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.
The government of the Seychelles withdrew diplomatic recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic on March 17, 2008, according to an official government source. [1]
The Seychelles government is one of the proponents of the Indian Ocean zone of peace concept and it has promoted an end to the United States presence on Diego Garcia. The country has adopted a pragmatic policy, however, and serves as an important rest and recreation stop for US ships serving in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean.
In its foreign relations, the Seychelles maximizes the benefits it receives from both China and India by taking advantage of those two countries' rivalry with respect to the strategic waterway in which the Seychelles exists. [2] : 47
List of countries which the Seychelles maintains diplomatic relations with: [3]
# | Country | Date |
---|---|---|
1 | United Kingdom | 28 June 1976 [4] |
2 | North Korea | 28 June 1976 [5] |
3 | South Korea | 28 June 1976 [6] |
4 | Australia | 29 June 1976 [7] |
5 | France | 29 June 1976 [8] |
6 | India | 29 June 1976 [9] |
7 | Italy | 29 June 1976 [10] |
8 | Japan | 29 June 1976 [11] |
9 | Russia | 29 June 1976 [12] |
10 | China | 30 June 1976 [13] |
11 | Romania | 30 June 1976 [14] |
12 | Pakistan | June 1976 [15] |
13 | Belgium | 1 July 1976 [16] |
14 | Canada | 1 July 1976 [17] |
15 | Cyprus | 1 July 1976 [18] |
16 | United States | 1 July 1976 [19] |
17 | Egypt | 14 July 1976 [20] |
18 | Iran | July 1976 [21] |
19 | Serbia | 1 August 1976 [22] |
20 | Libya | 15 August 1976 [23] |
21 | Portugal | 16 August 1976 [24] |
22 | Vietnam | 16 August 1976 [25] |
23 | Czech Republic | 14 December 1976 [26] |
24 | Austria | 12 January 1977 [27] |
25 | Germany | 18 January 1977 [28] |
26 | Netherlands | 19 January 1977 [29] |
27 | Nigeria | 28 January 1977 [30] |
28 | Hungary | 30 November 1977 [31] |
29 | Cuba | 12 April 1978 [32] |
30 | Spain | 3 November 1978 [33] |
31 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 1978 [34] |
32 | Guinea | 1978 [35] |
33 | Jamaica | 15 January 1979 [36] |
34 | Poland | 12 February 1979 [37] |
35 | Sweden | 14 August 1979 [38] |
36 | Denmark | 1979 [39] |
37 | Algeria | 26 January 1980 [40] |
38 | Grenada | 22 April 1980 |
39 | Albania | 16 May 1980 [41] |
40 | Maldives | 1 July 1980 [42] |
41 | Greece | 16 July 1980 |
42 | Bulgaria | 14 August 1980 |
43 | Mongolia | 20 August 1980 |
44 | Switzerland | 10 March 1981 [43] |
45 | Ethiopia | 14 April 1982 [44] |
46 | United Arab Emirates | 18 December 1982 [45] |
47 | Bangladesh | 28 February 1983 [46] |
48 | Oman | 13 April 1983 [47] |
49 | Bahrain | 4 May 1983 [48] |
50 | Mozambique | August 1983 [49] |
51 | Qatar | 7 April 1984 [50] |
52 | Nicaragua | 22 May 1984 |
— | Holy See | 27 July 1984 [51] |
53 | Norway | 1 February 1985 [52] |
54 | Indonesia | 16 December 1985 |
55 | Somalia | 14 April 1986 [53] |
56 | Mexico | 1 June 1986 [54] |
57 | Vanuatu | 15 July 1986 [55] |
58 | Tunisia | 25 August 1986 [56] |
59 | Argentina | 2 October 1986 |
60 | Nepal | 10 October 1986 |
61 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 22 October 1986 |
62 | Angola | 7 November 1986 |
63 | Brazil | 10 November 1986 |
64 | Tanzania | 11 November 1986 |
65 | Fiji | 4 December 1986 |
66 | Cape Verde | 9 March 1987 [57] |
67 | Zimbabwe | 11 March 1987 [58] |
68 | Finland | 1 April 1987 |
69 | Malaysia | 1 May 1987 |
70 | Philippines | 9 October 1987 |
71 | Benin | 1 March 1988 |
72 | Comoros | 30 June 1988 [59] |
73 | Senegal | 8 July 1988 [60] |
74 | Kuwait | 11 July 1988 [61] |
75 | Saint Lucia | 13 July 1988 |
76 | Mauritius | 17 July 1988 [62] |
77 | Thailand | 19 July 1988 |
78 | Colombia | 5 August 1988 |
79 | Singapore | 16 September 1988 [63] |
80 | Botswana | 30 September 1988 |
81 | Ghana | 10 October 1988 |
82 | Morocco | 17 December 1988 [64] |
83 | Luxembourg | 17 February 1989 |
