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Foreign relations of Botswana

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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.

Diplomatic relations

List of countries which Botswana maintains diplomatic relations with:

More information #, Country ...
# Country Date[1]
1 United Kingdom 30 September 1966[2]
2 Japan 30 September 1966[3]
3 United States 30 September 1966[4]
4 Germany 1 October 1966[5]
5 Zambia 28 November 1966[6]
6 France 2 February 1967[7]
7 Philippines 6 February 1967[8]
8 Israel 24 May 1967[9]
9 Malawi 1 July 1967[10]
10 Netherlands 10 August 1967[11]
11  Switzerland 22 August 1967[12]
12 Ethiopia 19 October 1967[6]
13 Kenya 30 October 1967[6]
14 Norway 30 November 1967[13]
15 Sweden 21 March 1968[14]
16 South Korea 18 April 1968[15]
17 Austria 5 December 1968[16][17]
18 Canada 19 December 1968[18]
19 Nigeria 24 February 1970[19]
20 Czech Republic 2 March 1970[6]
21 Russia 17 March 1970[20]
22 Denmark 12 May 1970[21]
23 Serbia 5 September 1970[22]
24 Italy 1970[23]
25 Romania 7 October 1971[24]
26 Belgium 9 November 1971[25]
27 Tanzania 29 November 1971[26]
28 India 5 December 1972[27]
29 Egypt 7 March 1973[28]
30 Lesotho April 1973[29]
31 Australia 9 July 1973[30]
— North Korea (suspended) 27 December 1974[31]
32 China 6 January 1975[32]
33 Ghana 28 October 1975[33]
34 Guyana 28 October 1975[34]
35 Mexico 5 December 1975[35]
36 Mozambique 1975[36]
37 Eswatini 20 May 1976[37]
38 Libya 14 March 1977[38]
39 Luxembourg 30 September 1977[39][40]
40 Cuba 9 December 1977[41]
41 Argentina 28 March 1978
42 Greece 10 April 1978
43 Finland 1 July 1978[42]
44 Poland 22 November 1978
45 Algeria 30 November 1979[43]
46 Angola 7 March 1980[44]
47 Portugal 21 April 1980[45]
48 Hungary 30 April 1980[46]
49 Turkey 20 January 1981
50 Spain 29 April 1981[47]
51 Jamaica 4 May 1982
52 Bulgaria 16 August 1982[48]
53 Albania 30 August 1982[49]
54 Zimbabwe 31 May 1983[50]
55 Bangladesh 21 June 1983[51]
56 Brazil 26 September 1985
57 Thailand 29 November 1985[52]
58 Iraq 10 July 1986[53]
59 Pakistan 20 August 1986[54]
60 New Zealand 1987[55]
61 Seychelles 30 September 1988
62 Iran September 1988[56]
63 Vanuatu 1 November 1988[57]
64 Uganda 9 March 1989[58]
65 Colombia 25 April 1989
66 Somalia 15 March 1990[58]
67 Iceland 5 April 1990[59]
68 Namibia 26 July 1990[60]
69 Malaysia 26 November 1990[61]
70 Tunisia 11 November 1992
71 Singapore 30 August 1993[62]
72 South Africa 22 June 1994[63]
73 Kuwait 10 June 1996[64]
74 Ireland 1996[65]
75 Chile 13 October 1997[66]
76 Trinidad and Tobago 11 May 1998
77 Slovakia 29 March 2001[67]
78 Mauritius 11 April 2002[68]
79 Latvia 17 March 2003[69]
80 Estonia 3 June 2003[70]
81 Lithuania 17 February 2004[71]
82 Ukraine 4 March 2004[72]
83 Rwanda September 2004[73]
84 Malta 6 January 2005[74]
85 Cyprus 22 February 2005
86 Morocco 27 June 2005
87 Slovenia 20 July 2005
88 Madagascar August 2005[75]
89 Croatia 9 September 2005[76]
90 Belarus 15 March 2006
91 United Arab Emirates 28 April 2006[77]
92 Bahamas May 2006[78]
93 Dominican Republic 6 October 2006[79]
94 Republic of the Congo 9 November 2006
95 Qatar 20 November 2006
96 Barbados 20 December 2006
97 Gabon 21 December 2006
98 Niger 21 December 2006
99 Sudan 10 January 2007
100 Burkina Faso 12 January 2007
101 Benin 21 February 2007
102 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 22 February 2007
103 Saudi Arabia 1 March 2007[80]
104 Burundi 13 March 2007
105 Djibouti 14 March 2007[81]
106 Guinea 20 April 2007
107 Uruguay 4 May 2007[49]
108 Guatemala 7 May 2007
109 Mauritania 9 May 2007
110 Ecuador 4 June 2007
111 Mali 5 June 2007
112 Ivory Coast 6 June 2007
113 Venezuela 9 July 2007
114 Paraguay 16 July 2007
115 Honduras 19 July 2007
116 Dominica 23 July 2007
117 Nicaragua 28 August 2007
118 Costa Rica 11 September 2007[82]
119 Antigua and Barbuda 6 December 2007
120 Suriname 6 December 2007
121 Belize 28 February 2008[83]
122 Bosnia and Herzegovina 15 September 2008
123 Sri Lanka 27 October 2008
— Holy See 4 November 2008[84]
124   Nepal 8 January 2009
125 Vietnam 11 February 2009
126 Saint Kitts and Nevis 25 June 2009
127 North Macedonia 4 September 2009
128 Panama 15 December 2009
129 Georgia 15 January 2010
130 Samoa 18 March 2010
131 Guinea-Bissau 22 March 2010
132 Montenegro 16 July 2010
133 Liberia 21 September 2010[85]
134 Solomon Islands 18 November 2010[86]
135 Papua New Guinea 2010[87]
136 Monaco 24 February 2011
137 Fiji 28 June 2011
138 South Sudan 9 July 2011[88]
139 Indonesia 28 March 2012[89]
140 Chad 9 February 2015[90]
141 Sierra Leone 16 February 2015[91]
142 Senegal 16 March 2015[92]
— State of Palestine 8 March 2017
— Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic 31 May 2018[93]
143 Comoros 26 September 2018
144 Togo 18 March 2021[94]
145 Central African Republic 18 October 2021[95]
146 Democratic Republic of the Congo 9 February 2023[96]
147 Mongolia 6 December 2023
148 Saint Lucia 6 December 2023
149 Tajikistan 6 December 2023
150 Laos 11 December 2023
151 Maldives 11 December 2023
152 Armenia 14 December 2023[97]
153 Gambia 13 February 2024[98]
154 Bolivia 1 August 2024
155 Uzbekistan 26 September 2024[99]
156 Kyrgyzstan 5 March 2025[100]
157 Oman 14 October 2025
158 Turkmenistan 20 October 2025
159 Kazakhstan 30 October 2025
160 Azerbaijan 11 November 2025
161 Cape Verde 25 February 2026[101]
162 El Salvador 25 March 2026
163 Moldova 25 March 2026
164 Bahrain 25 June 2026
165 Liechtenstein 11 August 2026[102]
166 Equatorial Guinea 19 August 2026[103]
167 Andorra 26 August 2026[104]
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Bilateral relations

