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. High Commissions and 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.^[1]

Diplomatic relations

List of countries with which Mauritius maintains diplomatic relations:

#	Country	Date
1	France	12 March 1968[2]
2	United Kingdom	12 March 1968[3]
3	United States	12 March 1968[4]
4	India	12 March 1968[5]
5	Pakistan	12 March 1968[6]
6	Russia	17 March 1968[7]
7	Germany	23 March 1968[8]
8	Israel	23 April 1968[3]
9	Canada	24 April 1968[9]
10	New Zealand	28 April 1968[10]
11	Madagascar	27 August 1968[11]
12	Belgium	1968[12]
13	Netherlands	5 March 1969[3]
14	Switzerland	11 March 1969[3]
15	Japan	22 October 1969[3]
—	Holy See	9 March 1970[13]
16	Egypt	26 March 1970[14]
17	Italy	8 April 1970[15]
18	Syria	22 May 1970[16]
19	Australia	25 September 1970[17]
20	Serbia	6 October 1970[18]
21	South Korea	3 July 1971[19]
22	Iran	25 September 1971[20]
23	China	15 April 1972[21]
24	Norway	30 January 1973[22]
25	Luxembourg	28 February 1973[23]
26	Denmark	2 March 1973[24]
27	North Korea	16 March 1973[25]
28	Guinea	29 October 1973[26]
29	Finland	31 October 1973[27]
30	Sweden	20 December 1973[28]
31	Argentina	8 April 1974[29]
32	Jamaica	20 May 1974[30]
33	Romania	25 June 1974[31]
34	Trinidad and Tobago	June 1974[32]
35	Brazil	9 August 1974[33]
36	Barbados	14 December 1974[34]
37	Zambia	29 December 1974[35]
38	Bulgaria	20 June 1975[36]
39	Bangladesh	September 1975[37][38]
40	United Arab Emirates	4 January 1976[39]
41	Kuwait	11 January 1976[40]
42	Tunisia	9 February 1976[41]
43	Austria	10 February 1976[42]
44	Algeria	12 February 1976[43]
45	Bahrain	12 February 1976[44]
46	Libya	17 February 1976[45]
47	Jordan	February 1976[46]
48	Iraq	22 March 1976[47]
49	Oman	22 March 1976[48]
50	Yemen	March 1976[49]
51	Morocco	8 June 1976[47]
52	Czech Republic	10 June 1976[50]
53	Nigeria	16 June 1976[51]
54	Democratic Republic of the Congo	19 June 1976[52]
55	Uganda	19 June 1976[53]
56	Sri Lanka	19 July 1976[54]
57	Mexico	30 July 1976[55]
58	Cuba	18 October 1976[56]
59	Turkey	18 October 1976[57]
60	Portugal	12 December 1976[58]
61	Albania	October 1977[59]
—	Sovereign Military Order of Malta	1977[60]
62	Saudi Arabia	5 August 1978[61]
63	Myanmar	30 December 1978[62]
64	Thailand	22 January 1979[63]
65	Poland	30 April 1979[64]
66	Spain	30 May 1979[65]
67	Sudan	1979[66]
68	Maldives	15 January 1981[67]
69	Nepal	12 February 1981[68]
70	Greece	23 February 1981[69]
71	Indonesia	27 May 1983[70]
72	Gabon	August 1983[71]
—	Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic	1983[72]
73	Mozambique	29 November 1984[73]
74	Comoros	25 February 1985[74]
75	Nicaragua	March 1985[75]
76	Malaysia	13 August 1986[76]
77	Qatar	1986[77]
78	Seychelles	17 June 1988[78]
79	Chile	30 September 1988[79]
80	Colombia	30 September 1988[69]
81	Singapore	27 October 1989[80]
—	State of Palestine	1989[81]
82	Hungary	24 April 1990[82]
83	Brunei	2 July 1990[83]
84	Ukraine	12 October 1992[69]
85	Guyana	1 December 1992[69]
86	South Africa	7 December 1993[84]
87	Vietnam	4 May 1994[69]
88	Cambodia	18 May 1994[69]
89	Slovakia	31 May 1995[69]
90	Ethiopia	June 1996[85]
91	Azerbaijan	19 July 1996[86]
92	Marshall Islands	23 October 1996[69]
93	Slovenia	30 May 1997[87]
94	Turkmenistan	2 July 1997[69]
95	Namibia	16 July 1997[88]
96	Croatia	3 September 1997[69]
97	Eswatini	7 October 1997[89]
98	Philippines	23 January 1998[90]
99	Uzbekistan	4 August 1999[91]
100	Lithuania	20 September 1999[92]
101	Ireland	August 2000[24]
102	Cyprus	1 February 2001[69]
103	North Macedonia	7 February 2001[93]
104	Malawi	9 February 2001[69]
105	Rwanda	16 March 2001[69]
106	Moldova	25 June 2001[69]
107	Vanuatu	13 August 2001[94]
108	El Salvador	6 September 2001[69]
109	Estonia	24 October 2001[95]
110	Lesotho	20 December 2001[96]
111	Botswana	11 April 2002[97]
112	Laos	23 May 2002[69]
113	Zimbabwe	6 December 2002[98]
114	Latvia	12 February 2003[69]
115	São Tomé and Príncipe	28 February 2003[69]
116	Angola	3 March 2003[99]
117	Gambia	4 March 2003[69]
118	Burkina Faso	14 March 2003[69]
119	Timor-Leste	20 March 2003[69]
120	Benin	24 March 2003[69]
121	Dominican Republic	30 April 2003[69]
122	Ecuador	13 May 2003[69]
123	Ghana	18 August 2003[100]
124	Fiji	2 September 2003[101]
125	Dominica	23 September 2003[69]
126	Belarus	26 September 2003[69]
127	Mali	1 December 2003[69]
128	Iceland	15 December 2003[69]
129	Eritrea	21 April 2004[69]
130	Equatorial Guinea	26 May 2004[69]
131	Venezuela	2 May 2005[69]
132	Malta	19 May 2005[102]
133	Guatemala	7 September 2006[69]
134	Andorra	21 December 2006[69]
135	Tanzania	22 May 2007[103]
136	Bosnia and Herzegovina	30 May 2007[69]
137	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	18 June 2007[69]
138	Kenya	16 April 2008[104]
139	Paraguay	28 September 2010[69]
140	Mauritania	1 December 2010[105]
141	Georgia	3 March 2011[69]
142	Republic of the Congo	6 July 2011[69]
143	Honduras	8 September 2011[69]
144	Bhutan	2 July 2012[69]
145	Montenegro	26 September 2012[106]
146	Armenia	28 June 2013[69]
147	Mongolia	3 July 2014[69]
148	Senegal	3 July 2014[107]
149	Kazakhstan	15 October 2014[69]
150	Saint Lucia	7 November 2014[108]
151	Ivory Coast	4 March 2016[69]
152	Kyrgyzstan	16 June 2016[69]
153	Solomon Islands	1 July 2016[69]
154	Saint Kitts and Nevis	25 November 2016[109]
155	Djibouti	12 December 2016[69]
156	Bahamas	18 January 2017[69]
157	Togo	22 February 2017[69]
158	Central African Republic	24 March 2017[69]
159	Tajikistan	10 May 2017[69]
160	Liechtenstein	12 May 2017[69]
161	Federated States of Micronesia	10 October 2017[69]
162	Haiti	13 February 2018[69]
163	Palau	15 March 2018[69]
164	Niger	26 March 2018[69]
165	Belize	4 April 2018[69]
166	San Marino	20 April 2018[69]
167	Uruguay	15 May 2019[69]
168	Suriname	21 March 2022[69]
169	Peru	Unknown[110]