84 | Malta | 11 April 1989 |
85 | Madagascar | 12 April 1989 [65] |
86 | Ivory Coast | 19 April 1989 [66] |
87 | Kenya | 10 January 1990 [67] |
88 | Iceland | 8 November 1990 [68] |
— | State of Palestine | 1990 [69] |
89 | Venezuela | 15 April 1991 [70] |
90 | Chile | 30 October 1991 |
91 | Belize | 20 November 1991 |
92 | Ecuador | 6 December 1991 |
93 | Namibia | 9 December 1991 |
94 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 12 December 1991 |
95 | Mauritania | 10 January 1992 |
96 | Peru | 15 January 1992 |
97 | Costa Rica | 17 March 1992 |
98 | Uganda | 6 April 1992 |
99 | Israel | 30 June 1992 [71] |
100 | Slovenia | 21 October 1992 [72] |
101 | New Zealand | 1992 [73] |
102 | Slovakia | 6 January 1993 [74] |
103 | Guatemala | 13 January 1993 |
104 | Marshall Islands | 2 February 1993 |
105 | Djibouti | 3 February 1993 [75] |
106 | Equatorial Guinea | 14 April 1993 |
107 | Paraguay | 23 April 1993 |
108 | Guyana | 28 April 1993 |
109 | Panama | 21 May 1993 |
110 | Lithuania | 1 July 1993 |
111 | South Africa | 23 March 1994 [76] |
112 | Latvia | 23 March 1994 |
— | Sovereign Military Order of Malta | June 1994 [77] |
113 | Ukraine | 30 September 1994 |
114 | Azerbaijan | 2 November 1994 [78] |
115 | Turkey | 22 June 1995 |
116 | Cambodia | 15 August 1996 [79] |
117 | Gabon | 14 November 1996 [80] |
118 | Croatia | 30 September 1997 |
119 | Zambia | 11 March 1998 [81] |
120 | Sri Lanka | 3 October 1998 [82] |
121 | Ireland | 9 October 1999 [83] |
122 | Andorra | 28 April 2000 |
123 | Samoa | 29 August 2000 |
124 | Saudi Arabia | 28 September 2000 [84] |
125 | Haiti | 15 October 2000 |
126 | North Macedonia | 7 February 2001 [85] |
127 | Mali | April 2001 [86] |
128 | Malawi | 22 May 2001 |
129 | Sudan | 21 September 2001 |
130 | Belarus | 4 October 2001 |
131 | Eswatini | 14 March 2002 |
132 | San Marino | 14 March 2002 [87] |
133 | Eritrea | 25 April 2002 |
134 | Tonga | 12 July 2002 |
135 | Burundi | 15 July 2002 |
136 | Armenia | 24 March 2006 |
137 | Laos | 22 June 2006 |
138 | Estonia | 15 November 2006 [88] |
139 | Rwanda | 2006 [89] |
140 | Monaco | 15 April 2008 [90] |
141 | Dominican Republic | 23 September 2008 [91] |
142 | Uruguay | 12 November 2008 |
143 | Trinidad and Tobago | 24 November 2009 |
144 | Montenegro | 19 May 2010 |
145 | Solomon Islands | 20 December 2010 |
146 | Tuvalu | 20 December 2010 |
147 | Lesotho | 25 January 2011 [92] |
148 | Nauru | 14 April 2011 |
149 | Georgia | 15 March 2013 |
150 | South Sudan | 24 July 2013 [93] |
151 | Kazakhstan | 11 March 2014 |
152 | Kyrgyzstan | 15 March 2014 [94] |
153 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 4 June 2014 |
154 | Niger | 18 November 2014 [95] |
155 | Togo | 3 March 2015 |
156 | Palau | 30 March 2015 |
157 | Afghanistan | 24 February 2017 |
158 | Kiribati | 24 February 2017 [96] |
159 | Central African Republic | 16 May 2017 [97] |
160 | Burkina Faso | 16 May 2017 [98] |
161 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 26 May 2017 |
162 | Myanmar | 12 July 2017 |
163 | Tajikistan | 28 December 2017 |
164 | Dominica | 23 June 2021 [99] |
165 | Gambia | 16 November 2023 [100] |
— | Cook Islands | 31 May 2024 [101] |
166 | Turkmenistan | 13 August 2024 [102] |
167 | Suriname | 22 September 2024 [103] |
168 | Antigua and Barbuda | 23 September 2024 [104] |
169 | Uzbekistan | 23 September 2024 [105] |
170 | Bahamas | 24 October 2024 [106] |
171 | El Salvador | 12 November 2024 [107] |
172 | Republic of the Congo | Unknown [108] |
173 | Iraq | Unknown [108] |
174 | Yemen | Unknown [108] |
Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
---|---|---|
China | 30 June 1976 [109] | See China–Seychelles relations |
Cuba | 12 April 1978 [110] | Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Cuba established as of 12 April 1978 and 26 April 2017 President Seychelles inauguration Embassy of Seychelles in Havana,Cuba [111] In 2022, Seychelles closed its embassy in Havana.
