Constitution |
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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.
Trade, commitment to democracy, and the country's small size are driving forces behind Mauritian foreign policy. The country's political heritage and dependence on Western markets have led to close ties with the European Union and its member states, particularly France, the colonial power until 1810, Mauritius' only immediate neighbour being Réunion, both an overseas department of France and an outermost region of the EU. Mauritius also maintains close ties with the United Kingdom, a former member EU state and the colonial power until 1968.
Considered part of Africa geographically, Mauritius has friendly relations with other African states in the region, particularly South Africa, by far its largest continental trading partner. Mauritian investors are gradually entering African markets, notably Madagascar and Mozambique. Mauritius coordinates much of its foreign policy with the Southern Africa Development Community and the Organisation of African Unity. The country is also a member of the Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA).
Relations with France and India are strong for both historical and commercial reasons. Foreign embassies in Mauritius include Australia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, People's Republic of China, Egypt, France, India, Madagascar, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Bangladesh, and the United States.
Mauritius is also a member of the International Criminal Court with a Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the US-military (as covered under Article 98).
Mauritius claims the entire Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean and also claims the whole French-administered Tromelin Island.
List of countries with which Mauritius maintains diplomatic relations:
# | Country | Date |
---|---|---|
1 | France | 29 February 1968 [1] |
2 | United Kingdom | 12 March 1968 [2] |
3 | United States | 12 March 1968 [3] |
4 | India | 12 March 1968 [4] |
5 | Pakistan | 12 March 1968 [5] |
6 | Russia | 17 March 1968 [6] |
7 | Germany | 23 March 1968 [7] |
8 | Israel | 23 April 1968 [2] |
9 | Canada | 24 April 1968 [8] |
10 | New Zealand | 28 April 1968 [9] |
11 | Madagascar | 27 August 1968 [10] |
12 | Belgium | 1968 [11] |
13 | Netherlands | 5 March 1969 [2] |
14 | Switzerland | 11 March 1969 [2] |
15 | Japan | 22 October 1969 [2] |
— | Holy See | 9 March 1970 [12] |
16 | Egypt | 26 March 1970 [13] |
17 | Italy | 8 April 1970 [14] |
18 | Syria | 22 May 1970 [15] |
19 | Australia | 25 September 1970 [16] |
20 | Serbia | 6 October 1970 [17] |
21 | South Korea | 3 July 1971 [18] |
22 | Iran | 25 September 1971 [19] |
23 | China | 15 April 1972 [20] |
24 | Bangladesh | 1972 [21] |
25 | Norway | 30 January 1973 [22] |
26 | Luxembourg | 28 February 1973 [23] |
27 | Denmark | 2 March 1973 [24] |
28 | North Korea | 16 March 1973 [25] |
29 | Guinea | 29 October 1973 [26] |
30 | Finland | 31 October 1973 [27] |
31 | Sweden | 1973 [24] |
32 | Argentina | 8 April 1974 [28] |
33 | Jamaica | 20 May 1974 [29] |
34 | Romania | 25 June 1974 [30] |
35 | Barbados | 14 December 1974 [31] |
36 | Zambia | 29 December 1974 [32] |
37 | Brazil | 1974 [33] |
38 | Bulgaria | 20 June 1975 [34] |
39 | United Arab Emirates | 4 January 1976 [35] |
40 | Kuwait | 11 January 1976 [36] |
41 | Tunisia | 9 February 1976 [37] |
42 | Austria | 10 February 1976 [38] |
43 | Algeria | 12 February 1976 [39] |
44 | Bahrain | 12 February 1976 [40] |
45 | Libya | 17 February 1976 [41] |
46 | Jordan | February 1976 [42] |
47 | Iraq | 22 March 1976 [43] |
48 | Oman | 22 March 1976 [44] |
49 | Yemen | March 1976 [45] |
50 | Morocco | 8 June 1976 [43] |
51 | Czech Republic | 10 June 1976 [46] |
52 | Nigeria | 16 June 1976 [47] |
53 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 19 June 1976 [48] |
54 | Uganda | 19 June 1976 [49] |
55 | Mexico | 30 July 1976 [50] |
56 | Cuba | 18 October 1976 [51] |
57 | Turkey | 18 October 1976 [52] |
58 | Portugal | 12 December 1976 [53] |
59 | Albania | October 1977 [54] |
— | Sovereign Military Order of Malta | 1977 [55] |
60 | Saudi Arabia | 5 August 1978 [56] |
61 | Myanmar | 30 December 1978 [57] |
62 | Thailand | 22 January 1979 [58] |
63 | Poland | 30 April 1979 [59] |
