Liechtenstein's foreign economic policy has been dominated by its customs union with Switzerland (and with Austria-Hungary until World War I). This union also led to its independent membership in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1991. Unlike Switzerland however (where citizens rejected membership in a referendum), Liechtenstein is part of the European Economic Area.
Liechtenstein was admitted to the United Nations in 1990. It is not a member of most specialized agencies of the United Nations, with the exceptions of the International Telecommunication Union, the Universal Postal Union and the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Liechtenstein has resorted two times to international dispute settlement by the International Court of Justice, in the Nottebohm (Liechtenstein v. Guatemala) case against Guatemala in the 1950s and in a case concerning art property of the Liechtenstein family against Germany in 2005. It lost in both cases.
Liechtenstein maintains resident embassies in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Holy See, Switzerland and the United States, along with a number of missions to international organisations. Under a 1919 agreement between Liechtenstein and Switzerland, ambassadors of Switzerland are authorised to represent Liechtenstein in countries and in diplomatic situations unless Liechtenstein opts to send its own ambassador. [1] As of 2024, Liechtenstein has diplomatic relations with 133 UN countries. [2]
The country has an international dispute with Czech Republic and Slovakia concerning the estates of its princely family in those countries. After World War II, Czechoslovakia, as it then was, acting to seize what it considered to be German possessions, expropriated the entirety of the Liechtenstein dynasty's hereditary lands and possessions in the Czech regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia. The expropriations (which were the subject of an unsuccessful court case brought by Liechtenstein in the German courts and the International Court of Justice) included over 1,600 km² [ citation needed ] (which is ten times the size of Liechtenstein) of agricultural and forest land mostly in Moravia, also including several family castles and palaces. An offer from the Czech Republic to return the palaces and castles (without the surrounding land) was rejected by Liechtenstein. [3]
Liechtenstein recognised and established diplomatic relations with the Czech Republic on 13 July 2009 [4] [5] [6] and with Slovakia on 9 December 2009. [7] Liechtenstein's ruling prince, Hans-Adam II, has announced that the principality will take no further legal action to recover the appropriated assets. [3]
In February 2020, the Czech Constitutional court in Brno rejected a case made by Liechtenstein to get the Czech government to change their classification of the Liechtenstein dynasty as German under the Beneš Decrees. [8] On 19 August 2020, an inter-state application under the European Convention on Human Rights was made by Liechtenstein to the European Court of Human Rights against the Czech Republic. [9]
List of countries which Liechtenstein maintains diplomatic relations with:
# | Country | Date |
---|---|---|
1 | Switzerland | March 1919 [10] |
2 | Austria | 24 May 1919 [11] |
3 | China | 14 September 1950 [12] |
4 | Germany | 6 May 1952 [13] |
— | Holy See | 28 August 1985 [14] |
5 | Estonia | 4 September 1991 [15] |
6 | Sweden | 24 October 1991 [16] |
7 | Netherlands | 20 November 1991 [17] |
8 | Norway | 9 January 1992 [18] |
9 | Spain | 9 January 1992 [18] |
10 | Azerbaijan | 21 January 1992 [19] |
11 | Slovenia | 31 January 1992 [20] |
12 | Croatia | 4 February 1992 [21] |
13 | Italy | 6 February 1992 [22] |
14 | Portugal | 6 February 1992 [23] |
15 | Ukraine | 6 February 1992 [24] |
16 | United Kingdom | 6 February 1992 [22] |
17 | Belarus | 10 February 1992 [25] |
18 | Belgium | 13 March 1992 [26] |
19 | Denmark | 13 March 1992 [26] |
20 | Israel | 13 March 1992 [26] |
21 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 5 May 1992 [27] |
22 | Georgia | 10 June 1992 [28] |
23 | Poland | 25 June 1992 [29] |
24 | Finland | 26 June 1992 [30] |
25 | Iceland | 26 June 1992 [31] |
26 | Luxembourg | 26 June 1992 [32] |
27 | Turkey | 2 October 1992 [33] |
28 | France | 8 October 1992 [34] |
29 | Ireland | 13 January 1993 [35] |
30 | South Korea | 2 March 1993 [36] |
31 | India | 6 April 1993 [37] |
32 | Albania | 23 April 1993 [38] |
33 | Hungary | 14 June 1993 [39] |
34 | North Macedonia | 31 December 1993 [40] |
35 | Brazil | 11 January 1994 [41] |
36 | Argentina | 13 January 1994 [42] |
37 | South Africa | 13 January 1994 [42] |
38 | Russia | 30 January 1994 [43] |
39 | Bulgaria | 25 April 1994 [44] |
40 | Uruguay | 25 April 1994 [44] |
41 | Mexico | 1 July 1994 [45] |
42 | Greece | 6 July 1994 [46] |
— | Sovereign Military Order of Malta | 7 November 1994 [47] |