More information Country, Formal relations began ...
Country Formal relations began Notes
Australia1973
  • Australia is accredited to Botswana from its high commission in Pretoria, South Africa, with an honorary consul in Gaborone.
  • Botswana has a high commission in Canberra and a consulate in Kendall[105]
China6 January 1975Both countries established diplomatic relations on 6 January 1975[106]

See Botswana–China relations

  • Botswana has an embassy in Beijing.
  • China has an embassy in Gaborone.
Greece10 April 1978Both countries established diplomatic relations on 10 April 1978[107]
  • Botswana is accredited to Greece from its Permanent Representation to the United Nation Office in Geneva, Switzerland.
  • Greece is accredited to Botswana from its embassy in Pretoria, South Africa.[108]
India17 January 1972See Botswana–India relations
  • Botswana has a high commission in New Delhi.
  • India has a high commission in Gaborone.
Indonesia28 March 2012Both countries established diplomatic relations on 28 March 2012[109]
  • Botswana is accredited to Indonesia from its high commission in Canberra, Australia.[110]
  • Indonesia is accredited to Botswana from its embassy in Pretoria, South Africa.[110][111]
IsraelSee Botswana–Israel relations
  • Botswana is accredited to Israel from its high commission London, United Kingdom.
  • Israel is accredited to Botswana from its embassy in Pretoria, South Africa.
Kenya30 October 1967[112]See Botswana–Kenya relations
  • Botswana has a high commission in Nairobi.
  • Kenya has a high commission in Gaborone.
Mexico5 December 1975Both countries established diplomatic relations on 5 December 1975[113]
  • Botswana is accredited to Mexico from its embassy in Washington, D.C., United States and maintains an honorary consulate in Mexico City.[114]
  • Mexico is accredited to Botswana from its embassy in Pretoria, South Africa.[115]
Namibia11 September 1990See Botswana–Namibia relations

Botswana–Namibia relations are friendly, with the two neighbouring countries cooperating on economic development. Botswana gained independence from Britain in September 1966. Namibia gained independence from South Africa in 1990 following the South African Border War.