64 | Spain | 30 May 1979 [60] |
65 | Sudan | 1979 [61] |
66 | Maldives | 15 January 1981 [62] |
67 | Nepal | 12 February 1981 [63] |
68 | Greece | 23 February 1981 [64] |
69 | Indonesia | 27 May 1983 [65] |
70 | Gabon | August 1983 [66] |
— | Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic | 1983 [67] |
71 | Mozambique | 29 November 1984 [68] |
72 | Comoros | 25 February 1985 [69] |
73 | Malaysia | 13 August 1986 [70] |
74 | Qatar | 1986 [71] |
75 | Seychelles | 17 June 1988 [72] |
76 | Chile | 30 September 1988 [73] |
77 | Colombia | 30 September 1988 [64] |
78 | Singapore | 27 October 1989 [74] |
79 | Hungary | 24 April 1990 [75] |
80 | Brunei | 2 July 1990 [76] |
— | State of Palestine | 1990 [77] |
81 | Ukraine | 12 October 1992 [64] |
82 | Guyana | 1 December 1992 [64] |
83 | South Africa | 7 December 1993 [78] |
84 | Vietnam | 4 May 1994 [64] |
85 | Cambodia | 18 May 1994 [64] |
86 | Slovakia | 31 May 1995 [64] |
87 | Ethiopia | June 1996 [79] |
88 | Azerbaijan | 19 July 1996 [80] |
89 | Marshall Islands | 23 October 1996 [64] |
90 | Slovenia | 30 May 1997 [81] |
91 | Turkmenistan | 2 July 1997 [64] |
92 | Namibia | 16 July 1997 [82] |
93 | Croatia | 3 September 1997 [64] |
94 | Eswatini | 7 October 1997 [83] |
95 | Philippines | 23 January 1998 [84] |
96 | Uzbekistan | 4 August 1999 [85] |
97 | Lithuania | 20 September 1999 [86] |
98 | Ireland | August 2000 [24] |
99 | Cyprus | 1 February 2001 [64] |
100 | North Macedonia | 7 February 2001 [87] |
101 | Malawi | 9 February 2001 [64] |
102 | Rwanda | 16 March 2001 [64] |
103 | Moldova | 25 June 2001 [64] |
104 | Vanuatu | 13 August 2001 [88] |
105 | El Salvador | 6 September 2001 [64] |
106 | Estonia | 24 October 2001 [89] |
107 | Laos | 23 May 2002 [64] |
108 | Zimbabwe | 6 December 2002 [90] |
109 | Latvia | 12 February 2003 [64] |
110 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 28 February 2003 [64] |
111 | Angola | 3 March 2003 [91] |
112 | Gambia | 4 March 2003 [64] |
113 | Burkina Faso | 14 March 2003 [64] |
114 | East Timor | 20 March 2003 [64] |
115 | Benin | 24 March 2003 [64] |
116 | Dominican Republic | 30 April 2003 [64] |
117 | Ecuador | 13 May 2003 [64] |
118 | Fiji | 2 September 2003 [92] |
119 | Dominica | 23 September 2003 [64] |
120 | Belarus | 26 September 2003 [64] |
121 | Mali | 1 December 2003 [64] |
122 | Iceland | 15 December 2003 [64] |
123 | Eritrea | 21 April 2004 [64] |
124 | Equatorial Guinea | 26 May 2004 [64] |
125 | Lesotho | 20 July 2004 [93] |
126 | Venezuela | 2 May 2005 [64] |
127 | Malta | 19 May 2005 [94] |
128 | Botswana | 7 February 2006 [95] |
129 | Guatemala | 7 September 2006 [64] |
130 | Andorra | 21 December 2006 [64] |
131 | Tanzania | 22 May 2007 [96] |
132 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 30 May 2007 [64] |
133 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 18 June 2007 [64] |
134 | Trinidad and Tobago | 17 September 2009 [97] |
135 | Sri Lanka | 20 July 2010 [98] |
136 | Paraguay | 28 September 2010 [64] |
137 | Mauritania | 1 December 2010 [99] |
138 | Georgia | 3 March 2011 [64] |
139 | Republic of the Congo | 6 July 2011 [64] |
140 | Honduras | 8 September 2011 [64] |
141 | Bhutan | 2 July 2012 [64] |
142 | Montenegro | 26 September 2012 [100] |
143 | Armenia | 28 June 2013 [64] |
144 | Mongolia | 3 July 2014 [64] |
145 | Kazakhstan | 15 October 2014 [64] |
146 | Saint Lucia | 7 November 2014 [101] |
147 | Ivory Coast | 4 March 2016 [64] |
148 | Kyrgyzstan | 16 June 2016 [64] |
149 | Solomon Islands | 1 July 2016 [64] |
150 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 25 November 2016 [102] |
151 | Djibouti | 12 December 2016 [64] |
152 | Bahamas | 18 January 2017 [64] |
153 | Togo | 22 February 2017 [64] |
154 | Central African Republic | 24 March 2017 [64] |
155 | Tajikistan | 10 May 2017 [64] |
156 | Liechtenstein | 12 May 2017 [64] |
157 | Federated States of Micronesia | 10 October 2017 [64] |
158 | Haiti | 13 February 2018 [64] |
159 | Palau | 15 March 2018 [64] |
160 | Niger | 26 March 2018 [64] |
161 | Belize | 4 April 2018 [64] |
162 | San Marino | 20 April 2018 [64] |
163 | Uruguay | 15 May 2019 [64] |
164 | Suriname | 21 March 2022 [64] |
165 | Cape Verde | Unknown |
166 | Ghana | Unknown |
167 | Kenya | Unknown |
168 | Senegal | Unknown |
169 | Somalia | Unknown |
Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
