Jamaicaportal |
Jamaica has diplomatic relations with many nations and is a member of the United Nations and the Organization of American States. Jamaica chairs the Working Group on smaller Economies.
Jamaica is an active member of the Commonwealth of Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement (G-77). Jamaica is a beneficiary of the Lome Conventions, through which the European Union (EU) grants trade preferences to selected states in Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, and has played a leading role in the negotiations of the successor agreement in Fiji in 2000.
Jamaica has been a member of The Forum of Small States (FOSS) since the group's founding in 1992. [1]
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: Transshipment point for cocaine from Central and South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade is the government ministry responsible for handling Jamaica's external relations and foreign trade.
Historically, Jamaica has had close ties with the UK. Trade, financial, and cultural relations with the United States are now predominant. Jamaica is linked with the other countries of the English-speaking Caribbean through the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and more broadly through the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). Jamaica has served two 2-year terms on the United Nations Security Council, in 1979-80 and 2000-2001.
In the follow-on meetings to the December 1994 Summit of the Americas, Jamaica—together with Uruguay—was given the responsibility of coordinating discussions on invigorating society.
List of countries which Jamaica maintains diplomatic relations with:
# | Country [2] | Date |
---|---|---|
1 | United Kingdom | 2 August 1962 |
2 | Canada | 2 August 1962 |
3 | Netherlands | 2 August 1962 |
4 | United States | 6 August 1962 |
5 | France | 6 August 1962 |
6 | Germany | 6 August 1962 |
7 | India | 12 August 1962 |
8 | Israel | 29 August 1962 |
9 | South Korea | 13 October 1962 |
10 | Brazil | 14 October 1962 |
11 | Switzerland | 12 December 1962 |
12 | Luxembourg | 2 January 1963 |
13 | Pakistan | 19 January 1963 |
14 | Italy | 14 February 1963 |
15 | Argentina | 25 March 1963 |
16 | Lebanon | 7 May 1963 |
17 | Trinidad and Tobago | 18 June 1963 |
18 | Chile | 18 December 1963 |
19 | Japan | 16 March 1964 |
20 | Egypt | 10 June 1964 |
21 | Dominican Republic | 4 December 1964 |
22 | Colombia | 24 February 1965 |
23 | Venezuela | 25 March 1965 |
24 | Ethiopia | 22 March 1966 |
25 | Panama | 29 July 1966 |
26 | Spain | 21 December 1966 |
27 | Mexico | 4 February 1967 |
28 | Belgium | 25 July 1967 |
39 | Austria | 2 November 1967 |
30 | Ghana | 15 November 1967 |
31 | Sierra Leone | 8 May 1968 |
32 | Barbados | 6 September 1968 |
33 | Serbia | 11 October 1968 [3] |
34 | Guyana | 20 June 1969 |
35 | Peru | 29 April 1970 |
36 | Nigeria | 29 April 1970 |
37 | Zambia | 25 February 1971 |
38 | Turkey | 30 March 1971 |
39 | Tanzania | 6 April 1971 |
40 | Costa Rica | 21 July 1971 |
41 | Cyprus | 31 August 1972 |
42 | China | 21 November 1972 |
43 | Cuba | 8 December 1972 |
44 | Bahamas | 10 July 1973 |
45 | Ecuador | 10 September 1973 |
46 | Bangladesh | 5 November 1973 |
47 | Australia | 6 January 1974 |
48 | Sweden | 5 February 1974 |
49 | Mauritius | 20 May 1974 |
50 | Romania | 21 August 1974 |
51 | New Zealand | 27 August 1974 |
52 | North Korea | 9 October 1974 |
53 | Denmark | 14 October 1974 |
54 | Kuwait | 14 November 1974 |
55 | Grenada | 21 January 1975 |
56 | Guinea | 30 January 1975 |
57 | Iraq | 30 January 1975 |
58 | Algeria | 30 January 1975 |
59 | Iran | 18 February 1975 |
60 | Honduras | 10 March 1975 |
61 | Russia | 12 March 1975 |
62 | Poland | 14 May 1975 |
63 | Greece | 15 May 1975 |
64 | Hungary | 2 June 1975 |
65 | Czech Republic | 3 June 1975 [4] |
66 | Nicaragua | 15 August 1975 |
67 | Burkina Faso | 20 September 1975 |
68 | Suriname | 26 November 1975 |
69 | Malaysia | 28 November 1975 |
70 | Vietnam | 5 January 1976 |
71 | Senegal | 8 January 1976 |
72 | Kenya | 19 March 1976 |
73 | Libya | 24 June 1976 |
74 | Saudi Arabia | 15 August 1976 |
75 | Bulgaria | 22 March 1977 |
