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Foreign relations of Seychelles

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The Seychelles follows a policy of what it describes as "positive" nonalignment and strongly supports the principle of reduced superpower presence in the Indian Ocean. The Seychelles' foreign policy position has placed it generally toward the left of the spectrum within the Non-Aligned Movement. Russia, the United Kingdom, France, India, the People's Republic of China, Libya and Cuba maintain embassies in Victoria.

The government of the Seychelles withdrew diplomatic recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic on March 17, 2008, according to an official government source.[1]

Trends

The Seychelles government is one of the proponents of the Indian Ocean zone of peace concept and it has promoted an end to the United States presence on Diego Garcia. The country has adopted a pragmatic policy, however, and serves as an important rest and recreation stop for US ships serving in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean.

In its foreign relations, the Seychelles maximizes the benefits it receives from both China and India by taking advantage of those two countries' rivalry with respect to the strategic waterway in which the Seychelles exists.[2]: 47 

Diplomatic relations

List of countries which the Seychelles maintains diplomatic relations with:

More information #, Country ...
# Country Date[3]
1 United Kingdom 29 June 1976[4]
2 Australia 29 June 1976[5]
3 Canada 29 June 1976[6]
4 France 29 June 1976[7]
5 India 29 June 1976[8]
6 Italy 29 June 1976[9]
7 Japan 29 June 1976[10]
8 Pakistan 29 June 1976[11][12]
9 Russia 29 June 1976[13]
10 South Korea 29 June 1976[14]
11 China 30 June 1976[15]
12 Romania 30 June 1976[16]
13 Belgium 1 July 1976[17]
14 Cyprus 1 July 1976[18]
15 United States 1 July 1976[19]
16 Egypt 14 July 1976[20]
17 Iran July 1976[21]
18 Serbia 1 August 1976[22]
19 Libya 15 August 1976[23]
20 Portugal 16 August 1976[24]
21 Vietnam 16 August 1976[25]
22 North Korea 24 August 1976[26]
23 Algeria September 1976[27]
24 Czech Republic 14 December 1976[28]
25 Austria 12 January 1977[29]
26 Germany 18 January 1977[30]
27 Netherlands 19 January 1977[31]
28 Nigeria 28 January 1977[32]
29 Hungary 30 November 1977[33]
30 Guinea 4 April 1978[34]
31 Cuba 12 April 1978[35]
32 Spain 3 November 1978[36]
33 Democratic Republic of the Congo 1978[37]
34 Jamaica 15 January 1979[38]
35 Poland 12 February 1979[39]
36 Sweden 14 August 1979[40]
37 Denmark 27 November 1979[41][42]
38 Grenada 22 April 1980
39 Albania 16 May 1980[43]
40 Maldives 1 July 1980[44]
41 Greece 16 July 1980
42 Bulgaria 14 August 1980
43 Mongolia 20 August 1980
44 Iraq 17 February 1981[45]
45  Switzerland 10 March 1981[46]
46 Ethiopia 14 April 1982[47]
47 United Arab Emirates 18 December 1982[48]
48 Bangladesh 28 February 1983[49]
49 Oman 13 April 1983[50]
50 Bahrain 4 May 1983[51]
51 Mozambique August 1983[52]
52 Qatar 7 April 1984[53]
53 Nicaragua 22 May 1984
— Holy See 27 July 1984[54]
54 Norway 1 February 1985[55]
55 Indonesia 16 December 1985
56 Somalia 14 April 1986[56]
57 Mexico 1 June 1986[57]
58 Vanuatu 15 July 1986[58]
59 Tunisia 25 August 1986[59]
60 Argentina 2 October 1986
61   Nepal 10 October 1986
62 São Tomé and Príncipe 22 October 1986
63 Angola 7 November 1986
64 Brazil 10 November 1986
65 Tanzania 11 November 1986
66 Fiji 4 December 1986
67 Cape Verde 9 March 1987[60]
68 Zimbabwe 11 March 1987[61]
69 Finland 1 April 1987
70 Malaysia 1 May 1987
71 Philippines 9 October 1987
