Foreign relations of Jamaica

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jamaica has diplomatic relations with many nations and is a member of the United Nations and the Organization of American States. Jamaica chairs the Working Group on smaller Economies.

Jamaica is an active member of the Commonwealth of Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement (G-77). Jamaica is a beneficiary of the Lome Conventions, through which the European Union (EU) grants trade preferences to selected states in Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, and has played a leading role in the negotiations of the successor agreement in Fiji in 2000.

Jamaica has been a member of The Forum of Small States (FOSS) since the group's founding in 1992.[1]

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: Transshipment point for cocaine from Central and South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade is the government ministry responsible for handling Jamaica's external relations and foreign trade.

History

Historically, Jamaica has had close ties with the UK. Trade, financial, and cultural relations with the United States are now predominant. Jamaica is linked with the other countries of the English-speaking Caribbean through the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and more broadly through the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). Jamaica has served two 2-year terms on the United Nations Security Council, in 1979-80 and 2000-2001.

In the follow-on meetings to the December 1994 Summit of the Americas, Jamaica—together with Uruguay—was given the responsibility of coordinating discussions on invigorating society.

Diplomatic relations

List of countries which Jamaica maintains diplomatic relations with:

More information #, Country ...
# Country[2] Date
1 United Kingdom 2 August 1962
2 Canada 2 August 1962
3 Netherlands 2 August 1962
4 United States 6 August 1962
5 France 6 August 1962
6 Germany 6 August 1962
7 India 12 August 1962
8 Israel 29 August 1962
9 South Korea 13 October 1962
10 Brazil 14 October 1962
11  Switzerland 12 December 1962
12 Luxembourg 2 January 1963
13 Pakistan 19 January 1963
14 Italy 14 February 1963
15 Argentina 25 March 1963
16 Lebanon 7 May 1963
17 Trinidad and Tobago 18 June 1963
18 Chile 18 December 1963
19 Japan 16 March 1964
20 Egypt 10 June 1964
21 Dominican Republic 4 December 1964
22 Colombia 24 February 1965
23 Venezuela 25 March 1965
24 Ethiopia 22 March 1966
25 Panama 29 July 1966
26 Spain 21 December 1966
27 Mexico 4 February 1967
28 Belgium 25 July 1967
29 Austria 2 November 1967
30 Sierra Leone 15 November 1967
31 Ghana 8 May 1968
32 Barbados 6 September 1968
33 Serbia 11 October 1968[3]
34 Guyana 20 June 1969
35 Peru 29 April 1970
36 Nigeria 29 April 1970
37 Zambia 25 February 1971
38 Turkey 30 March 1971
39 Tanzania 6 April 1971
40 Costa Rica 21 July 1971
41 Cyprus 31 August 1972
42 China 21 November 1972
43 Cuba 8 December 1972
44 Bahamas 10 July 1973
45 Ecuador 10 September 1973
46 Bangladesh 5 November 1973
47 Australia 7 January 1974[4]
48 Sweden 5 February 1974
49 Mauritius 20 May 1974
50 Romania 21 August 1974
51 New Zealand 27 August 1974
52 North Korea 9 October 1974
53 Denmark 14 October 1974
54 Kuwait 14 November 1974
55 Grenada 21 January 1975
56 Guinea 30 January 1975
57 Iraq 30 January 1975
58 Algeria 30 January 1975
59 Iran 18 February 1975
60 Honduras 10 March 1975
61 Russia 12 March 1975
62 Poland 14 May 1975
63 Greece 15 May 1975
64 Hungary 2 June 1975
65 Czech Republic 3 June 1975[5]
66 Nicaragua 15 August 1975
67 Burkina Faso 20 September 1975
68 Suriname 26 November 1975
69 Malaysia 28 November 1975
70 Vietnam 5 January 1976
71 Senegal 8 January 1976
72 Kenya 19 March 1976
73 Libya 24 June 1976
74 Saudi Arabia 15 August 1976
75 Bulgaria 22 March 1977
76 Norway 7 October 1977