76 | Norway | 7 October 1977 |
77 | Finland | 1 December 1977 |
78 | Dominica | 3 November 1978 |
79 | Seychelles | 15 January 1979 |
80 | Saint Lucia | 22 January 1979 |
81 | Portugal | 26 January 1979 |
82 | Niger | 25 June 1979 |
– | Holy See | 29 July 1979 |
83 | Mozambique | 7 August 1979 |
84 | Republic of the Congo | 6 September 1979 |
85 | Yemen | 12 September 1979 |
86 | Lesotho | 19 October 1979 |
87 | Fiji | 11 December 1979 |
88 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 29 February 1980 |
89 | Zimbabwe | 18 April 1980 |
90 | Philippines | 15 May 1980 |
91 | Haiti | 26 August 1981 |
92 | Indonesia | 17 December 1981 |
93 | Botswana | 4 May 1982 |
94 | Belize | 3 November 1982 [5] |
95 | Antigua and Barbuda | 8 February 1983 |
96 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 19 September 1983 [6] |
97 | Bolivia | 2 February 1984 |
98 | Thailand | 10 September 1984 |
99 | Uruguay | 23 May 1985 |
100 | Oman | 27 May 1986 |
101 | Vanuatu | 23 July 1986 |
102 | Maldives | 27 February 1990 |
103 | Namibia | 28 August 1990 |
104 | El Salvador | 13 November 1990 |
105 | Eswatini | 13 February 1991 |
106 | Papua New Guinea | 16 April 1991 |
107 | Cameroon | 26 September 1991 |
108 | Guatemala | 11 December 1991 |
109 | Ukraine | 7 July 1992 |
110 | Singapore | 1 November 1992 |
111 | Paraguay | 10 November 1992 |
112 | Slovakia | 1 January 1993 |
113 | Estonia | 16 February 1993 |
114 | Belarus | 6 June 1993 |
115 | South Africa | 9 September 1993 |
116 | Slovenia | 23 July 1995 |
117 | Kazakhstan | 27 July 1995 |
118 | Lithuania | 20 September 1995 |
119 | Gabon | 23 October 1995 |
120 | Azerbaijan | 22 November 1995 |
121 | Armenia | 1 December 1995 |
122 | Albania | 3 April 1996 |
123 | Moldova | 9 July 1996 |
124 | Turkmenistan | 16 July 1996 |
125 | Georgia | 31 July 1996 |
126 | Uzbekistan | 8 August 1996 |
127 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 9 October 1996 |
128 | Croatia | 9 October 1996 |
129 | Ireland | 7 December 1997 |
130 | Sri Lanka | 29 September 1998 |
131 | Rwanda | 6 November 1998 |
132 | Cape Verde | 22 March 1999 |
133 | Laos | 27 August 1999 |
134 | Malawi | 30 September 1999 |
135 | Myanmar | 6 December 1999 |
136 | Kyrgyzstan | 25 February 2000 |
137 | Iceland | 23 May 2000 |
138 | Angola | 8 October 2002 |
139 | North Macedonia | 1 April 2003 |
– | Cook Islands | 14 May 2003 |
140 | Qatar | 27 June 2003 |
141 | Mali | 17 December 2003 |
142 | Malta | 27 October 2004 |
143 | Sudan | 19 September 2005 |
144 | Benin | 25 April 2006 |
145 | Morocco | 29 January 2008 |
146 | Monaco | 4 April 2008 [7] |
147 | Cambodia | 12 January 2010 |
148 | Montenegro | 12 November 2010 |
149 | Nauru | 24 February 2011 |
150 | United Arab Emirates | 4 March 2011 |
151 | Brunei | 20 June 2011 |
152 | Uganda | 21 September 2011 |
153 | Gambia | 29 November 2011 |
154 | Mongolia | 26 October 2012 |
155 | Solomon Islands | 3 July 2013 |
156 | Andorra | 23 September 2014 [8] |
157 | East Timor | 27 September 2014 [8] |
158 | Equatorial Guinea | 18 May 2015 [8] |
159 | Nepal | 1 October 2015 [8] |
160 | Tajikistan | 11 December 2017 [8] |
161 | Bahrain | 28 September 2018 [8] |
162 | San Marino | 29 September 2020 [8] |
163 | Togo | 24 November 2021 [8] |
164 | Kiribati | 26 April 2022 [9] |
165 | Samoa | 26 April 2022 [10] |
166 | Palau | 28 April 2022 [11] |
167 | Liberia | 22 September 2022 [8] |
168 | Marshall Islands | 23 September 2022 [8] |
169 | Liechtenstein | 18 September 2023 [8] |
170 | Jordan | 23 September 2023 [12] |
171 | Eritrea | 17 November 2023 [13] |
172 | Tunisia | 26 September 2024 [8] |
173 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Unknown date [14] |
Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
---|---|---|
Belize | 3 November 1982 | Belize and Jamaica are two of fifteen commonwealth realms, members of: the Association of Caribbean States, the Caribbean Community, the Belt & Road Initiative, the Caribbean Development Bank, the Commonwealth of Nations, ECLAC, EU-CARIFORUM, the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, the Organization of American States, the Small Island Developing States, and the United Nations.
