The following is a list of countries which Croatia has established diplomatic relations with since the declaration of independence by the Croatian Parliament on 25 June 1991. [1]
The following is a list of countries which Croatia has established diplomatic relations with since the declaration of independence by the Croatian Parliament on 25 June 1991. [1]
Croatia and Slovenia declared independence from the SFR Yugoslavia on 25 June 1991. On the next day, the newly independent countries mutually recognised each other.
At the time of dissolution of Yugoslavia, dissolution of the Soviet Union was happening as well. Ukraine and Baltic states, first of them being Lithuania, recognised Croatia in 1991. However, Ukraine was at the time only partially recognised. Despite that, Ukraine has been the first UN member state to recognise Croatia.
The international community did not immediately recognise the dissolution of Yugoslavia or the independence of its constituent republics, and during 1991 the Croatian War of Independence started.
Two countries that prevailed in diplomatic efforts for the international recognition of Croatia were the Holy See and Germany. Vatican diplomacy, as the world's first, announced on October 3, 1991 that it was working on the Croatian international recognition. [2]
Iceland recognised Croatian independence on 19 December 1991. [3] On the same day, Germany announced its intention to recognise Croatia which was to come into effect on 15 January 1992. Italy, Sweden and the Holy See also announced their intention of recognition. Holy See recognised Croatia on 13 January, and San Marino on 14 January 1992.
On 15 January 1992, Croatia was recognised by all 12 members of the European Economic Community (the predecessor of the European Union) as well as by Austria, Canada, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Malta, Norway and Switzerland. By the end of January 1992, Croatia was recognised by 44 countries. Therefore, 15 January is celebrated in Croatia as the Day of International Recognition.
Russia recognised Croatia in February, Japan in March, the United States in April, and India in May 1992.
At the session of the United Nations General Assembly held on 22 May 1992, which was chaired by Saudi ambassador Sinan Shihabi, Croatia was, alongside Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, admitted to the membership of the United Nations. Croatia's UN delegation was led by the Croatian President Franjo Tuđman. After a solemn session, United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros Ghali sent delegations from the new UN members states to the main entrance of the UN headquarters, where Croatian, Slovenian and Bosnian-Herzegovinian flags were erected on the masts. Many diplomats and thousands of Croatian emigrants attended flag hoisting ceremony. [4]
By 31 December 1995, Croatia was recognised by 124 countries. [5] On 9 September 1995, Croatia and FR Yugoslavia concluded a Mutual Reconciliation Agreement which included mutual recognition, and established diplomatic relations on 23 August 1996. [6] Among them are all G20 member states that recognized Croatia.
Chronological review of countries having established diplomatic relations with Croatia: [7]
| Country | Date | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Germany | 15 January 1992 |
| 2 |  Austria | 15 January 1992 |
| 3 |  Italy | 17 January 1992 |
| 4 |  Hungary | 18 January 1992 |
| 5 |  Sweden | 29 January 1992 |
| 6 |  Switzerland | 30 January 1992 |
| 7 |  Denmark | 1 February 1992 |
| 8 |  Portugal | 3 February 1992 |
| 9 |  Liechtenstein | 4 February 1992 |
| 10 |  Slovenia | 6 February 1992 |