77 Finland 1 December 1977
78 Dominica 3 November 1978
79 Seychelles 15 January 1979
80 Saint Lucia 22 February 1979
81 Portugal 26 February 1979
82 Niger 25 June 1979
Holy See 29 July 1979
83 Mozambique 7 August 1979
84 Republic of the Congo 6 September 1979
85 Yemen 12 September 1979
86 Lesotho 19 October 1979
87 Fiji 11 December 1979
88 São Tomé and Príncipe 29 February 1980
89 Zimbabwe 18 April 1980
90 Philippines 15 May 1980
91 Haiti 26 August 1981
92 Indonesia 17 December 1981
93 Botswana 4 May 1982
94 Belize 3 November 1982[6]
95 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3 December 1982[7]
96 Antigua and Barbuda 8 February 1983
97 Saint Kitts and Nevis 19 September 1983[8]
98 Bolivia 2 February 1984
99 Thailand 10 September 1984
100 Uruguay 23 May 1985
101 Oman 27 May 1986
102 Vanuatu 23 July 1987
103 Maldives 27 February 1990
104 Namibia 28 August 1990
105 El Salvador 13 November 1990
106 Eswatini 13 February 1991
107 Papua New Guinea 16 April 1991
108 Cameroon 26 September 1991
109 Guatemala 11 December 1991
110 Latvia 18 December 1991
111 Ukraine 7 July 1992
112 Singapore 1 November 1992
113 Paraguay 10 November 1992
114 Slovakia 1 January 1993
115 Estonia 16 February 1993
116 Belarus 6 June 1993
117 South Africa 9 September 1993
118 Kazakhstan 27 July 1995
119 Lithuania 20 October 1995[9]
120 Gabon 23 October 1995
121 Azerbaijan 22 November 1995
122 Armenia 1 December 1995
123 Albania 3 April 1996
124 Moldova 9 July 1996
125 Turkmenistan 16 July 1996
126 Slovenia 23 July 1996[10]
127 Georgia 31 July 1996
128 Uzbekistan 8 August 1996
129 Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 October 1996
130 Croatia 9 October 1996
131 Ireland 7 December 1997
132 Sri Lanka 29 September 1998
133 Rwanda 6 November 1998
134 Cape Verde 22 March 1999
135 Laos 27 August 1999
136 Malawi 30 September 1999
137 Myanmar 6 December 1999
138 Kyrgyzstan 25 February 2000
139 Iceland 23 May 2000
140 Angola 8 October 2002
141 North Macedonia 1 April 2003
Cook Islands 14 May 2003
142 Qatar 27 June 2003
143 Mali 17 December 2003
144 Malta 27 October 2004
145 Sudan 19 September 2005
146 Benin 25 April 2006
147 Morocco 29 January 2008
148 Monaco 4 April 2008[11]
149 Cambodia 12 January 2010
150 Montenegro 12 November 2010
151 Nauru 24 February 2011
152 United Arab Emirates 4 March 2011
153 Brunei 20 June 2011
154 Uganda 21 September 2011
155 Gambia 29 November 2011
156 Mongolia 26 October 2012
157 Solomon Islands 3 July 2013
158 Andorra 23 September 2014[12]
159 Timor-Leste 27 September 2014[12]
160 Equatorial Guinea 18 May 2015[12]
161   Nepal 1 October 2015[12]
162 Tajikistan 11 December 2017[12]
163 Bahrain 28 September 2018[12]
164 San Marino 29 September 2020[12]
165 Togo 23 November 2021[12]
166 Kiribati 26 April 2022[13]
167 Samoa 26 April 2022[14]
168 Palau 28 April 2022[15]
169 Liberia 22 September 2022[12]
170 Marshall Islands 23 September 2022[12]
171 Liechtenstein 18 September 2023[12]
172 Jordan 23 September 2023[16]
173 Eritrea 17 November 2023[17]
174 Tunisia 26 September 2024[12]
175 Ivory Coast 16 December 2024[12]
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Bilateral relations

More information Country, Formal Relations Began ...
Country Formal Relations Began Notes
Belize3 November 1982

Belize and Jamaica are two of fifteen commonwealth realms, members of: the Association of Caribbean States, the Caribbean Community, the Belt & Road Initiative, the Caribbean Development Bank, the Commonwealth of Nations, ECLAC, EU-CARIFORUM, the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, the Organization of American States, the Small Island Developing States, and the United Nations.

Brazil14 October 1962See Jamaica–Brazil relations

Jamaica and Brazil established diplomatic relations on October 14, 1962. Both countries are full members of the Group of 15.

