Foreign relations of Togo

Although Togo's foreign policy is nonaligned, it has strong historical and cultural ties with western Europe, especially France and Germany. Togo is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, exchanging high commissioners with other Commonwealth countries. It recognizes the People's Republic of China, North Korea, and Cuba, and re-established relations with Israel in 1987.

Togo pursues an active foreign policy and participates in many international organizations. It is particularly active in West African regional affairs and in the African Union. Relations between Togo and neighboring states are generally good.

Diplomatic relations

List of countries which Togo maintains diplomatic relations with:

#	Country	Date
1	France	27 April 1960[1]
2	Germany	27 April 1960[2]
3	United Kingdom	27 April 1960[3]
4	United States	27 April 1960[4]
5	Russia	1 May 1960[5]
6	Switzerland	19 July 1960[6]
7	Liberia	29 July 1960[7]
8	Israel	8 September 1960[8]
9	Egypt	20 September 1960[9]
10	Serbia	7 November 1960[10]
11	Czech Republic	2 December 1960[11]
12	Japan	4 April 1961[12]
13	Guinea	7 September 1961[13]
14	Netherlands	5 October 1961[14]
15	Belgium	1961[15][16]
16	Italy	1961[17]
17	Canada	7 June 1962[18]
18	Lebanon	7 June 1962[19]
19	India	31 August 1962[20]
20	Brazil	26 October 1962[21]
21	Niger	26 October 1962[22]
22	Turkey	6 December 1962[23]
23	Poland	26 December 1962[24]
24	Nigeria	1962[25]
25	Ghana	21 January 1963[26]
26	South Korea	26 July 1963[27]
27	Pakistan	8 May 1964[28]
28	Spain	22 October 1965[29]
29	Tunisia	1965[30]
30	Denmark	21 June 1968[31]
31	Gabon	21 June 1968[31]
32	Mali	1969[32]
33	Hungary	22 June 1970[33]
34	Democratic Republic of the Congo	13 July 1970[34]
35	Austria	1970[35]
36	Romania	12 January 1971[36]
37	Norway	10 January 1972[37]
38	Luxembourg	7 March 1972[38]
39	China	19 September 1972[39]
40	Zambia	5 January 1973[40]
41	North Korea	31 January 1973[41]
—	Sovereign Military Order of Malta	5 September 1973[42]
42	Libya	3 November 1973[43]
43	Argentina	12 June 1974[44]
44	Bulgaria	19 July 1974[45]
45	Vietnam	8 February 1975[46]
46	Mexico	25 October 1975[47]
47	Somalia	21 November 1975[48]
48	Senegal	1 June 1976[49]
49	Gambia	10 May 1977[50]
50	Albania	25 June 1977[51]
51	Sweden	15 March 1978[52]
52	Portugal	17 March 1978[53]
53	Cuba	18 January 1979[54]
54	Costa Rica	11 June 1979[55]
55	Greece	1979[56]
56	Ecuador	11 February 1980[57]
57	Zimbabwe	16 June 1980[58]
—	Holy See	21 April 1981[59]
58	Burkina Faso	18 August 1981[60]
59	Sudan	8 July 1982[61]
60	Ethiopia	11 December 1982[62]
61	Benin	5 September 1983[63]
62	Suriname	8 November 1983[64]
63	Republic of the Congo	6 August 1984[65]
64	Tanzania	27 December 1984[66]
65	Kenya	9 April 1985[67]
66	Chad	10 April 1985[68]
67	Thailand	7 May 1986[69]
68	Vanuatu	21 January 1987[70]
69	Algeria	2 July 1987[71]
70	Afghanistan	1987[72]
71	Angola	27 September 1988[73]
72	Colombia	29 September 1988[53]
—	State of Palestine	1989[74]
73	Venezuela	21 December 1990[75]
74	Slovakia	4 January 1997[76]
75	South Africa	13 January 1997[77]
76	Qatar	16 May 1997[78]
77	Iran	January 1998[79]
78	North Macedonia	14 April 1998[53]
79	Slovenia	31 July 1998[53]
80	Ukraine	1 September 1999[80]
81	Philippines	24 August 2000[53]
82	Brunei	3 December 2002[81]
83	Armenia	14 November 2003[82]
84	Iceland	19 November 2004[83]
85	Indonesia	2006[84]
86	Morocco	10 July 2007[85]
87	Uruguay	28 September 2007[86]
88	United Arab Emirates	6 December 2007[53]
89	Saudi Arabia	26 December 2007[87]
90	Malta	16 May 2008[53]
91	Malaysia	20 August 2008[88]
92	Australia	22 July 2009[53]
93	Finland	12 May 2010[53]
94	Cambodia	6 August 2010[53]
95	Belarus	28 September 2010[53]
96	Kuwait	6 October 2010[89]
97	Namibia	24 November 2010[90]
98	Azerbaijan	28 December 2010[91]
99	Fiji	31 May 2011[53]
100	Singapore	15 June 2012[53]
101	Montenegro	21 December 2012[92]
102	Mongolia	6 September 2013[53]
103	Georgia	27 May 2014[53]
104	Lithuania	22 September 2014[53]
105	Estonia	23 September 2014[53]
106	Latvia	23 September 2014[53]
107	Turkmenistan	25 September 2014[93]
108	Kazakhstan	9 October 2014[53]
109	Seychelles	3 March 2015[53]
110	El Salvador	20 March 2015[53]
111	Madagascar	24 March 2015[94]
112	Cyprus	24 September 2015[53]
113	Sri Lanka	27 September 2015[95]
114	Chile	30 September 2015[96]
115	Kyrgyzstan	30 September 2015[96]
116	Monaco	9 February 2016[97]
117	Djibouti	14 February 2016[98]
118	Tajikistan	2 March 2016[99]
119	Botswana	7 October 2016[100]
120	Equatorial Guinea	7 October 2016[100]
121	Rwanda	17 January 2017[101]
122	Mauritius	22 February 2017[53]
123	Oman	5 June 2017[102]
124	Andorra	21 November 2017[103]
125	Peru	18 December 2017[104]
126	Ireland	27 June 2018[53]
127	Saint Kitts and Nevis	25 September 2018[105]
128	San Marino	28 February 2019[106]
129	Nepal	22 March 2019[53]
130	Panama	26 March 2019[53]
131	Myanmar	31 July 2019[107]
132	Nicaragua	23 October 2019[53]
133	Bosnia and Herzegovina	24 October 2019[53]
134	Uganda	5 December 2019[108]
135	Jamaica	23 November 2021[53]
136	Dominican Republic	20 September 2022[53]
137	Bahrain	21 September 2022[53]
138	Maldives	3 May 2023[53]
139	Croatia	18 September 2023[53]
140	Bolivia	20 September 2023[53]
141	Guatemala	22 September 2023[53]
142	Uzbekistan	26 September 2024[109]
143	Bahamas	24 October 2024[110]
144	Guinea-Bissau	28 March 2025[111]
145	Mauritania	28 March 2025[111]
146	Burundi	Unknown[112]
147	Cameroon	Unknown
148	Ivory Coast	Unknown
149	Sierra Leone	Unknown
150	Timor-Leste	Unknown[113]