| – |  Holy See | 8 February 1992 |
| 11 |  Netherlands | 11 February 1992 |
| 12 |  Australia | 13 February 1992 |
| 13 |  Latvia | 14 February 1992 |
| 14 |  Ukraine | 18 February 1992 |
| 15 |  Finland | 19 February 1992 |
| 16 |  Norway | 20 February 1992 |
| 17 |  New Zealand | 25 February 1992 |
| 18 |  Estonia | 2 March 1992 |
| 19 |  Spain | 9 March 1992 |
| 20 |  Belgium | 10 March 1992 |
| 21 |  Paraguay | 13 March 1992 |
| 22 |  Lithuania | 18 March 1992 |
| 23 |  Macedonia | 30 March 1992 |
| 24 |  Poland | 11 April 1992 |
| 25 |  Argentina | 13 April 1992 |
| 26 |  Chile | 15 April 1992 |
| 27 |  Iran | 18 April 1992 |
| 28 |  France | 24 April 1992 |
| 29 |  Luxembourg | 29 April 1992 |
| 30 |  Malaysia | 4 May 1992 |
| 31 |  People's Republic of China | 13 May 1992 |
| 32 |  Russia | 25 May 1992 |
| 33 |  United Arab Emirates | 23 June 1992 |
| 34 |  United Kingdom | 24 June 1992 |
| 35 |  Morocco | 26 June 1992 |
| 36 |  Iceland | 30 June 1992 |
| 37 |  Malta | 30 June 1992 |
| 38 |  India | 9 July 1992 |
| 39 |  Sudan | 17 July 1992 |
| 40 |  Greece | 20 July 1992 |
| 41 |  Moldova | 20 July 1992 |
| 42 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 21 July 1992 |
| 43 |  United States | 11 August 1992 |
| 44 |  Bulgaria | 13 August 1992 |
| 45 |  Albania | 25 August 1992 |
| 46 |  Turkey | 26 August 1992 |
| 47 |  Romania | 29 August 1992 |
| 48 |  Indonesia | 3 September 1992 |
| 49 |  Thailand | 9 September 1992 |
| 50 |  Cuba | 23 September 1992 |
| 51 |  Belarus | 25 September 1992 |
| 52 |  Egypt | 1 October 1992 |
| 53 |  Algeria | 15 October 1992 |
| 54 |  Kazakhstan | 20 October 1992 |
| 55 |  South Korea | 18 November 1992 |
| 56 |  South Africa | 19 November 1992 |
| 57 |  Singapore | 23 November 1992 |
| 58 |  Bolivia | 26 November 1992 |
| 59 |  North Korea | 30 November 1992 |
| 60 |  Qatar | 5 December 1992 |
| 61 |  Mexico | 6 December 1992 |
| 62 |  Guatemala | 22 December 1992 |
| – |  Sovereign Military Order of Malta | 22 December 1992 [8] |
| 63 |  Brazil | 23 December 1992 |
| 64 |  Czech Republic | 1 January 1993 [lower-alpha 1] |
| 65 |  Slovakia | 1 January 1993 [lower-alpha 1] |
| 66 |  Nigeria | 7 January 1993 |
| 67 |  Peru | 12 January 1993 |
| 68 |  Yemen | 17 January 1993 |
| 69 |  Bahrain | 18 January 1993 |
| 70 |  Tunisia | 18 January 1993 |
| 71 |  Georgia | 1 February 1993 |
| 72 |  Cyprus | 4 February 1993 |
| 73 |  Venezuela | 8 February 1993 |
| 74 |  San Marino | 11 February 1993 |
| 75 |  Ghana | 17 February 1993 |
| 76 |  Philippines | 25 February 1993 |
| 77 |  Japan | 5 March 1993 |
| 78 |  Mongolia | 10 March 1993 |
| 79 |  Canada | 14 April 1993 |
| 80 |  Uruguay | 4 May 1993 |
| 81 |  Sao Tome and Principe | 23 May 1993 |
| 82 |  Tanzania | 2 July 1993 |
| 83 |  Togo | 20 December 1993 |
| 84 |  Western Samoa | 8 March 1994 |
| 85 |  Jordan | 29 June 1994 |
| 86 |  Vietnam | 1 July 1994 |
| 87 |  Pakistan | 20 July 1994 |
| 88 |  Cape Verde | 19 August 1994 |
| 89 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 7 October 1994 |
| 90 |  Kuwait | 8 October 1994 |
| 91 |  Angola | 16 November 1994 |
| 92 |  Lebanon | 5 December 1994 |
| 93 |  Azerbaijan | 26 January 1995 |
| 94 |  Ireland | 27 January 1995 |
| 95 |  Uzbekistan | 6 February 1995 |
| 96 |  Colombia | 25 April 1995 |
| 97 |  Andorra | 28 April 1995 |
| 98 |  Burkina Faso | 18 May 1995 |
| 99 |  Saudi Arabia | 8 June 1995 |
| 100 |  Zambia | 20 September 1995 |
| 101 |  Ethiopia | 17 October 1995 |
| 102 |  Ivory Coast | 17 October 1995 |
| 103 |  Costa Rica | 19 October 1995 |
| 104 |  Guinea-Bissau | 19 October 1995 |
| 105 |  Afghanistan | 3 January 1996 |
| 106 |  Belize | 23 January 1996 |
