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Foreign relations of Liechtenstein

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Liechtenstein's foreign economic policy has been dominated by its customs union with Switzerland (and with Austria-Hungary until World War I). This union also led to its independent membership in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1991. Unlike Switzerland however (where citizens rejected membership in a referendum), Liechtenstein is part of the European Economic Area.

Consulate of Malta in Schaan

Liechtenstein was admitted to the United Nations in 1990. It is not a member of most specialized agencies of the United Nations, with the exceptions of the International Telecommunication Union, the Universal Postal Union and the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Liechtenstein has resorted two times to international dispute settlement by the International Court of Justice, in the Nottebohm (Liechtenstein v. Guatemala) case against Guatemala in the 1950s and in a case concerning art property of the Liechtenstein family against Germany in 2005. It lost in both cases.

Liechtenstein maintains resident embassies in Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Holy See, Switzerland and the United States, along with a number of missions to international organisations. Under a 1919 agreement between Liechtenstein and Switzerland, ambassadors of Switzerland are authorised to represent Liechtenstein in countries and in diplomatic situations unless Liechtenstein opts to send its own ambassador.[1] As of 2024, Liechtenstein has diplomatic relations with 133 UN countries.[2]

Relations with individual countries

International dispute with Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia

See also: Czech Republic–Liechtenstein relations

The country has an international dispute with the Czech Republic and Slovakia concerning the estates of its princely family in those countries. After World War II, Czechoslovakia, as it then was, acting to seize what it considered to be German possessions, expropriated the entirety of the Liechtenstein dynasty's hereditary lands and possessions in the Czech regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia. The expropriations (which were the subject of an unsuccessful court case brought by Liechtenstein in the German courts and the International Court of Justice) included over 1,600 km2 (620 sq mi) [citation needed] (which is ten times the size of Liechtenstein) of agricultural and forest land mostly in Moravia, also including several family castles and palaces. An offer from the Czech Republic to return the palaces and castles (without the surrounding land) was rejected by Liechtenstein.[3]

Liechtenstein recognised and established diplomatic relations with the Czech Republic on 13 July 2009[4][5][6] and with Slovakia on 9 December 2009.[7] Liechtenstein's ruling prince, Hans-Adam II, has announced that the principality will take no further legal action to recover the appropriated assets.[3]

In February 2020, the Czech Constitutional court in Brno rejected a case made by Liechtenstein to get the Czech government to change their classification of the Liechtenstein dynasty as German under the Beneš Decrees.[8] On 19 August 2020, an inter-state application under the European Convention on Human Rights was made by Liechtenstein to the European Court of Human Rights against the Czech Republic.[9]

Diplomatic relations

List of countries which Liechtenstein maintains diplomatic relations with:

