Foreign relations of Mauritius

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Foreign relations of Mauritius

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).

International disputes

Mauritius claims the entire Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean and also claims the whole French-administered Tromelin Island.

Diplomatic relations

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Perspective

List of countries with which Mauritius maintains diplomatic relations:

More information #, Country ...
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# 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  Nicaragua March 1985[70]
74  Malaysia 13 August 1986[71]
75  Qatar 1986[72]
76  Seychelles 17 June 1988[73]
77  Chile 30 September 1988[74]
78  Colombia 30 September 1988[64]
79  Singapore 27 October 1989[75]
80  Hungary 24 April 1990[76]
81  Brunei 2 July 1990[77]
 State of Palestine 1990[78]
82  Ukraine 12 October 1992[64]
83  Guyana 1 December 1992[64]
84  South Africa 7 December 1993[79]
85  Vietnam 4 May 1994[64]
86  Cambodia 18 May 1994[64]
87  Slovakia 31 May 1995[64]
88  Ethiopia June 1996[80]
89  Azerbaijan 19 July 1996[81]
90  Marshall Islands 23 October 1996[64]
91  Slovenia 30 May 1997[82]
92  Turkmenistan 2 July 1997[64]
93  Namibia 16 July 1997[83]
94  Croatia 3 September 1997[64]
95  Eswatini 7 October 1997[84]
96  Philippines 23 January 1998[85]
97  Uzbekistan 4 August 1999[86]
98  Lithuania 20 September 1999[87]
99  Ireland August 2000[24]
100  Cyprus 1 February 2001[64]
101  North Macedonia 7 February 2001[88]
102  Malawi 9 February 2001[64]
103  Rwanda 16 March 2001[64]
104  Moldova 25 June 2001[64]
105  Vanuatu 13 August 2001[89]
106  El Salvador 6 September 2001[64]
107  Estonia 24 October 2001[90]
108  Botswana 11 April 2002[91]
109  Laos 23 May 2002[64]
110  Zimbabwe 6 December 2002[92]
111  Latvia 12 February 2003[64]
112  São Tomé and Príncipe 28 February 2003[64]
113  Angola 3 March 2003[93]
114  Gambia 4 March 2003[64]
115  Burkina Faso 14 March 2003[64]
116  Timor-Leste 20 March 2003[64]
117  Benin 24 March 2003[64]
118  Dominican Republic 30 April 2003[64]
119  Ecuador 13 May 2003[64]
120  Fiji 2 September 2003[94]
121  Dominica 23 September 2003[64]
122  Belarus 26 September 2003[64]
123  Mali 1 December 2003[64]
124  Iceland 15 December 2003[64]
125  Eritrea 21 April 2004[64]
126  Equatorial Guinea 26 May 2004[64]
127  Lesotho 20 July 2004[95]
128  Venezuela 2 May 2005[64]
129  Malta 19 May 2005[96]
130  Guatemala 7 September 2006[64]
131  Andorra 21 December 2006[64]
132  Tanzania 22 May 2007[97]
133  Bosnia and Herzegovina 30 May 2007[64]
134  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 18 June 2007[64]
135  Trinidad and Tobago 17 September 2009[98]
136  Sri Lanka 20 July 2010[99]
137  Paraguay 28 September 2010[64]
138  Mauritania 1 December 2010[100]
139  Georgia 3 March 2011[64]
140  Republic of the Congo 6 July 2011[64]
141  Honduras 8 September 2011[64]
142  Bhutan 2 July 2012[64]
143  Montenegro 26 September 2012[101]
144  Armenia 28 June 2013[64]
145  Mongolia 3 July 2014[64]
146  Kazakhstan 15 October 2014[64]
147  Saint Lucia 7 November 2014[102]
148  Ivory Coast 4 March 2016[64]
149  Kyrgyzstan 16 June 2016[64]
150  Solomon Islands 1 July 2016[64]
151  Saint Kitts and Nevis 25 November 2016[103]
152  Djibouti 12 December 2016[64]
153  Bahamas 18 January 2017[64]
154  Togo 22 February 2017[64]
155  Central African Republic 24 March 2017[64]
156  Tajikistan 10 May 2017[64]
157  Liechtenstein 12 May 2017[64]
158  Federated States of Micronesia 10 October 2017[64]
159  Haiti 13 February 2018[64]
160  Palau 15 March 2018[64]
161  Niger 26 March 2018[64]
162  Belize 4 April 2018[64]
163  San Marino 20 April 2018[64]
164  Uruguay 15 May 2019[64]
165  Suriname 21 March 2022[64]
166  Cape Verde Unknown
167  Ghana Unknown
168  Kenya Unknown
169  Senegal Unknown
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Bilateral relations

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More information Country, Formal Relations Began ...
Country Formal Relations Began Notes
 Australia25 September 1970
  • Australia has a high commission in Port Louis.
  • Mauritius has a high commission in Canberra.
 Bangladesh1972See 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.