| 107 |  Ecuador | 22 February 1996 |
| 108 |  Laos | 4 March 1996 |
| 109 |  Nicaragua | 29 March 1996 |
| 110 |  Panama | 12 June 1996 |
| 111 |  Turkmenistan | 2 July 1996 |
| 112 |  Armenia | 8 July 1996 |
| 113 |  Mozambique | 23 August 1996 |
| 114 |  FR Yugoslavia | 9 September 1996 |
| 115 |  Cambodia | 10 September 1996 |
| 116 |  Jamaica | 9 October 1996 |
| 117 |  Kyrgyzstan | 23 December 1996 |
| 118 |  Sri Lanka | 14 February 1997 |
| 119 |  Maldives | 8 April 1997 |
| 120 |  Oman | 30 June 1997 |
| 121 |  Barbados | 11 July 1997 |
| 122 |  Fiji | 14 July 1997 |
| 123 |  El Salvador | 24 July 1997 |
| 124 |  Syria | 29 August 1997 |
| 125 |  Mauritius | 3 September 1997 |
| 126 |  Israel | 4 September 1997 |
| 127 |  Seychelles | 30 September 1997 |
| 128 |  Senegal | 1 October 1997 |
| 129 |  Papua New Guinea | 5 December 1997 |
| 130 |  Guinea | 8 December 1997 |
| 131 |  Saint Lucia | 10 December 1997 |
| 132 |  Suriname | 17 December 1997 |
| 133 |  Bangladesh | 18 December 1997 |
| 134 |  Nepal | 6 February 1998 |
| 135 |  Brunei | 1 May 1998 |
| 136 |  Namibia | 22 June 1998 |
| 137 |  Gambia | 16 October 1998 |
| 138 |  Lesotho | 6 November 1998 |
| 139 |  Malawi | 13 November 1998 |
| 140 |  Zimbabwe | 12 February 1999 |
| 141 |  Uganda | 10 March 1999 |
| 142 |  Tajikistan | 1 April 1999 |
| 143 |  Eritrea | 4 June 1999 |
| 144 |  Antigua and Barbuda | 15 June 1999 |
| 145 |  Comoros | 29 June 1999 |
| 146 |  Myanmar | 3 September 1999 |
| 147 |  Chad | 17 September 1999 |
| 148 |  Honduras | 20 September 1999 |
| 149 |  Federated States of Micronesia | 29 September 1999 |
| 150 |  Haiti | 15 October 1999 |
| 151 |  Libya | 30 March 2000 |
| 152 |  Vanuatu | 18 April 2000 |
| 153 |  Grenada | 19 May 2000 |
| 154 |  Nauru | 4 December 2000 |
| 155 |  Dominican Republic | 5 February 2001 |
| 156 |  Benin | 26 March 2001 |
| 157 |  Mali | 13 September 2001 |
| 158 |  Gabon | 22 October 2001 |
| 159 |  Cameroon | 18 October 2002 |
| 160 |  Timor-Leste | 5 February 2003 |
| 161 |  Guyana | 25 February 2003 |
| 162 |  Sierra Leone | 23 July 2003 |
| 163 |  Mauritania | 24 November 2004 |
| 164 |  Kenya | 1 December 2004 |
| 165 |  Iraq | 4 January 2005 |
| 166 |  Botswana | 9 September 2005 |
| 167 |  Montenegro | 7 July 2006 |
| 168 |  Madagascar | 27 September 2006 |
| 169 |  Republic of the Congo | 10 May 2007 |
| 170 |  Democratic Republic of the Congo | 18 October 2007 |
| 171 |  Equatorial Guinea | 19 October 2007 |
| 172 |  Monaco | 14 December 2007 |
| – |  Kosovo | 30 June 2008 |
| 173 |  Trinidad and Tobago | 14 December 2011 |
| 174 |  Solomon Islands | 18 April 2012 |
| 175 |  Dominica | 30 April 2013 |
| 176 |  Palau | 26 September 2015 |
| 177 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 27 May 2016 |
| 178 |  Kiribati | 26 August 2016 |
| 179 |  Bahamas | 31 January 2017 |
| 180 |  Djibouti | 22 May 2017 |
| 181 |  Rwanda | 15 February 2018 |
| 182 |  Eswatini | 5 April 2019 |
| 183 |  Marshall Islands | 24 September 2019 |
| 184 |  Tuvalu | 2 November 2020 |
| 185 |  Burundi | 14 May 2021 |
| 186 |  South Sudan | 16 November 2021 [9] |
| 187 |  Somalia | 4 February 2022 |
| 188 |  Central African Republic | 18 September 2023 |
| 189 |  Liberia | 26 September 2024 |
Sovereign states which do not maintain diplomatic relations with Croatia:
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Italy to the west. Its capital and largest city, Zagreb, forms one of the country's primary subdivisions, with twenty counties. Other major urban centers include Split, Rijeka and Osijek. The country spans 56,594 square kilometres, and has a population of nearly 3.9 million.
