Americas in 1998, was the chair of the Rio Group in 2001, hosted the Defense Ministerial of the Americas in 2002, and the APEC summit and related meetings in 2004. In 2005 it hosted the Community of Democracies ministerial conference. It is an associate member of Mercosur and a full member of APEC. The OECD agreed to invite Chile to be among four countries to open discussions in becoming an official member.
Costa Rica is an active member of the international community and, in 1983, claimed it was for neutrality. Due to certain powerful constituencies favoring its methods, it has a weight in world affairs far beyond its size. The country lobbied aggressively for the establishment of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and became the first nation to recognize the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Human Rights Court, based in San José.
The foreign relations of the Dominican Republic are the Dominican Republic's relations with other governments.
This article describes the diplomatic affairs, foreign policy and international relations of Ecuador
The government's official policy is one of nonalignment. In its search for assistance to meet the goal of national reconstruction, the government of Equatorial Guinea has established diplomatic relations with numerous European and Third World countries. Having achieved independence under UN sponsorship, Equatorial Guinea feels a special kinship with that organization. It became the 126th UN member on November 12, 1968. Equatorial Guinea served as a non-permanent member on the United Nations Security Council from 2017 to 2019.
Gabon has followed a non-aligned policy, advocating dialogue in international affairs and recognizing both parts of divided countries. Since 1973, the number of countries establishing diplomatic relations with Gabon has doubled. In inter-African affairs, Gabon espouses development by evolution rather than revolution and favors regulated free enterprise as the system most likely to promote rapid economic growth. Concerned about stability in Central Africa and the potential for intervention, Gabon has been directly involved with mediation efforts in Chad, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Angola, and former Zaire. In December 1999, through the mediation efforts of President Bongo, a peace accord was signed in the Republic of Congo between the government and most leaders of an armed rebellion. President Bongo has remained involved in the continuing Congolese peace process. Gabon has been a strong proponent of regional stability, and Gabonese armed forces played an important role in the UN Peacekeeping Mission to the Central African Republic (MINURCA).
The United States, Venezuela, Cuba, and the People's Republic of China have embassies in Grenada. Grenada has been recognized by most members of the United Nations and maintains diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom, the United States, Venezuela, and Canada.
The foreign relations of Guinea, including those with its West African neighbors, have improved steadily since 1985.
While alliances dating back to the Mozambican War of Independence remain relevant, Mozambique's foreign policy has become increasingly pragmatic. The twin pillars of the policy are maintenance of good relations with its neighbors and maintenance and expansion of ties to development partners.
Since independence, with Jaja Wachuku as the first Minister for Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth Relations, later called External Affairs, Nigerian foreign policy has been characterised by a focus on Africa as a regional power and by attachment to several fundamental principles: African unity and independence; capability to exercise hegemonic influence in the region: peaceful settlement of disputes; non-alignment and non-intentional interference in the internal affairs of other nations; and regional economic cooperation and development. In carrying out these principles, Nigeria participates in the African Union, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Non-Aligned Movement, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the United Nations.
Paraguayan foreign policy has concentrated on maintaining good relations with its neighbors, and it has been an active proponent of regional co-operation. It is a member of the United Nations and has served one term in the UN Security Council in 1967-1969. It maintains membership in several international financial institutions, including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. It also belongs to the Organization of American States, the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI), the Rio Group, INTERPOL, MERCOSUR and UNASUR.
The foreign relations of Peru are managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. is an important first-tier state in South America, Peru has been a member of the United Nations since 1945, and Peruvian Javier Pérez de Cuéllar served as UN Secretary General from 1981 to 1991. Former President Alberto Fujimori's tainted re-election to a third term in June 2000 strained Peru's relations with the United States and with many Latin American and European countries, mainly small countries like Yemen but relations improved with the installation of an interim government in November 2000 and the inauguration of Alejandro Toledo in July 2001.
Former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has maintained Tunisia's long-time policy of seeking good relations with the West, while playing an active role in Arab and African regional bodies. President Habib Bourguiba took a nonaligned stance but emphasized close relations with Europe, Pakistan, and the United States.
After seizing power in the 1972 coup d'état, Major Mathieu Kérékou declared the People's Republic of Benin a Marxist-Leninist state and sought financial support from communist governments in Eastern Europe and Asia. To distance the modern state from its colonial past, the country became the People's Republic of Benin in 1975. However, Benin dropped the socialist ideology in 1989 following pressure from creditors and domestic unrest related to economic hardship.
Bolivia traditionally has maintained normal diplomatic relations with all hemispheric states except Chile. Foreign relations are handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by the Chancellor of Bolivia, Rogelio Mayta.
The Gambia followed a formal policy of non-alignment throughout most of former President Dawda Jawara's tenure. It maintained close relations with the United Kingdom, Senegal, and other African countries. The July 1994 coup strained The Gambia's relationship with Western powers, particularly the United States. Starting in 1995, President Yahya Jammeh established diplomatic relations with several additional countries, including Libya, the Republic of China, and Cuba. As scholars on Gambia's foreign policy have argued, throughout Jammeh's period, the country's foreign policy was a shifting sand, with little of direction.
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau follows a nonaligned foreign policy and seeks friendly and cooperative relations with a wide variety of states and organizations. France, Portugal, Angola, Brazil, Egypt, Nigeria, Libya, Cuba, the Palestine Liberation Organization, Ghana, and Russia have diplomatic offices in Bissau.
The 1955 Austrian State Treaty ended the four-power occupation and recognized Austria as an independent and sovereign state. In October 1955, the Federal Assembly passed a constitutional law in which "Austria declares of her own free will her perpetual neutrality." The second section of this law stated that "in all future times Austria will not join any military alliances and will not permit the establishment of any foreign military bases on her territory." Since then, Austria has shaped its foreign policy on the basis of neutrality.
Z.K.H. Prins Bernhard heeft vanmorgen jn tegenwoordigheid van de Hoge Commissaris van Ghana, Z.E. Asafu Adjay...
Libya : Ghana's mission in Tripoli from 1960 and for many years afterwards was occupied by a Chargé d'Affaires
M. K. Ameko, Ambassadeur du Ghana à Bujumbura depuis le 25 août 1964.
Ghana - Central African Republic . Mr. Quashie, Ghanaian Ambassador to the CAR, has presented his credentials to President Bokassa. (MAC 14/6)
Chad-Ghana. M. John Quashie, the new Ghanian Ambassador to Chad, with residence in Kinshasa, has presented his credentials to President Tombalbaye (ATP 24/7)
Ghana-Equatorial Guinea. The Ghanaian Ambassador to Nigeria, Major-General M. A. Aferi, has been accredited to Equatorial Guinea on a non-residential basis. (GT 4/6)