  • Bangladesh has a high commission in Port Louis.
  • Mauritius is accredited to Bangladesh from its high commission in New Delhi, India.
 Brazil1975
  • Brazil is accredited to Mauritius from its embassy in Pretoria, South Africa.
  • Mauritius is accredited to Brazil from its embassy Washington, D.C., United States.
 Canada1967

Canada and Mauritius established diplomatic relations in 1967.[104] Both countries are members of the Commonwealth of Nations and La Francophonie.

  • Canada is accredited to Mauritius from its high commission in Pretoria, South Africa and maintains an honorary consulate in Port Louis.
  • Mauritius is accredited to Canada from its embassy in Washington, D.C., United States.
 China15 April 1972See 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.[105] This investment package is Mauritius' largest single foreign direct investment ever.[106]

 Cyprus1 February 2001
  • Both countries are members of the Commonwealth of Nations
  • List of bilateral agreements.[107]
  • Cyprus is accredited to Mauritius from its High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa.
  • Mauritius is accredited to Cyprus from its embassy in Brussels, Belgium.
 Ethiopia
  • Ethiopia is accredited to Mauritius from its embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe.
  • Mauritius has an embassy in Addis Ababa.
 France12 March 1968See 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.

  • France has an embassy in Port Louis.
  • Mauritius has an embassy in Paris.
  • Both nations are members of La Francophonie.
 Germany23 March 1968
  • Germany is accredited to Mauritius from its embassy in Antananarivo, Madagascar.
  • Mauritius has an embassy in Berlin.
 Greece23 February 1981
  • Greece is accredited to Mauritius from its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.[108]
  • Mauritius is accredited to Greece from its embassy in Brussels, Belgium.[108]
 Guyana1 December 1992
  • Mauritius is accredited to Guyana from its embassy in Washington, D.C., United States.
  • Both countries established diplomatic relations on December 1, 1992.[109]
  • Both countries are full members of the Commonwealth of Nations.
 India12 March 1968See 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.[110]

 Israel

Both countries have signed many bilateral agreements.[114]

 KenyaSee Kenya–Mauritius relations
  • Kenya is accredited to Mauritius from its high commission in Pretoria, South Africa.
  • Mauritius is accredited to Kenya from its embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
 Madagascar27 August 1968See Madagascar–Mauritius relations
  • Madagascar has an embassy in Port Louis.
  • Mauritius has an embassy in Antananarivo.
 Malaysia13 August 1986See 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.[115] 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.

  • Malaysia is accredited to Mauritius from its embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe.
  • Mauritius has a high commission in Kuala Lumpur.
 Mexico30 July 1976
  • Mauritius is accredited to Mexico from its embassy in Washington, D.C., United States.
  • Mexico is accredited to Mauritius from its embassy in Pretoria, South Africa and maintains an honorary consulate in Port Louis.[116]
 Pakistan1969See 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.[117]

  • Mauritius has a High Commission in Islamabad.
  • Pakistan has a High Commission in Port Louis.
 Romania25 June 1974

Both countries established diplomatic relations on July 30, 1976.[118]

 Russia17 March 1968See Mauritius–Russia relations

The Soviet Union and Mauritius established diplomatic relations on March 17, 1968.[119] The Russian Federation has an embassy in Floreal, Mauritius, and Mauritius has an embassy in Moscow, which was opened in July 2003.[120]

  • Mauritius has an embassy in Moscow.
  • Russia has an embassy in Port Louis.
 Seychelles17 June 1988
  • Mauritius has an honorary consulate in Victoria.
  • Seychelles has an honorary consulate in Port Louis.
 South Africa6 December 1993See 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.

  • Mauritius has a high commission in Pretoria.
  • South Africa has a high commission Port Louis.
 South Korea3 July 1971

Mauritius and the Republic of Korea established Diplomatic Relations on July 3, 1971.[121]

  • Mauritius is accredited to South Korea from its embassy in Beijing, China.
  • South Korea is accredited to Mauritius from its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.
 Spain30 May 1979
  • Mauritius is accredited to Spain from its embassy in Paris, France.
  • Spain is accredited to Mauritius from its embassy in Pretoria, South Africa.
  Switzerland
 Turkey18 October 1976See Mauritius–Turkey relations
  • Embassy of Mauritius in Berlin is accredited to Turkey.[123]
  • Turkish Embassy in Antananarivo is accredited to Mauritius.[123]
  • Trade volume between the two countries was 76.5 million USD in 2019.[123]
  • There are direct flights from Istanbul to Mauritius since 15 December 2015.[123]
 United Kingdom12 March 1968
  • Mauritius has a high commission in London.
  • United Kingdom has a high commission in Port Louis.
 United States12 March 1968See Mauritius–United States relations
Thumb
George W. Bush and Mauritian Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth. Oval Office, June 26, 2003.

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.[124]

  • Mauritius has an embassy in Washington, D.C.
  • United States has an embassy in Port Louis.
 Vietnam4 May 1994

Both countries established diplomatic relations on May 4, 1994.[125] Both countries are members of La Francophonie.

  • Mauritius is accredited to Vietnam from its high commission in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • Vietnam is accredited to Mauritius from its embassy in Maputo, Mozambique.
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International organisations

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.

See also

References

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