---|---|---|
Australia | 25 September 1970 |
|
Bangladesh | 1972 | See Bangladesh–Mauritius relations Bangladesh and Mauritius share a common heritage in culture and politics. Diplomatic relations were established in 1972, soon after the achievement of Bangladeshi independence. Both nations have rapidly growing trade ties and increasing investment and financial linkages. Bangladesh has a High Commission in Port Louis. The two countries are common members of the Indian Ocean Rim Association and the Commonwealth of Nations.
|
Brazil | 1975 |
|
Canada | 1967 | Canada and Mauritius established diplomatic relations in 1967. [103] Both countries are members of the Commonwealth of Nations and La Francophonie.
|
China | 15 April 1972 | See China–Mauritius relations Under the President of the People's Republic of China Hu Jintao in 2010, an investment package of $750m was allocated to Mauritius to develop the Jinfei Special Economic Zone which consists of 211 hectares (521 acres) of land. Buildings of infrastructure and services primarily serving interests of Chinese companies operating the African region but would also eventually open up to foreign parties. The proposed investment package also includes development of advance logistic operations in Mauritius, construction of a university and an oceanographic research centre. [104] This investment package is Mauritius' largest single foreign direct investment ever. [105]
|
Cyprus | 1 February 2001 |
|
Ethiopia |
| |
France | 12 March 1968 | See France–Mauritius relations France has remained one of its biggest trading partners; in addition, the two countries share close cultural ties in language, media and literature.
|
Germany | 23 March 1968 |
|
Greece | 23 February 1981 | |
Guyana | 1 December 1992 |
|
India | 12 March 1968 | See Mauritius–India relations India and Mauritius established diplomatic relations in 1948. India has remained one of its biggest trading partners; in addition India has deep social and historical links with a large portion of the population of Mauritius, India is the country's second largest source of foreign assistance. [109] |
Israel | Both countries have signed many bilateral agreements. [113] | |
Kenya | See Kenya–Mauritius relations
| |
Madagascar | 27 August 1968 | See Madagascar–Mauritius relations
|
Malaysia | 13 August 1986 | See Malaysia–Mauritius relations Both countries share strong common ground when it comes to culture. Both were governed by both Dutch and British rulers and gained their independence in the second half of the twentieth century. Both have sizeable representations of Indian and Chinese ethnic groups. Of the 30,000 people of Chinese ancestry residing in Mauritius, the vast majority come from the Hakka and Cantonese provinces, both of which are well present among Malaysia's population of Chinese ancestry. In both countries, Islam, Hinduism and Christianity are represented by important communities. Thus, Malaysia's population consists of 60.4% Muslims, 6.4% of Hindus and 9.1% of Christians; the respective figures for Mauritius are 16.6%, 52% and 30%. Mauritius has established a High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is not represented by a High Commission in Mauritius, the closest delegates being posted to Zimbabwe. [114] A Double Taxation Avoidance agreement exists between the two countries. Malaysian nationals do not require a visa to enter Mauritius, and Mauritian passport holders do not require a visa to enter Malaysia for tourism. In recent years, the spectacular development experienced by Malaysia has seen a steady increase in the number of Mauritian visitors to the country. Official figures reveal that 2,320 Mauritian residents disembarked in Malaysia in 2010, a 27.8% increase on the previous year.[ citation needed ] While this is four times less than the number of Mauritians travelling to Singapore, the trend remains highly positive. In the other direction, 1,438 Malaysian tourists visited Mauritius in 2010, which represents a 23.5% rise on 2009 figures. Most of these tourists arrived during the months of May (143 visitors), June (118), September (188), November (179) and December (172).[ citation needed ] Another recent trend has been that of Mauritian youngsters going to Malaysia for higher studies, encouraged by the affordable fees and quality of life.