Bilateral relations

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Angola	27 September 1988	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 27 September 1988 when M. Brito Sozinho , Angola's Ambassador to Nigeria, presented his credentials to the Togolese Head of State, General Gnassingbe Eyadema.[73]
Belgium	1961	Belgium is accredited to Togo from its embassy in Cotonou, Benin. Togo has an embassy in Brussels.
Benin	5 September 1983	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 5 September 1983 when Ambassador of Benin to Togo (resident in accra) Mr. Lucien Tonoukoin presented his credentials to Head of State General Eyadema.[63]
Brazil	26 October 1962	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 26 October 1962[21] Brazil has an embassy in Lomé. Togo has an embassy in Brasília.
Canada	7 June 1962	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 7 June 1962[18] Canada has a high commission in Lomé. Togo has a high commission in Ottawa.
Chad	10 April 1985	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 10 April 1985 when Ambassador of Chad Mr. Youssouf Nboudou Mbami presented his credentials to President of Togo.[68]
China	19 September 1972	See China–Togo relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 19 September 1972[39] China has an embassy in Lomé. Togo has an embassy in Beijing.
Democratic Republic of Congo	14 July 1970	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 14 July 1970 when Congo-Kinshasa's first Ambassador to Togo, Mr. Kondo Belan, presented his credentials to Head of State Etienne Eyadema.[114]
Republic of the Congo	6 August 1984	The two countries maintain diplomatic relations and President of Togo Faure Gnassingbé visited the Republic of the Congo in November 2023 meeting Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso.[115]
Cyprus	24 September 2015	Cyprus is accredited to Togo from its high commission in Paris, France.[116]
Denmark	21 June 1968	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 21 June 1968 when Mrs. Johanne Wright , ambassador of Denmark to Ivory Coast and to Togo , presented his letters of credence to Togo.[31]
Ethiopia	11 December 1982	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 11 December 1982 when Ambassador of Ethiopia (resident in Accra) Mr. Kasate Berham Babina presented letters of credence to President of Togo Gnassingbe Eyadema.[62]
France	27 April 1960	See France–Togo relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 27 April 1960[1] France has an embassy in Lomé. Togo has an embassy in Paris.
Gabon	21 June 1968	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 21 June 1968 when Ambassador of Gabon to Togo (resident in Abidjan) Mr. Abdoulaye M'Bingt presented his credentials.[31] Gabon has a high commission in Lomé. Togo has a high commission in Libreville.
Germany	27 April 1960	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 27 April 1960[2] See Germany–Togo relations Germany has an embassy in Lomé. Togo has an embassy in Berlin.
Ghana	21 January 1963	See Ghana–Togo relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 21 January 1963.[26] After 1918, following the defeat of Germany, the League of Nations divided the German colony of Togoland from north to south, a decision that divided the Ewe people among the Gold Coast, British Togoland, and French Togoland. After 1945, the United Nations (UN) took over the Togoland mandates. During the 1950s, when the independence of Ghana was in sight, demands grew for a separate Ewe state, an idea that Kwame Nkrumah, leader of the Gold Coast independence movement, opposed. Following a UN plebiscite in May 1956, in which a majority of the Ewe voted for union with Ghana, British Togoland became part of the Gold Coast.[117][118] After Togolese independence in 1960, relations between Togo and Ghana deteriorated, aggravated by political differences and incidents such as smuggling across their common border. At times, relations have verged on open aggression.[117] The result of the transfer of Togoland to Ghana has meant that many Togolese keep one foot on either side of the border, living in Ghana by night and working in the markets of the capital, Lomé, by day.[118] Ghana is the only Commonwealth member with which Togo shares a border. Ghana has a high commission in Lomé. Togo has a high commission in Accra.
India	31 August 1962	See India–Togo relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 31 August 1962[20] India has a high commission in Lomé. Togo has a high commission in New Delhi.
Israel	8 September 1960	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 8 September 1960 when has been accredited first Ambassador of Israel to Togo (resident in Accra) Mr. Moshe Bitan.[8] Togo severed ties with Israel on 21 September 1973.[119] Diplomatic relations were re-established on 9 June 1987.[120] In August 2017, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received Togo's President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe in Jerusalem during his official five-day trip to Israel.[121][122] In December 2017, Togo voted at the UN to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.[122]