The politics of Croatia are defined by a parliamentary, representative democratic republic framework, where the Prime Minister of Croatia is the head of government in a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the Government and the President of Croatia. Legislative power is vested in the Croatian Parliament. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The parliament adopted the current Constitution of Croatia on 22 December 1990 and decided to declare independence from Yugoslavia on 25 May 1991. The Constitutional Decision on the Sovereignty and Independence of the Republic of Croatia came into effect on 8 October 1991. The constitution has since been amended several times. The first modern parties in the country developed in the middle of the 19th century, and their agenda and appeal changed, reflecting major social changes, such as the breakup of Austria-Hungary, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, dictatorship and social upheavals in the kingdom, World War II, the establishment of Communist rule and the breakup of the SFR Yugoslavia.
The foreign relations of Croatia is primarily formulated and executed via its government which guides the state's interactions with other nations, their citizens, and foreign organizations. Active in global affairs since the 9th century, modern Croatian diplomacy is considered to have formed following their independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. As an independent state, Croatia established diplomatic relations with most world nations – 189 states in total – during the 1990s, starting with Germany (1991) and ending most recently with Liberia (2024). Croatia has friendly relations with most of its neighboring countries, namely Slovenia, Hungary, Montenegro, Albania, and Italy. They maintain colder, more tense relations with Serbia as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina due to historic nation-building conflict and differing political ideologies.
Succession of states is a concept in international relations regarding a successor state that has become a sovereign state over a territory that was previously under the sovereignty of another state. The theory has its roots in 19th-century diplomacy. A successor state often acquires a new international legal personality, which is distinct from a continuing state, also known as a continuator or historical heir, which despite changes to its borders retains the same legal personality and possess all its existing rights and obligations.
The president of Croatia, officially the president of the Republic of Croatia, is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and chief representative of the Republic of Croatia both within the country and abroad. The president is the holder of the highest office in Croatia. However, the president is not the head of the executive branch as Croatia has a parliamentary system in which the holder of the post of prime minister is the most powerful person within the country's constitutional framework and everyday politics.
The Croatian Parliament or the Sabor is the unicameral legislature of Croatia. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the people and is vested with legislative power. The Sabor is composed of 151 members elected to a four-year term on the basis of direct, universal and equal suffrage by secret ballot. Seats are allocated according to the Croatian Parliament electoral districts: 140 members of the parliament are elected in multi-seat constituencies. An additional three seats are reserved for the diaspora and Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while national minorities have eight places reserved in parliament. The Sabor is presided over by a Speaker, who is assisted by at least one deputy speaker.
The Government of Croatia, formally the Government of the Republic of Croatia, commonly abbreviated to Croatian Government, is the main executive branch of government in Croatia. It is led by the president of the Government, informally abbreviated to premier or prime minister. The prime minister is nominated by the president of the Republic from among those candidates who enjoy majority support in the Croatian Parliament ; the candidate is then chosen by the Parliament. There are 20 other government members, serving as deputy prime ministers, government ministers or both; they are chosen by the prime minister and confirmed by the Parliament. The Government of the Republic of Croatia exercises its executive powers in conformity with the Croatian Constitution and legislation enacted by the Croatian Parliament. The current government is led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.