|
Mexico | 30 July 1976 |
|
Pakistan | 1969 | See Mauritius–Pakistan relations Relations between Pakistan and Mauritius were first established in 1969. On November 30, 2007, the two countries signed a bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement. [116]
|
Romania | 25 June 1974 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on July 30, 1976. [117] |
Russia | 17 March 1968 | See Mauritius–Russia relations The Soviet Union and Mauritius established diplomatic relations on March 17, 1968. [118] The Russian Federation has an embassy in Floreal, Mauritius, and Mauritius has an embassy in Moscow, which was opened in July 2003. [119]
|
Seychelles | 17 June 1988 |
|
South Africa | 6 December 1993 | See Mauritius–South Africa relations Relations between South Africa and Mauritius were established in 1992 with the establishing of Representative Offices in both countries. Full diplomatic relations were established in 1994. Upon South Africa's return to the Commonwealth, relations have been conducted at the level of High Commission. There is no visa requirements for South Africans visiting Mauritius.
|
South Korea | 3 July 1971 | Mauritius and the Republic of Korea established Diplomatic Relations on July 3, 1971. [120]
|
Spain | 30 May 1979 |
|
Switzerland |
| |
Turkey | 18 October 1976 | See Mauritius–Turkey relations |
United Kingdom | 12 March 1968 |
|
United States | 12 March 1968 | See Mauritius–United States relations Official U.S. representation in Mauritius dates from the end of the 18th century. An American consulate was established in 1794 and was closed in 1911. It was reopened in 1967 and elevated to embassy status upon Mauritius' independence in 1968. Since 1970, the mission has been directed by a resident U.S. ambassador. In 2002, Mauritius recalled its ambassador to the United Nations for not accurately conveying his government's pro-American stance in the Security Council debate. [123]
|
Vietnam | 4 May 1994 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on May 4, 1994. [124] Both countries are members of La Francophonie.
|
Mauritius has been a member state of the United Nations and the Commonwealth of Nations since independence in 1968.
It is a member of the World Trade Organization, La Francophonie, Organisation of African Unity, the Southern Africa Development Community, the Indian Ocean Commission, COMESA, and the recently formed Indian Ocean Rim Association.
Botswana has put a premium on economic and political integration in southern Africa. It has sought to make the Southern African Development Community (SADC) a working vehicle for economic development, and it has promoted efforts to make the region self-policing in terms of preventive diplomacy, conflict resolution, and good governance.
In November 1975, Comoros became the 143rd member of the United Nations. The new nation was defined as consisting of the entire archipelago, despite the fact that France maintains control over Mayotte.
The Foreign relations of Egypt are the Egyptian government's external relations with the outside world. Egypt's foreign policy operates along a non-aligned level. Factors such as population size, historical events, military strength, diplomatic expertise and a strategic geographical position give Egypt extensive political influence in the Africa, the Mediterranean, Southwest Asia, and within the Non-Aligned Movement as a whole. Cairo has been a crossroads of the Mediterranean's, Africa's and Asia's commerce and culture for millenia, and its intellectual and religious institutions are at the center of the region's social and cultural landmarks.