Japan	29 May 1967	Japan is accredited to Togo from its embassy in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Togo has an embassy in Tokyo.
Kenya	9 April 1985	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 9 April 1985 when Ambassador of Kenya Mr. Kefa Onyoni presented letters of credentials to President of Togo, general Gnassingbe Eyadema.[67]
Kuwait	6 October 2010	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 6 October 2010 when has been opened Embassy of Togo in Kuwait.[89] Kuwait is accredited to Togo from its embassy in Cotonou, Benin. Togo has an embassy in Kuwait City.
Lebanon	7 June 1962	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 7 June 1962 when first Ambassador of Lebanon to Togo (resident in Dakar) Mr. Mohammed Ali Hamade presented his credentials.[19]
Liberia	29 July 1960	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 29 July 1960 when accredited first Ambassador of Liberia to Togo Mr. John Cox.[7]
Libya	3 November 1973	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 3 November 1973.[43] Libya has an embassy in Lomé. Togo had an embassy in Tripoli, which closed in 2015.
Mexico	25 October 1975	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 25 October 1975[47] Mexico is accredited to Togo from its embassy in Abuja, Nigeria. Togo is accredited to Mexico from its embassy in Washington, D.C., United States.[123]
Netherlands	5 October 1961	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 5 October 1961[14] Netherlands is accredited to Togo from its embassy in Accra, Ghana. Togo is accredited to Togo from its embassy in Brussels, Belgium.
Nigeria	1962	Nigeria has a high commission in Lomé. Togo has a high commission in Abuja.
Pakistan	8 May 1964	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 8 May 1964 when M. Mir Muhammed Shaikh , Pakistan's first Ambassador to Togo , presented his credentials.[28]
Palestine		During the votes to admit Palestine to UNESCO as a member state in October 2011 and as Non-Member Observer State, in November 2012 Togo abstained from the voting.
Senegal	1 June 1976	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 1 June 1976 when Senegal's first Ambassador to Togo , Mr. Massamba Codou Diouf , presented his credentials to President Eyadéma.[49]
South Africa	13 January 1997	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 13 January 1997 South Africa is accredited to Togo from its high commission in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Togo has a high commission in Pretoria.
South Korea	26 July 1963	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 26 July 1963,[27] but severed 16 September 1974 and re-established on 23 January 1991[124]
Spain	22 October 1965	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 22 October 1965[29] Spain is accredited to Togo from its embassy in Accra, Ghana. Togo is accredited to Spain from its embassy in Paris, France.
Tanzania	27 December 1984	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 27 December 1984 when Ambassador of Tanzania major general S. H. Sarakikya presented his credentials to President of Togo.[66]
Turkey	6 December 1962	See Togo–Turkey relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 6 December 1962 when accredited first Ambassador of Turkey to Togo (resident in Accra) Mr. Kamran Acet.[23] Turkey has an embassy in Lomé.[125] Trade volume between the two countries was $106 million USD in 2019.[125]
United Kingdom	27 April 1960	Togo established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 27 April 1960.[3][failed verification] Togo maintains a high commission in London. The United Kingdom is not accredited to Togo through a high commission; the UK develops relations through its high commission in Accra, Ghana.[126] Both countries share common membership of the Atlantic co-operation pact,[127] the Commonwealth, and the World Trade Organization.
United States	27 April 1960	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 27 April 1960[4] See Togo–United States relations The United States and Togo have had generally good relations since its independence, although the United States has never been one of Togo's major trading partners. The largest share of U.S. exports to Togo generally has been used clothing and scrap textiles. Other important U.S. exports include rice, wheat, shoes, and tobacco products, and U.S. personal computers and other office electronics are becoming more widely used. Togo has an embassy in Washington, D.C. United States has an embassy in Lomé.

See also

• List of diplomatic missions in Togo
• List of diplomatic missions of Togo