|
Brazil | 14 October 1962 | See Jamaica–Brazil relations Jamaica and Brazil established diplomatic relations on October 14, 1962. Both countries are full members of the Group of 15. |
Canada | 1962 | See Canada–Jamaica relations Canada and Jamaica are two of fifteen commonwealth realms, members of: the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organization of American States, and the United Nations. Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1962. Since March 4, 1963, Canada has a high commission in Kingston. Jamaica has a high commission in Ottawa. On April 15, 2009, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper became the first Canadian head of government to address the Jamaican parliament. There are 231,000 people of Jamaican descent living in Canada. Jamaican-Canadians celebrate their island heritage through festivals held in major cities across Canada, the most recognized of which is Caribana. Caribana is held in Toronto, Ontario every year and attracts over one million visitors to the region, many of whom fly all the way from Jamaica. |
Cuba | 1972 | See Cuba–Jamaica relations Prime Minister Percival James Patterson visited Cuba at the end of May 1997. In the fall of 1997, Jamaica upgraded its consulate in Havana to an embassy, and the nonresident Jamaican ambassador to Cuba was replaced by a resident ambassador. |
China | 21 November 1972 | See China–Jamaica relations Relations from November 21, 1972. China has an embassy in Kingston, Jamaica. Jamaica has an embassy in Beijing. |
Ghana | See Ghana-Jamaica relations Ghana, as the former Gold Coast, and Jamaica share historical links through the slave trade and forced Ashanti/Akan emigration to the Caribbean. Ghana and Jamaica have a Joint Permanent Commission, and there are plans for Ghanaian investment in Jamaica. | |
Guyana | 26 May 1966 |
|
Haiti | Haiti has an embassy in Kingston and Jamaica has an honorary consul in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In January, 2007, Haitian President René Préval, made a four-day working visit to Jamaica. At a press conference, Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller announced that a Joint Jamaica/Haiti Commission would be convened later that year. [16] | |
India | See India–Jamaica relations Both nations inherited many cultural and political connections from British colonisation, such as membership in the Commonwealth of Nations, parliamentary democracy, the English language and cricket. [17] India has a High Commission in Kingston, [18] whilst Jamaica has a consulate in New Delhi. [19] | |
Malaysia | See Jamaica–Malaysia relations | |
Mexico | 18 March 1966 | See Jamaica–Mexico relations Both nations established diplomatic relations on 18 March 1966.
|
Netherlands |
| |
South Korea | 13 October 1962 | The establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and the Jamaica started on October 13, 1962 . [22]
|
Turkey | 1970 [24] | See Jamaica–Turkey relations |
United Kingdom | 1962 | See Foreign relations of the United Kingdom The UK established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 6 August 1962. [26]
The UK governed Jamaica from 1655 to 1962, when Jamaica achieved full independence. Both countries share common membership of the Caribbean Development Bank, the Commonwealth, the International Criminal Court, and the World Trade Organization, as well as the CARIFORUM–UK Economic Partnership Agreement. [28] Bilaterally the two countries have an Investment Agreement. [29] |
United States | See Jamaica–United States relations The United States maintains close and productive relations with the Government of Jamaica. Former Prime Minister Patterson visited Washington, DC, several times after assuming office in 1992. In April 2001, Prime Minister Patterson and other Caribbean leaders met with President George W. Bush during the Summit of the Americas in Quebec, Canada, at which a "Third Border Initiative" was launched to deepen U.S. cooperation with Caribbean nations and enhance economic development and integration of the Caribbean nations. Then-Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller attended the "Conference on the Caribbean--A 20/20 Vision" in Washington in June 2007. President Barack Obama visited the island on April 9. 2015. President Obama managed to squeeze in some fun in between meetings with Jamaican and Caribbean leaders on his trip to Jamaica this week—from paying homage to reggae star Bob Marley to practising his own Jamaican accent. The United States is Jamaica's most important trading partner: bilateral trade in goods in 2005 was over $2 billion. Jamaica is a popular destination for American tourists; more than 1.2 million Americans visited in 2006. Also, some 10,000 American citizens, including many dual-nationals born on the island, permanently reside in Jamaica. |
Jamaica maintains economic and cultural relations with Taiwan via Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada.
Jamaica has been a member state of the Commonwealth of Nations since 1962 when it became an independent Commonwealth realm.