  • Botswana has a high commission in Windhoek.
  • Namibia has a high commission in Gaborone.
North Korea27 December 1974,[116] but severs 19 February 2014[117]See Botswana–North Korea relations
Oman14 October 2025See Botswana–Oman relations

Both countries established diplomatic relations on 14 October 2025[118]

  • On 13 April 2026, President Duma Boko secured agreements with Oman regarding mineral exploration, oil storage infrastructure, and renewable power.[119]
  • Botswana has announced plans to open an embassy in Muscat.[120]
Russia6 March 1970See Botswana–Russia relations

Botswana and the Soviet Union initiated diplomatic relations on 6 March 1970. Despite its pro-Western orientation, Botswana participated in the 1980 Summer Olympics. The present-day relations between the two countries are described as friendly and long standing. In March, the two countries also celebrated the 35th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations. According to the minister of Foreign Affairs, Russia was one of the first countries to establish full diplomatic relations with Botswana.[121]

Trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Botswana are stipulated by the Trade Agreement of 1987 and the Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation of 1988. The Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Botswana signed the Agreement on Cultural, Scientific and Educational Cooperation in September 1999. Russia and Botswana have had fruitful cooperation in a variety of fields, particularly in human resource development. Russia is still offering more educational scholarship in key sectors such as health, which is currently experiencing a critical shortage of manpower. Botswana also is one of the countries where Russian citizens do not require a visa.[122] Russia has an embassy in Gaborone, while Botswana covers Russia from its embassy in Stockholm (Sweden) and an honorary consulate in Moscow.

South Africa22 June 1994Both countries established diplomatic relations on 22 June 1994[123]

See Botswana–South Africa relations

South Korea18 April 1968The establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Botswana began on 18 April 1968.[124] In 2011 the number of South Koreans living in Botswana amounted to 163.[125] Since 2014, the government of Botswana recognized ROK as the sole legitimate government of Korea.[126]
Turkey20 January 1981[127]
  • Permanent Representation of Botswana in the UN Geneva Office is also accredited to Turkey.
  • Turkey has an embassy in Gaborone[128]
  • Trade volume between the two countries was US$2.9 million in 2019.[128]
United Kingdom30 September 1966See Botswana–United Kingdom relations
Foreign Secretary William Hague in Botswana, February 2012.

Botswana established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 30 September 1966.[2][failed verification]

The UK governed Botswana from 1885 to 1966, when it achieved full independence.

Both countries share common membership of the Commonwealth, the International Criminal Court, and the World Trade Organization, as well as the SACUM–UK Economic Partnership Agreement.[131] Bilaterally the two countries have a Double Tax Convention.[132]

United States30 September 1966[133]See Botswana–United States relations
Embassy of Botswana in Washington, D.C.

The United States considers Botswana an advocate of and a model for stability in Africa and has been a major partner in Botswana's development since its independence. The U.S. Peace Corps returned to Botswana in August 2002 with a focus on HIV/AIDS-related programs after concluding 30 years of more broadly targeted assistance in 1997. Similarly, the USAID phased out a long-standing bilateral partnership with Botswana in 1996, after successful programs emphasizing education, training, entrepreneurship, environmental management, and reproductive health. Botswana, however, continues to benefit along with its neighbours in the region from USAID's Initiative for Southern Africa, now based in Pretoria, and USAID's Southern Africa Global Competitiveness Hub, headquartered in Gaborone. The United States International Board of Broadcasters (IBB) operates a major Voice of America (VOA) relay station in Botswana serving most of the African continent.

In 1995, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) started the BOTUSA Project in collaboration with the Botswana Ministry of Health in order to generate information to improve tuberculosis control efforts in Botswana and elsewhere in the face of the TB and HIV/AIDS co-epidemics. Under the 1999 U.S. Government's Leadership and Investment in Fighting an Epidemic (LIFE) Initiative, CDC through the BOTUSA Project has undertaken many projects and has assisted many organizations in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Botswana. Botswana is one of the 15 focus countries for PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, and has received more than $230 million since the program began in January 2004 through September 2007. PEPFAR assistance to Botswana, which totalled $76.2 million in FY 2007, is contributing to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care interventions.

The Governments of Botswana and the United States entered into an agreement in July 2000 to establish an International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Gaborone. The academy, jointly financed, managed and staffed by the two nations, provides training to police and government officials from across the Sub-Saharan region. The academy's permanent campus, in Otse outside of Gaborone, opened March 2003. Over 3,000 law enforcement professionals from Sub-Saharan Africa have received training from ILEA since it began offering classes in 2001.

  • Botswana has an embassy in Washington, D.C.
  • United States has an embassy in Gaborone.
Zimbabwe31 May 1983See Botswana–Zimbabwe relations

Both countries established diplomatic relations on 31 May 1983.[134]

Botswana still struggles to seal its border from thousands of Zimbabweans who flee economic collapse and political persecution. In 2015, 22,000 Zimbabweans were arrested and deported. The deportations rose to nearly 29,000 in 2018.[135]

  • Botswana has an embassy in Harare.
  • Zimbabwe has an embassy in Gaborone.
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Botswana and FOSS

Botswana has been a member of The Forum of Small States (FOSS) since the group's founding in 1992.[136]

See also

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