43 | Andorra | 1 September 1995 [48] |
44 | Philippines | 24 November 1995 [49] |
45 | Pakistan | 4 December 1995 [50] |
46 | Monaco | 16 February 1996 [51] |
47 | Canada | 12 March 1996 [52] |
48 | Japan | 12 June 1996 [53] [54] |
49 | Peru | 5 July 1996 [55] |
50 | Chile | 2 October 1996 [56] |
51 | Cyprus | 2 October 1996 [56] |
52 | Latvia | 3 December 1996 [57] |
53 | United States | 10 February 1997 [58] |
54 | Australia | 14 March 1997 [59] |
55 | Cuba | 11 June 1997 [60] |
56 | Thailand | 14 August 1997 [61] |
57 | Ecuador | 17 October 1997 [62] |
58 | Venezuela | 17 October 1997 [62] |
59 | Romania | 12 December 1997 [63] |
60 | Mongolia | 18 March 1998 [64] |
61 | Iran | 14 August 1998 [65] |
62 | Indonesia | 14 August 1998 [65] |
63 | Kyrgyzstan | 16 September 1999 [66] |
64 | Costa Rica | 12 January 2000 [67] |
65 | Lebanon | 9 June 2000 [68] |
66 | Morocco | 9 June 2000 [68] |
67 | Lithuania | 27 March 2001 [69] |
68 | North Korea | 2 May 2001 [70] |
69 | Moldova | 14 August 2001 [71] |
70 | Colombia | 24 October 2001 [72] |
71 | Serbia | 4 April 2003 [73] |
72 | Malta | 12 May 2003 [74] |
73 | Laos | 8 January 2004 [75] |
74 | Malaysia | July 2004 [76] |
75 | Bahrain | 1 April 2005 [77] |
76 | Egypt | 17 October 2005 [78] |
77 | Algeria | 21 October 2005 [79] |
78 | Kazakhstan | 31 January 2007 [80] |
79 | Montenegro | 26 March 2007 [81] |
80 | Tajikistan | 28 January 2008 [82] |
81 | Armenia | 7 May 2008 [83] |
82 | Kuwait | 16 June 2008 [84] |
83 | Vietnam | 2 July 2008 [85] |
84 | Niger | 17 December 2008 [86] |
85 | Saudi Arabia | 29 April 2009 [87] |
86 | United Arab Emirates | 22 October 2009 [88] |
87 | Czech Republic | 8 September 2009 [89] |
88 | Slovakia | 9 December 2009 [90] |
89 | Singapore | 19 April 2010 [88] |
90 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2010 [91] |
91 | Maldives | 21 January 2011 [92] |
92 | Paraguay | 6 April 2011 [86] |
93 | Cambodia | 8 June 2011 [93] |
94 | San Marino | 21 October 2011 [94] |
95 | Nigeria | 28 October 2011 [95] |
96 | Brunei | 15 November 2011 [96] |
97 | Panama | 3 January 2012 [97] |
98 | Tuvalu | 1 June 2012 [98] |
— | Kosovo | 13 December 2012 [99] |
99 | Solomon Islands | 2012 [100] |
100 | Nicaragua | 23 February 2013 [101] |
101 | New Zealand | 30 October 2013 [102] |
102 | Trinidad and Tobago | 31 January 2014 [88] |
103 | Ivory Coast | 14 March 2014 [88] |
104 | Qatar | 26 June 2014 [103] |
105 | Fiji | 30 July 2014 [88] |
106 | Guinea | 11 December 2015 [103] |
107 | Guatemala | 22 December 2015 [104] |
108 | El Salvador | 2015 [105] |
109 | Rwanda | 10 November 2016 [106] |
110 | Mauritius | 12 May 2017 [88] |
111 | Sudan | 24 May 2017 [107] |
112 | Tunisia | 20 October 2017 [106] |
113 | Nepal | 24 November 2017 [88] |
114 | Antigua and Barbuda | 25 September 2018 [88] |
115 | Afghanistan | 26 October 2018 [108] |
116 | Equatorial Guinea | 2018 [109] |
117 | Benin | 26 June 2019 [106] |
118 | Chad | 26 June 2019 [110] |
119 | Marshall Islands | 24 September 2019 [111] |
120 | Dominican Republic | 26 September 2019 [112] |
121 | Ghana | 19 December 2019 [88] |
122 | Honduras | 2020 [113] |
123 | Sri Lanka | 5 March 2021 [88] |
124 | Angola | 23 June 2021 [110] |
125 | Namibia | 22 September 2021 [114] [115] |
126 | Bolivia | 17 November 2021 [116] |
127 | Senegal | 2021 [114] |
128 | Kenya | 29 April 2022 [110] |
129 | Jamaica | 18 September 2023 [88] |
130 | Saint Lucia | 20 September 2023 [88] |
131 | Oman | 4 March 2024 [117] |
132 | Uzbekistan | 5 March 2024 [118] |
133 | Turkmenistan | 1 November 2024 [88] |
134 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Unknown |
Country | Formal relations began on | Notes |
---|---|---|
Mexico | 1 July 1994 [119] |
|
United States | 10 February 1997 [121] | See Liechtenstein–United States relations
|
Country | Formal relations began on | Notes |
---|---|---|
Hong Kong | See Hong Kong–Liechtenstein relations | |
India | 1993 [124] | See India–Liechtenstein relations |
Japan | June 1996 [125] | See Japan–Liechtenstein relations |
South Korea | 02 March 1993 [127] | See Liechtenstein - South Korea relations Both countries establishmented diplomatic relations on March 2, 1993. [128] |
Turkey | 2 October 1992 [129] |
|
Country | Formal relations began on | Notes |
---|---|---|
France | 27 August 1992 [134] | See France–Liechtenstein relations
|
Germany | 14 January 1992 | See Germany–Liechtenstein relations
|
Russia | 30 January 1994 [136] | See Liechtenstein–Russia relations |
Switzerland | 13 August 1919 | See Liechtenstein–Switzerland relations
|
Ukraine | 6 February 1992 [24] | See Liechtenstein–Ukraine relations
|
United Kingdom | May 1992 [140] | See Liechtenstein–United Kingdom relations
|
Liechtenstein is a member of the following international organizations:
Liechtenstein was never a member of the League of Nations. Its application to join that international organisation was refused in 1920 due to its small size. [142] While included in the Schengen Area, Liechtenstein is not a member of the European Union.