72 Benin 1 March 1988
73 Comoros 30 June 1988[62]
74 Senegal 8 July 1988[63]
75 Kuwait 11 July 1988[64]
76 Saint Lucia 13 July 1988
77 Mauritius 17 July 1988[65]
78 Thailand 19 July 1988
79 Colombia 5 August 1988
80 Singapore 16 September 1988[66]
81 Botswana 30 September 1988
82 Ghana 10 October 1988
83 Morocco 17 December 1988[67]
84 Luxembourg 17 February 1989
85 Malta 11 April 1989
86 Madagascar 12 April 1989[68]
87 Ivory Coast 19 April 1989[69]
88 Kenya 10 January 1990[70]
89 Brunei 1 May 1990[71]
90 Iceland 8 November 1990[72]
— State of Palestine 1990[73]
91 Venezuela 15 April 1991[74]
92 Chile 30 October 1991
93 Belize 20 November 1991
94 Ecuador 6 December 1991
95 Namibia 9 December 1991
96 Saint Kitts and Nevis 12 December 1991
97 Mauritania 10 January 1992
98 Peru 15 January 1992
99 Costa Rica 17 March 1992
100 Uganda 6 April 1992
101 Israel 30 June 1992[75]
102 Slovenia 21 October 1992[76]
103 New Zealand 1992[77]
104 Slovakia 6 January 1993[78]
105 Guatemala 13 January 1993
106 Marshall Islands 2 February 1993
107 Djibouti 3 February 1993[79]
108 Equatorial Guinea 14 April 1993
109 Paraguay 23 April 1993
110 Guyana 28 April 1993
111 Panama 21 May 1993
112 Lithuania 1 July 1993
113 South Africa 23 March 1994[80]
114 Latvia 23 March 1994
— Sovereign Military Order of Malta 7 June 1994[81]
115 Ukraine 30 September 1994
116 Azerbaijan 2 November 1994[82]
117 Turkey 22 June 1995
118 Cambodia 15 August 1996[83]
119 Gabon 14 November 1996[84]
120 Croatia 30 September 1997
121 Zambia 11 March 1998[85]
122 Sri Lanka 3 October 1998[86]
123 Ireland 9 October 1999[87]
124 Andorra 28 April 2000
125 Samoa 29 August 2000
126 Saudi Arabia 28 September 2000[88]
127 Haiti 15 October 2000
128 North Macedonia 7 February 2001[89]
129 Mali April 2001[90]
130 Malawi 22 May 2001
131 Sudan 21 September 2001
132 Belarus 4 October 2001
133 Eswatini 14 March 2002
134 San Marino 14 March 2002[91]
135 Eritrea 25 April 2002
136 Tonga 12 July 2002
137 Burundi 15 July 2002
138 Armenia 24 March 2006
139 Laos 22 June 2006
140 Estonia 15 November 2006[92]
141 Monaco 15 April 2008[93]
142 Dominican Republic 23 September 2008[94]
143 Uruguay 12 November 2008
144 Trinidad and Tobago 24 November 2009
145 Montenegro 19 May 2010
146 Rwanda 5 October 2010[95]
147 Solomon Islands 20 December 2010
148 Tuvalu 20 December 2010
149 Lesotho 25 January 2011[96]
150 Nauru 14 April 2011
151 Georgia 15 March 2013
152 South Sudan 24 July 2013[97]
153 Kazakhstan 11 March 2014
154 Kyrgyzstan 15 March 2014[98]
155 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 June 2014
156 Niger 18 November 2014[99]
157 Togo 3 March 2015
158 Palau 30 March 2015
159 Afghanistan 24 February 2017
160 Kiribati 24 February 2017[100]
161 Central African Republic 16 May 2017[101]
162 Burkina Faso 16 May 2017[102]
163 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 26 May 2017
164 Myanmar 12 July 2017
165 Tajikistan 28 December 2017
166 Dominica 23 June 2021[103]
167 Gambia 16 November 2023[104]
— Cook Islands 31 May 2024[105]
168 Turkmenistan 13 August 2024[106]
169 Suriname 22 September 2024[107]
170 Antigua and Barbuda 23 September 2024
171 Uzbekistan 23 September 2024
172 Bahamas 24 October 2024[108]
173 El Salvador 12 November 2024
174 Sierra Leone 16 February 2025
175 Lebanon 25 June 2025
176 Cameroon 11 February 2026[109]
177 Liberia 13 February 2026[110]
178 Moldova 28 April 2026
179 Federated States of Micronesia 19 August 2026[111]
180 Republic of the Congo Unknown[112]
181 Yemen Unknown[112]
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Bilateral relations