As one of the oldest Euro-Atlantic member states in the region of Southeast Europe, Greece enjoys a prominent geopolitical role as a middle power, due to its political and geographical proximity to Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Its main allies are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Cyprus and the rest of the European Union and NATO.
Since 1980, the foreign relations of Iraq have been influenced by a number of controversial decisions by the Saddam Hussein administration. Hussein had good relations with the Soviet Union and a number of western countries such as France and Germany, who provided him with advanced weapons systems. He also developed a tenuous relation with the United States, who supported him during the Iran–Iraq War. However, the Invasion of Kuwait that triggered the Gulf War brutally changed Iraq's relations with the Arab World and the West. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and others were among the countries that supported Kuwait in the UN coalition. After the Hussein administration was toppled by the 2003 U.S. invasion, the governments that succeeded it have now tried to establish relations with various nations.
Kenya maintains relations with various countries around the world. Its closest ties are with its fellow Swahili-speaking neighbors in the African Great Lakes region. Swahili speaking neighbours mainly include countries in the East African Community such as Burundi, the DRC, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
Since its independence in 1961, Kuwait maintained strong international relations with most countries, especially nations within the Arab world. Its vast oil reserves gives it a prominent voice in global economic forums and organizations like the OPEC. Kuwait is also a major ally of ASEAN, a regional ally of China, and a major non-NATO ally.
Lesotho's geographic location makes it extremely vulnerable to political and economic developments in South Africa. Its capital is the small city of Maseru. It is a member of many regional economic organizations including the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). Lesotho also is active in the United Nations, the Organisation of African Unity, now the African Union, the Non-Aligned Movement, and many other international organizations. In addition to the Republic of Korea, the United States, South Africa, Ireland, People's Republic of China, Libya, and the European Union all currently retain resident diplomatic missions in Lesotho. Foreign relations of Lesotho are administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Relations.
Madagascar has diplomatic relations with many countries, both individual bilateral relations and by virtue of its membership of African and other regional blocs. International aid has been received from the IMF and the World Bank, and a national environmental plan supported by the World Bank and USAID began in 1990.
Malaysia is an active member of various international organisations, including the Commonwealth of Nations, the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Non-Aligned Movement. It has also in recent times been an active proponent of regional co-operation.
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.
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan emerged as an independent country through the partition of India in August 1947 and was admitted as a United Nations member state in September 1947. It is currently the second-largest country within the Muslim world in terms of population, and is also the only Muslim-majority country in possession of nuclear weapons. De facto, the country shares direct land borders with India, Iran, Afghanistan, and China.
The Seychelles follows a policy of what it describes as "positive" nonalignment and strongly supports the principle of reduced superpower presence in the Indian Ocean. The Seychelles' foreign policy position has placed it generally toward the left of the spectrum within the Non-Aligned Movement. Russia, the United Kingdom, France, India, the People's Republic of China, Libya and Cuba maintain embassies in Victoria.
Eswatini is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the African Union, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Southern African Development Community. Currently, the Kingdom of Eswatini maintains 11 embassies and High Commissions along with 15 consulates and other representations around the world, while there are five embassies and High Commissions in Eswatini as well as 14 consulates and other representations.
Tanzania's first president, Julius Nyerere also was one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement, and, during the Cold War era, Tanzania played an important role in regional and international organisations, such as the Non-Aligned Movement, the front-line states, the G-77, and the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). One of Africa's best-known elder statesmen, Nyerere was personally active in many of these organisations, and served chairman of the OAU (1984–85) and chairman of six front-line states concerned with eliminating apartheid in Southern Africa. Nyerere was also involved with peace negotiations in Burundi until his death. Nyerere's death, on 14 October 1999, is still commemorated annually.
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.
The diplomatic foreign relations of the United Arab Emirates are conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Uganda has formal diplomatic relations with many countries, some accredited. Since the colonial era and after independence Uganda has grown to be one of the most important African countries. Uganda has diplomatic relations with many countries throughout Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Uganda is a member of the United Nations and the Commonwealth of Nations since 1962.
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.
Foreign relations of Djibouti are managed by the Djiboutian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Djibouti maintains close ties with the governments of Somalia, Ethiopia, France and the United States. It is likewise an active participant in African Union, United Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Arab League affairs.
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(help)22 mai - Etablissement de relations diplomatiques au niveau des ambassades entre la Syrie et Maurice, selon un communiqué syrien.