More information #, Country ...
# Country Date
1  Switzerland March 1919[10]
2 China 14 September 1950[11]
3 Germany 6 May 1952[12]
4 Austria 29 May 1981[13]
— Holy See 28 August 1985[14]
5 Estonia 4 September 1991[15]
6 Sweden 24 October 1991[16]
7 Netherlands 20 November 1991[17]
8 Norway 9 January 1992[18]
9 Spain 9 January 1992[18]
10 Azerbaijan 21 January 1992[19]
11 Slovenia 31 January 1992[20]
12 Croatia 4 February 1992[21]
13 Italy 6 February 1992[22]
14 Portugal 6 February 1992[23]
15 Ukraine 6 February 1992[24]
16 United Kingdom 6 February 1992[22]
17 Belarus 10 February 1992[25]
18 Belgium 13 March 1992[26]
19 Denmark 13 March 1992[26]
20 Israel 13 March 1992[26]
21 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 May 1992[27]
22 Georgia 10 June 1992[28]
23 Poland 25 June 1992[29]
24 Finland 26 June 1992[30]
25 Iceland 26 June 1992[31]
26 Luxembourg 26 June 1992[32]
27 Turkey 2 October 1992[33]
28 France 8 October 1992[34]
29 Ireland 13 January 1993[35]
30 South Korea 2 March 1993[36]
31 India 6 April 1993[37]
32 Albania 23 April 1993[38]
33 Hungary 14 June 1993[39]
34 Brazil 11 January 1994[40]
35 Argentina 12 January 1994[41]
36 South Africa 12 January 1994[41]
37 Russia 30 January 1994[42]
38 North Macedonia 31 January 1994[43]
39 Bulgaria 25 April 1994[44]
40 Uruguay 25 April 1994[44]
41 Mexico 1 July 1994[45]
42 Greece 6 July 1994[46]
— Sovereign Military Order of Malta 7 November 1994[47]
43 Andorra 1 September 1995[48]
44 Philippines 24 November 1995[49]
45 Pakistan 4 December 1995[50]
46 Monaco 16 February 1996[51]
47 Canada 12 March 1996[52]
48 Japan 12 June 1996[53][54]
49 Peru 5 July 1996[55]
50 Chile 2 October 1996[56]
51 Cyprus 2 October 1996[56]
52 Latvia 3 December 1996[57]
53 United States 10 February 1997[58]
54 Australia 14 March 1997[59]
55 Cuba 11 June 1997[60]
56 Thailand 14 August 1997[61]
57 Ecuador 17 October 1997[62]
58 Venezuela 17 October 1997[62]
59 Romania 12 December 1997[63]
60 Mongolia 18 March 1998[64]
61 Iran 14 August 1998[65]
62 Indonesia 14 August 1998[65]
63 Kyrgyzstan 16 September 1999[66]
64 Costa Rica 12 January 2000[67]
65 Lebanon 9 June 2000[68]
66 Morocco 9 June 2000[68]
67 Lithuania 27 March 2001[69]
68 North Korea 2 May 2001[70]
69 Moldova 14 August 2001[71]
70 Colombia 24 October 2001[72]
71 Serbia 4 April 2003[73]
72 Malta 12 May 2003[74]
73 Laos 8 January 2004[75]
74 Malaysia July 2004[76]
75 Bahrain 1 April 2005[77]
76 Egypt 17 October 2005[78]
77 Algeria 21 October 2005[79]
78 Kazakhstan 31 January 2007[80]
79 Montenegro 26 March 2007[81]
80 Tajikistan 28 January 2008[82]
81 Armenia 7 May 2008[83]
82 Kuwait 16 June 2008[84]
83 Vietnam 2 July 2008[85]
84 Niger 17 December 2008[86]
85 Saudi Arabia 29 April 2009[87]
86 United Arab Emirates 22 October 2009[88]
87 Czech Republic 8 September 2009[89]
88 Slovakia 9 December 2009[90]
89 Singapore 19 April 2010[88]
90 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2010[91]
91 Maldives 21 January 2011[92]
92 Paraguay 6 April 2011[86]
93 Cambodia 8 June 2011[93]
94 San Marino 21 October 2011[94]
95 Nigeria 28 October 2011[95]
96 Brunei 15 November 2011[96]
97 Panama 3 January 2012[97]
98 Tuvalu 1 June 2012[98]
— Kosovo 28 June 2012[99][100]
99 Solomon Islands 2012[101]
100 Nicaragua 23 February 2013[102]
101 New Zealand 30 October 2013[103]
102 Trinidad and Tobago 31 January 2014[88]
103 Ivory Coast 14 March 2014[88]
104 Qatar 26 June 2014[104]
105 Fiji 30 July 2014[88]
106 Guinea 11 December 2015[105]
107 Guatemala 22 December 2015[106]
108 El Salvador 2015[107]
109 Rwanda 10 November 2016[108]
110 Mauritius 12 May 2017[88]
111 Sudan 24 May 2017[109]
112 Tunisia 20 October 2017[110]
113   Nepal 24 November 2017[88]
114 Antigua and Barbuda 25 September 2018[88]
115 Afghanistan 26 October 2018[111]
116 Equatorial Guinea 2018[112]
117 Benin 26 June 2019[113]
118 Chad 26 June 2019[110]
119 Marshall Islands 24 September 2019[114]
120 Dominican Republic 26 September 2019[115]
121 Ghana 19 December 2019[88]
122 Honduras 2020[116]
123 Sri Lanka 5 March 2021[88]
124 Angola 23 June 2021[117]
125 Namibia 22 September 2021[118][119]
126 Bolivia 17 November 2021[120]
127 Senegal 2021[118]
128 Kenya 29 April 2022[121]
129 Jamaica 18 September 2023[88]
130 Saint Lucia 20 September 2023[88]
131 Oman 4 March 2024[122]
132 Uzbekistan 5 March 2024[123]
133 Turkmenistan 1 November 2024[88]
134 Cape Verde 2024[124]
135 Jordan 2024[124]
136 Burundi 12 August 2025[125]
137 Zambia 25 September 2025[126]
138 Bahamas 1 May 2026[88]
139 Bhutan 2 June 2026[88]
140 Lesotho 1 July 2026[127]
141 Botswana 11 August 2026[128]
142 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Unknown
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Bilateral relations