Cuba's foreign policy has been fluid throughout history depending on world events and other variables, including relations with the United States. Without massive Soviet subsidies and its primary trading partner, Cuba became increasingly isolated in the late 1980s and early 1990s after the fall of the USSR and the end of the Cold War, but Cuba opened up more with the rest of the world again starting in the late 1990s when they have since entered bilateral co-operation with several South American countries, most notably Venezuela and Bolivia beginning in the late 1990s, especially after the Venezuela election of Hugo Chávez in 1999, who became a staunch ally of Castro's Cuba. The United States used to stick to a policy of isolating Cuba until December 2014, when Barack Obama announced a new policy of diplomatic and economic engagement. The European Union accuses Cuba of "continuing flagrant violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms". Cuba has developed a growing relationship with the People's Republic of China and Russia. Cuba provided civilian assistance workers – principally medical – to more than 20 countries. More than one million exiles have escaped to foreign countries. Cuba's present foreign minister is Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.
Like its Eastern Caribbean neighbours, the main priority of Dominica's foreign relations is economic development. The country maintains missions in Washington, New York, London, and Brussels and is represented jointly with other Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) members in Canada. Dominica is also a member of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, and the Commonwealth of Nations. It became a member of the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 1978 and of the World Bank and Organization of American States (OAS) in 1979.
El Salvador is a member of the United Nations and several of its specialized agencies, the Organization of American States (OAS), the Central American Common Market (CACM), the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), and the Central American Integration System (SICA). It actively participates in the Central American Security Commission (CASC), which seeks to promote regional arms control.
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.
After independence in 1966, Guyana sought an influential role in international affairs, particularly among Third World and non-aligned nations. It served twice on the UN Security Council. Former Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Attorney General Mohamed Shahabuddeen served a 9-year term on the International Court of Justice (1987–96). In June 2023, Guyana was elected as a non-permanent member to the UN Security Council. The country will serve on the council for a period of two years, beginning in January 2024.
Mauritius has strong and friendly relations with the West, with South Asian countries and with the countries of southern and eastern Africa. It is a member of the World Trade Organization, the Commonwealth of Nations, La Francophonie, the African Union, the Southern Africa Development Community, the Indian Ocean Commission, COMESA, and the recently formed Indian Ocean Rim Association.
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.
Saint Kitts and Nevis is an island nation in the Caribbean. Its ties with CARICOM and its proximity to South and North America have allowed strong diplomatic ties with several nations.
Saint Lucia maintains friendly relations with the major powers active in the Caribbean, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and France. Saint Lucia has no extant international disputes, aside from tension resulting from the island's status as a transit point for South American drugs destined for the United States and Europe.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines maintains close ties to the US, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and cooperates with regional political and economic organizations such as the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and CARICOM. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organization of American States, and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). Saint Vincent is also the smallest nation ever to be on the United Nations Security Council.
As part of the foreign relations of Suriname, the country is a participant in numerous international organizations.
Modern Trinidad and Tobago maintains close relations with its Caribbean neighbours and major North American and European trading partners. As the most industrialized and second-largest country in the English-speaking Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago has taken a leading role in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and strongly supports CARICOM economic integration efforts. It also is active in the Summit of the Americas process and supports the establishment of the Free Trade Area of the Americas, lobbying other nations for seating the Secretariat in Port of Spain.
The Caribbean Community is an intergovernmental organisation that is a political and economic union of 15 member states and five associated members throughout the Americas, The Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean. It has the primary objective to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and coordinate foreign policy. The organisation was established in 1973, by its four founding members signing the Treaty of Chaguaramas. Its primary activities involve:
Belize maintains 14 embassies to foreign countries, one consulate, and three missions to international organizations. In 1990, Belize became a member of the Organization of American States, and the Commonwealth of Nations in 1981.
This article deals with the diplomatic affairs, foreign policy and international relations of Barbados.
Antigua and Barbuda maintains diplomatic relations with the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the People's Republic of China, as well as with many Latin American countries and neighbouring Eastern Caribbean states. It is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organization of American States, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas, Petrocaribe and the Eastern Caribbean's Regional Security System (RSS).
The Bahamas has a strong bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom, represented by a High Commissioner in London. The Bahamas also associates closely with other nations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Haiti was one of the original members of the League of Nations, and was one of the original members of the United Nations and several of its specialized and related agencies. It is also a founding member of the Organization of American States. Haiti also has diplomatic relations with the Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan, instead of the People's Republic of China. Taiwan is one of Haiti's major trading partners and the two countries maintain very friendly relations. Haiti has also re-established very warm relations with Cuba in which a major act of bilateral cooperation has resulted in Cuba's large contribution of doctors to the country. The Haitian government has publicly shown admiration to Fidel Castro and his administration.
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