The Arbitration Commission of the Conference on Yugoslavia was an arbitration body set up by the Council of Ministers of the European Economic Community (EEC) on 27 August 1991 to provide the conference on Yugoslavia with legal advice. Robert Badinter was appointed to President of the five-member Commission consisting of presidents of Constitutional Courts in the EEC. The Arbitration Commission has handed down fifteen opinions on "major legal questions" raised by the conflict between several republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY).
Croatia held an independence referendum on 19 May 1991, following the Croatian parliamentary elections of 1990 and the rise of ethnic tensions that led to the breakup of Yugoslavia. With 83 percent turnout, voters approved the referendum, with 93 percent in favor of independence. Subsequently, Croatia declared independence and the dissolution of its association with Yugoslavia on 25 June 1991, but it introduced a three-month moratorium on the decision when urged to do so by the European Community and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe through the Brioni Agreement. The war in Croatia escalated during the moratorium, and on 8 October 1991, the Croatian Parliament severed all remaining ties with Yugoslavia. In 1992, the countries of the European Economic Community granted Croatia diplomatic recognition and Croatia was admitted to the United Nations.
The foreign, diplomatic, economic, and political relations between Croatia and the United States were established on April 7, 1992 following the dissolution of Yugoslavia. After Croatia's debut as an independent state in 1996, the U.S. established the country as its most important political connection to Southeast Europe. Modern relations are considered to be warm and friendly, with stalwart bilateral collaboration. The Croatian diaspora in the U.S. is estimated to be around 500,000 which, in part, informs the foreign policy of Croatia. The two nations have strong connectivity through tourism, immigration, foreign aid, and economic mutualism.
Croatia–Ukraine relations are foreign relations between Croatia and Ukraine. The countries established diplomatic relations on 18 February 1992. Croatia has an embassy in Kyiv and an honorary consulate in Donetsk. Ukraine has an embassy in Zagreb and honorary consulates in Malinska and Split. Croatia supports Ukraine's European Union and NATO membership.
Croatia and Germany established diplomatic relations on 15 January 1992. Croatia has an embassy in Berlin and five consulates general in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart. Germany has an embassy in Zagreb and an honorary consulate in Split.
The foreign relations between Croatia and Slovenia are bound together by shared history, neighboring geography and common political ideologies. Both states established diplomatic relations in 1992, following the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the independence of Croatia. Modern relations are warm and friendly. The two states have disputes over their border and sovereign rights over certain nuclear and economic assets. The countries share 670 km (420 mi) of common border. They are perennially each other's largest trading partners on an import-export basis.
The foreign relations between Croatia and Hungary are bound together by shared history, political development and geography. The two states established diplomatic relations on 18 January 1992 following the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the independence of Croatia.
The foreign relations between Albania and Croatia are bound together by shared history, neighboring geography and common political ideologies. Both states established diplomatic relations in 1992, following the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the independence of Croatia. They have historically shared a special relationship due to their convergent nation-building efforts. Modern relations are warm and friendly.
The foreign relations between Croatia and Italy are commenced in 1992, following the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the independence of Croatia. Relations are warm and friendly with robust bilateral collaboration. The two nations have strong connectivity through tourism, immigration, foreign aid, and economic mutualism.
Events from the year 1992 in Croatia.
The independence of Croatia was a process started with the changes in the political system and the constitutional changes in 1990 that transformed the Socialist Republic of Croatia into the Republic of Croatia, which in turn proclaimed the Christmas Constitution, and held the 1991 Croatian independence referendum.
Croatia–Holy See relations refer to the bilateral relationship between Croatia and the Holy See. Diplomatic relations among the two countries were established on February 8, 1992, following Croatia's independence from SFR Yugoslavia, although they date far back in history.
Holy See–Yugoslavia relations were historical bilateral relations between Holy See and now split-up Yugoslavia. Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the only Eastern European socialist state with which the Holy See had official diplomatic relations. Despite disagreements on the internal Yugoslav issues close relations were set in the context of international close understanding on their respective Global South policies and confrontation of the enormous challenges of developing countries.
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