Canada1962See Canada–Jamaica relations

Canada and Jamaica are two of fifteen commonwealth realms, members of: the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organization of American States, and the United Nations. Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1962. Since March 4, 1963, Canada has a high commission in Kingston. Jamaica has a high commission in Ottawa. On April 15, 2009, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper became the first Canadian head of government to address the Jamaican parliament. There are 231,000 people of Jamaican descent living in Canada. Jamaican-Canadians celebrate their island heritage through festivals held in major cities across Canada, the most recognized of which is Caribana. Caribana is held in Toronto, Ontario every year and attracts over one million visitors to the region, many of whom fly all the way from Jamaica.

Cuba1972See Cuba–Jamaica relations

Prime Minister Percival James Patterson visited Cuba at the end of May 1997. In the fall of 1997, Jamaica upgraded its consulate in Havana to an embassy, and the nonresident Jamaican ambassador to Cuba was replaced by a resident ambassador.

China21 November 1972See China–Jamaica relations

Relations from November 21, 1972. China has an embassy in Kingston, Jamaica. Jamaica has an embassy in Beijing.

Ghana See Ghana-Jamaica relations

Ghana, as the former Gold Coast, and Jamaica share historical links through the slave trade and forced Ashanti/Akan emigration to the Caribbean. Ghana and Jamaica have a Joint Permanent Commission, and there are plans for Ghanaian investment in Jamaica.

Guyana26 May 1966
HaitiSee Haiti–Jamaica relations

Haiti has an embassy in Kingston and Jamaica has an honorary consul in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

In January, 2007, Haitian president René Préval, made a four-day working visit to Jamaica. At a press conference, Jamaican prime minister Portia Simpson Miller announced that a Joint Jamaica/Haiti Commission would be convened later that year.[19]

IndiaSee India–Jamaica relations

Both nations inherited many cultural and political connections from British colonisation, such as membership in the Commonwealth of Nations, parliamentary democracy, the English language and cricket.[20]

India has a High Commission in Kingston,[21] whilst Jamaica has a consulate in New Delhi.[22]

MalaysiaSee Jamaica–Malaysia relations
Mexico18 March 1966See Jamaica–Mexico relations

Both nations established diplomatic relations on 18 March 1966.

Netherlands
  • Jamaica is accredited to the Netherlands from its embassy in Brussels, Belgium.
  • the Netherlands is accredited to Jamaica from its embassy in Havana, Cuba.
South Korea13 October 1962

The establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and the Jamaica started on October 13, 1962 .[25]

Turkey1970[27]See Jamaica–Turkey relations
  • Turkish Embassy in Havana is accredited to Jamaica.[28]
  • Trade volume between the two countries was US$90.5 million in 2019 (Jamaican exports/imports: US$0.5/90 million).[28]
United Kingdom1962See Jamaica–United Kingdom relations

The UK established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 2 August 1962.[29] Both countries are Commonwealth Realms.

The UK governed Jamaica from 1655 to 1962, when Jamaica achieved full independence.

Both countries share common membership of the Caribbean Development Bank, the Commonwealth, the International Criminal Court, and the World Trade Organization, as well as the CARIFORUM–UK Economic Partnership Agreement.[32] Bilaterally the two countries have an Investment Agreement.[33]

United StatesSee Jamaica–United States relations
Embassy of Jamaica in Washington, D.C.

The United States maintains close and productive relations with the Government of Jamaica. Former prime minister Patterson visited Washington, DC, several times after assuming office in 1992. In April 2001, Prime Minister Patterson and other Caribbean leaders met with President George W. Bush during the Summit of the Americas in Quebec, Canada, at which a "Third Border Initiative" was launched to deepen U.S. cooperation with Caribbean nations and enhance economic development and integration of the Caribbean nations. Then-Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller attended the "Conference on the Caribbean--A 20/20 Vision" in Washington in June 2007.

President Barack Obama visited the island on April 9. 2015. President Obama managed to squeeze in some fun in between meetings with Jamaican and Caribbean leaders on his trip to Jamaica this week—from paying homage to reggae star Bob Marley to practising his own Jamaican accent.

The United States is Jamaica's most important trading partner: bilateral trade in goods in 2005 was over $2 billion. Jamaica is a popular destination for American tourists; more than 1.2 million Americans visited in 2006. Also, some 10,000 American citizens, including many dual-nationals born on the island, permanently reside in Jamaica.

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Jamaica maintains economic and cultural relations with Taiwan via Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada.

Jamaica and the Commonwealth

Jamaica has been a member state of the Commonwealth of Nations since 1962 when it became an independent Commonwealth realm.

Multilateral membership

See also

References

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