Americas

More information Country, Formal relations began on ...
Country Formal relations began on Notes
Mexico1 July 1994[45]
Honorary Consulate of Mexico in Liechtenstein
United States 10 February 1997[58] See Liechtenstein–United States relations
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Asia

More information Country, Formal relations began on ...
Country Formal relations began on Notes
Hong Kong See Hong Kong–Liechtenstein relations
  • Signed a tax treaty in 2010.[130]
  • Have a free trade agreement.[131]
India6 April 1993[37]See India–Liechtenstein relations
Japan 12 June 1996[53][54] See Japan–Liechtenstein relations
  • The two countries signed a tax treaty in 2012.[132]
South Korea 2 March 1993[36] Both countries established diplomatic relations on March 02, 1993.[133]
  • The two states signed a FTA on 15 December 2005.
Turkey 2 October 1992[33]
  • Turkey established diplomatic relations with Liechtenstein only in 1992 because Switzerland[134] had taken responsibility for Liechtenstein's diplomatic relations until early 1990s.[135]
  • Turkey is accredited to Liechtenstein from its embassy in Bern, Switzerland and maintains an honorary consulate in Vaduz.[136][137]
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Europe

More information Country, Formal relations began on ...
Country Formal relations began on Notes
Czech Republic 8 September 2009[89] See Czech Republic–Liechtenstein relations
  • The two countries have a long-running dispute regarding the seizure of Liechtenstein assets and properties by the Beneš decrees in 1945.[138]
  • In 2003, the Czech Republic refused to recognize Liechtenstein as having become a sovereign state in 1806.[138]
  • The two countries signed a correspondence treaty in 2009.[138]
France 8 October 1992[34] See France–Liechtenstein relations
  • The two countries signed a tax information exchange agreement.[139]
Germany6 May 1952[12]See Germany–Liechtenstein relations
Russia 30 January 1994[42] See Liechtenstein–Russia relations
 SwitzerlandMarch 1919[10]See Liechtenstein–Switzerland relations
Ukraine 6 February 1992[24] See Liechtenstein–Ukraine relations
  • The two countries have a free trade agreement.[142]
United Kingdom 6 February 1992[22] See Liechtenstein–United Kingdom relations
Liechtensteiner Prime Minister Daniel Risch with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at a European Political Community summit on Blenheim Palace, July 2025.

The UK established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 6 February 1992.[22]

  • The United Kingdom is not accredited to Liechtenstein through an embassy; the UK develops relations through its embassy in Bern, Switzerland.[143]

Both countries share common membership of the Council of Europe, European Court of Human Rights, the International Criminal Court, OSCE, the United Nations, and the World Trade Organization. Bilaterally the two countries have a Double Taxation Convention,[144] a Free Trade Agreement, a Separation Agreement, a Social Security Coordination Convention, and a Trade Agreement.[145]

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Membership in international organizations

See also: Liechtenstein and the United Nations

Liechtenstein is a member of the following international organizations:

Liechtenstein was never a member of the League of Nations. Its application to join that international organisation was refused in 1920 due to its small size.[146] While included in the Schengen Area, Liechtenstein is not a member of the European Union.

See also

References

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