Americas

More information Country, Formal Relations Began ...
Country Formal Relations Began Notes
Cuba12 April 1978[113]On 26 April 2017 President Seychelles inaugurated the embassy of Seychelles in Havana.[114]
Mexico1 June 1986Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Mexico established as of 1 June 1986[115]
  • Mexico is accredited to the Seychelles from its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.[116]
  • Seychelles does not have an accreditation to Mexico.
United States1 July 1976[117]See Seychelles–United States relations
  • Seychelles is accredited to the United States from its Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York City.
  • United States has an embassy in Victoria.
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Asia

More information Country, Formal Relations Began ...
Country Formal Relations Began Notes
China30 June 1976[118]See China–Seychelles relations
  • China has an embassy in Victoria.
  • Seychelles has an embassy in Beijing and a consulate-general in Shanghai.
India29 June 1976See India–Seychelles relations Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and India established as of 29 June 1976[119]

In an effort to reduce the increasing piracy in the nearby region, Seychelles requested the Indian Navy to carry out anti-piracy operations in her waters.[120] This made India-Seychelles relations stronger. The Seychelles also praised the Indian Navy for their anti-piracy operations.[120]

Malaysia1 May 1987[123]See Malaysia–Seychelles relations
North Korea29 June 1976 and 24 August 1976See North Korea–Seychelles relations
Turkey22 June 1995Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Turkey established as of 22 June 1995[124]
  • Embassy of Seychelles in Paris is accredited to Turkey.[125]
  • The Turkish Embassy in Nairobi is accredited to Seychelles.[125]
  • Trade volume between the two countries was US$25.4 million in 2019 (Turkish exports/imports: 17.7/7.7 million USD).[125]
Vietnam16 August 1979[126]

President James Alix Michel's official visited to Vietnam in August, 2013. The statement says this is an official visit to Vietnam made by a high-ranking leader of Seychelles.[127]

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Europe

More information Country, Formal Relations Began ...
Country Formal Relations Began Notes
Cyprus1 July 1976Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Cyprus established as of 1 July 1976[128]
France29 June 1976Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and France established as of 29 June 1976[132]
Embassy of Seychelles in Paris
Greece16 July 1980Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Greece established as of 16 July 1980[133]
  • Greece is accredited to Seychelles from its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.[134]
  • Seychelles is accredited to Greece from its embassy in Paris, France.[134]
Russia30 June 1976See Russia–Seychelles relations

Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and the Soviet Union were established on 30 June 1976, a day after the island nation gained its independence from the United Kingdom.[135]

  • Russia has an embassy in Victoria.[136]
  • Seychelles is accredited to Russia from its embassy in Paris, France and maintains an honorary consulate in Saint Petersburg.
 Switzerland10 March 1981
  • Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Switzerland established as of 10 March 1981[137]
  • Both countries are full members of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.
  • Seychelles is accredited to Switzerland from its embassy in Paris, France.
  • Switzerland is accredited to Seychelles from its embassy in Antananarivo, Madagascar.
United Kingdom29 June 1976See Seychelles–United Kingdom relations
British Prime Minister David Cameron with Seychellois Prime Minister James Michel in 10 Downing Street, February 2012

Seychelles established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 29 June 1976.[4]

The UK governed Seychelles from 1811 to 1968, when Seychelles achieved full independence.

Both countries share common membership of the Commonwealth, the International Criminal Court, the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and the World Trade Organization, as well as the Eastern and Southern Africa–UK Economic Partnership Agreement. Bilaterally the two countries have an Economic Security Partnership.[140]

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