|
Cyprus | 1 July 1976 | Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Cyprus established as of 1 July 1976 [112]
|
France | 29 June 1976 | Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and France established as of 29 June 1976 [116]
|
Greece | 16 July 1980 | Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Greece established as of 16 July 1980 [117] |
India | 29 June 1976 | See India–Seychelles relations Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and India established as of 29 June 1976 [119] In an effort to reduce the increasing piracy in the nearby region, Seychelles requested the Indian Navy to carry out anti-piracy operations in her waters. [120] This made India-Seychelles relations stronger. The Seychelles also praised the Indian Navy for their anti-piracy operations. [120] |
Malaysia | 1 May 1987 [123] | See Malaysia–Seychelles relations
|
Mauritius | 17 June 1988 | Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Mauritius established as of 17 June 1988 [124]
Both are the members of Commonwealth of Nations and La Francophonie. |
Mexico | 1 June 1986 | Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Mexico established as of 1 June 1986 [125]
|
North Korea | 29 June 1976 and 24 August 1976 | See North Korea–Seychelles relations Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the North Korea and the Republic of Seychelles is June 28, 1976. From 1980, DPR Korea and Seychelles have a good relations in military. |
Russia | 30 June 1976 | See Russia–Seychelles relations Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and the Soviet Union were established on 30 June 1976, a day after the island nation gained its independence from the United Kingdom. [127]
|
Switzerland | 10 March 1981 |
|
Turkey | 22 June 1995 | Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Turkey established as of 22 June 1995 [130]
|
United Arab Emirates | 18 December 1982 | Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and United Arab Emirates established as of 18 December 1982 [132]
|
United Kingdom | 29 June 1976 | The Seychelles became a crown colony separate from Mauritius in 1903 and independence was granted in 1976, as a republic within the Commonwealth.
|
United States | 1 July 1976 [133] | See Seychelles–United States relations
|
Vietnam | 16 August 1979 [134] | President James Alix Michel's official visited to Vietnam in August, 2013. The statement says this is an official visit to Vietnam made by a high-ranking leader of Seychelles. [135] Both countries are members of La Francophonie. |
The Seychelles is a member state of the Commonwealth of Nations.
The foreign relations of Angola are based on Angola's strong support of U.S. foreign policy as the Angolan economy is dependent on U.S. foreign aid. From 1975 to 1989, Angola was aligned with the Eastern bloc, in particular the Soviet Union, Libya, and Cuba. Since then, it has focused on improving relationships with Western countries, cultivating links with other Portuguese-speaking countries, and asserting its own national interests in Central Africa through military and diplomatic intervention. In 1993, it established formal diplomatic relations with the United States. It has entered the Southern African Development Community as a vehicle for improving ties with its largely Anglophone neighbors to the south. Zimbabwe and Namibia joined Angola in its military intervention in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where Angolan troops remain in support of the Joseph Kabila government. It also has intervened in the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) in support of Denis Sassou-Nguesso in the civil war.
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.
President François Bozizé has said that one of his priorities is to get the support of the international community. This has indeed been visible in his relations to donor countries and international organisations. At the same time it is difficult to have an open policy towards neighbouring countries when they are used as safe haven by rebels regularly attacking Central African Republic (C.A.R.), or when one allied country is in war with another.
Cyprus is a member of the United Nations along with most of its agencies as well as the Commonwealth of Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and Council of Europe. In addition, the country has signed the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency Agreement (MIGA). Cyprus has been a member of the European Union since 2004 and in the second half of 2012 it held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
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.
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.
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.
The foreign relations of Ireland are substantially influenced by its membership of the European Union, although bilateral relations with the United States and United Kingdom are also important. It is one of the group of smaller nations in the EU and has traditionally followed a non-aligned foreign policy. Ireland has historically tended towards independence in foreign military policy, thus it is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and has a longstanding policy of military neutrality.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Zimbabwe maintains relations with various countries around the world, and maintains close diplomatic relations with neighboring nations.
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 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.
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).
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: postscript (link)The Republic of Seychelles established diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Madagascar.