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 Czech Republic is a Central European country, a member of the European Union, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United Nations. It entertains diplomatic relations with 191 countries of the world, around half of which maintain a resident embassy in the Czech capital city, Prague.
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
Honduras is a member of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), the Central American Integration System (SICA), and the Central American Security Commission (CASQ). During 1995–96, Honduras, a founding member of the United Nations, for the first time served as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Honduras is also a member of the International Criminal Court with a Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the US-military.
The foreign policy of Lebanon reflects its geographic location, the composition of its population, and its reliance on commerce and trade. Until 2005, Lebanon's foreign policy had been heavily influenced by Syria, however beginning with the formation of Hezbollah in 1982, Iran had gradually grown to heavily influence Lebanon.
The foreign policy of the Netherlands is based on four basic commitments: to the Atlantic cooperation, to European integration, to international development and to international law. While historically the Kingdom of the Netherlands was a neutral state, since 1945 it has become a member of NATO, the United Nations, the European Union and many other international organizations. The Dutch economy is very open and relies on international trade. During and after the 17th century—its Golden Age—the Dutch built up a commercial and colonial empire. It was a leading shipping and naval power and was often at war with England, its main rival. Its main colonial holding was Indonesia, which fought for and achieved independence after 1945. The historical ties inherited from its colonial past still influence the foreign relations of the Netherlands. Foreign trade policy is handled by the European Union. The Dutch have been active in international peacekeeping roles.
Niger pursues a moderate foreign policy and maintains friendly relations with both East and West. It is a member state of the United Nations. Niger maintains a special relationship with France and enjoys close relations with its West African neighbours.
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.
The foreign relations of South Africa have spanned from the country's time as a dominion of the British Empire to its isolationist policies under apartheid to its position as a responsible international actor taking a key role in Africa, particularly southern Africa. South Africa is a member of the United Nations, the African Union and the Commonwealth of Nations. Considered a possible permanent addition to the United Nations Security Council, South Africa was elected in 2006, 2010 and 2018 by the UN General Assembly to serve on the Security Council. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was the chair of the African Union from 2020 to 2021, the second time South Africa has chaired the organisation since its formation in 2003.
The foreign relations of Switzerland are the primary responsibility of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). Some international relations of Switzerland are handled by other departments of the federal administration of Switzerland.
This article deals with the diplomatic affairs, foreign policy and international relations of Uruguay. At the political level, these matters are officially handled by the Ministry of Foreign Relations, also known as Cancillería, which answers to the President.
The foreign relations of Venezuela had since the early twentieth century been particularly strong with the United States. However, since the election of Hugo Chávez as President of Venezuela in 1998, Venezuela's foreign policy differed substantially from that of previous Venezuelan governments. This change in foreign policy direction continues under the current president Nicolás Maduro.
Foreign relations of Portugal are linked with its historical role as a major player in the Age of Discovery and the holder of the now defunct Portuguese Empire. Portugal is a European Union member country and a founding member of NATO. It is a committed proponent of European integration and transatlantic relations. João Gomes Cravinho is the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal.
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.
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.
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Diplomatic Relations With Liechtenstein OW1206122896 Tokyo KYODO in English 1035 GMT 12 Jun 96 - [ FBIS Transcribed Text ] ...