Bilateral relations

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
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. Bangladesh has a high commission in Port Louis. Mauritius is accredited to Bangladesh from its high commission in New Delhi, India.
Canada	1967	Canada and Mauritius established diplomatic relations in 1967.[111] 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.
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.[112] This investment package is Mauritius' largest single foreign direct investment ever.[113] China has an embassy in Port Louis. Mauritius has an embassy in Beijing.
Cyprus	1 February 2001	Both countries are members of the Commonwealth of Nations List of bilateral agreements.[114] Cyprus is accredited to Mauritius from its High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa. Mauritius is accredited to Cyprus from its embassy in Brussels, Belgium.
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. France has an embassy in Port Louis. Mauritius has an embassy in Paris. Both nations are members of La Francophonie.
Greece	23 February 1981	Greece is accredited to Mauritius from its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.[115] Mauritius is accredited to Greece from its embassy in Brussels, Belgium.[115]
Guyana	1 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.[116] Both countries are full members of the Commonwealth of Nations.
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.[117] India has a High Commission in Port Louis[118] Mauritius has a High Commission in New Delhi.[119] and a consulate in Mumbai.[120]
Israel		Both countries have signed many bilateral agreements.[121]
Kenya		See 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.
Madagascar	27 August 1968	See Madagascar–Mauritius relations Madagascar has an embassy in Port Louis. Mauritius has an embassy in Antananarivo.
Malaysia	13 August 1986	See Malaysia–Mauritius relations
Mexico	30 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.[122]
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.[123] Mauritius has a High Commission in Islamabad. Pakistan has a High Commission in Port Louis.
Romania	25 June 1974	Both countries established diplomatic relations on July 30, 1976.[124]
Russia	17 March 1968	See Mauritius–Russia relations The Soviet Union and Mauritius established diplomatic relations on March 17, 1968.[125] The Russian Federation has an embassy in Floreal, Mauritius, and Mauritius has an embassy in Moscow, which was opened in July 2003.[126] Mauritius has an embassy in Moscow. Russia has an embassy in Port Louis.
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. Mauritius has a high commission in Pretoria. South Africa has a high commission Port Louis.
South Korea	3 July 1971	Mauritius and the Republic of Korea established Diplomatic Relations on July 3, 1971.[127] Mauritius is accredited to South Korea from its embassy in Beijing, China. South Korea is accredited to Mauritius from its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.
Switzerland		Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1968.[128] Both countries are full members of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Mauritius has an embassy in Geneva. Switzerland is accredited to Mauritius from its embassy in Pretoria, South Africa.
Turkey	18 October 1976	See Mauritius–Turkey relations Embassy of Mauritius in Berlin is accredited to Turkey.[129] Turkish Embassy in Antananarivo is accredited to Mauritius.[129] Trade volume between the two countries was 76.5 million USD in 2019.[129] There are direct flights from Istanbul to Mauritius since 15 December 2015.[129]
United States	12 March 1968	See Mauritius–United States relations 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.[130] Mauritius has an embassy in Washington, D.C. United States has an embassy in Port Louis.
Vietnam	4 May 1994	Both countries established diplomatic relations on May 4, 1994.[131] 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.

See also

• List of diplomatic missions in Mauritius
• List of diplomatic missions of Mauritius