Foreign relations of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta

Sovereign entity maintaining diplomatic relations worldwide From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) is a sovereign entity maintaining diplomatic relations with 115 sovereign states (including the Holy See).[1] Additionally, it has observer status or representation at multiple intergovernmental organisations.[2] The Order has non-diplomatic official relations with seven more states: France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Canada, United Kingdom and Taiwan.[1][3][4] The Order exchanges ambassadors with the European Union and the State of Palestine.[1][2]

Embassy of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Bilateral relations

Diplomatic relations

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta maintains diplomatic relations with 114 United Nations members and the Holy See. It has moreover signed Declarations of Intent with Saint Kitts and Nevis (September 2025),[5] Vanuatu (September 2025)[6] and Palau (January 2026)[7] in preparation for establishing diplomatic relations.

More information #, Country ...
# Country Date
Holy See February 1930[8]
1 Romania December 1932[9]
2 Spain 19 November 1938[10]
3 Haiti 1947[11]
4 Panama 2 August 1948[12]
5 Argentina 7 June 1951[13]
6 Brazil 6 December 1951[14][15]
7 El Salvador 1951[11]
8 Colombia 28 January 1953[16]
9 Peru 15 April 1953[17]
10 Ecuador[a] 29 July 1953[20]
11 Chile 24 February 1956[21]
12 Italy[b] 12 June 1956[24]
13 Lebanon 1956[11]
14 Costa Rica 8 August 1957[25]
15 Nicaragua 12 September 1957[26]
16 Austria 6 December 1957[27]
17 Dominican Republic 1957[28]
18 Paraguay 10 January 1958[29]
19 Guatemala 23 June 1959[30]
20 Cuba 29 July 1959[31]
21 Honduras 1959[28]
22 Liberia 1959[28]
23 Cameroon 4 July 1961[28]
24 Somalia 28 November 1961[28]
25 Bolivia 15 June 1962[32]
26 Portugal 19 December 1962[33]
27 Gabon 1963[28]
28 Philippines 24 April 1965[34]
29 Uruguay 1 July 1965[35]
30 Senegal 1965[28]
31 Malta 27 June 1966[36]
32 Venezuela 3 August 1970[37]
33 Niger 9 January 1971[38]
34 Ethiopia February 1971[39]
35 Benin 1972[28]
36 Ivory Coast 1972[28]
37 Togo 5 September 1973[40]
38 Burkina Faso 1973[28]
39 Mauritania 3 March 1977[41]
40 Mauritius 18 July 1978[42]
41 Egypt 1980[28]
42 Central African Republic 1981[28]
43 Comoros 1981[28]
44 Thailand 4 September 1984[43]
45 Democratic Republic of the Congo 1984[28]
46 San Marino[c] 4 March 1986[45]
47 Guinea 24 June 1986[46]
48 Morocco 4 December 1986[47][48]
49 Mali 1986[28]
50 Chad 1989[28]
51 Czech Republic 8 June 1990[49]
52 Hungary 15 June 1990[50]
53 Poland 9 July 1990[51]
54 Madagascar 1990[28]
55 Lithuania 9 July 1992[52]
56 Slovenia 15 July 1992[53]
57 Russia 7 August 1992[54]
58 Croatia 22 December 1992[55]
59 Republic of the Congo 1992[28]
60 Cambodia 1992[28]
61 Sudan 1992[28]
62 Slovakia 1 January 1993[56]
63 Seychelles 7 June 1994[57]
64 Albania 14 July 1994[58]
65 Liechtenstein 7 November 1994[59]
66 Bulgaria 11 November 1994[60]
67 Latvia 15 August 1995[61]
68 Belarus 30 April 1996[62]
69 North Macedonia 12 July 1996[62]
70 Equatorial Guinea 16 July 1996[62]
71 Cape Verde 1996[28]
72 Bosnia and Herzegovina 31 January 1997[63]
73 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines February 1997[64]
74 Federated States of Micronesia 12 November 1997[65]
75 Guinea-Bissau 1997[28]
76 Mozambique 1997[28]
77 São Tomé and Príncipe 1997[28]
78 Armenia 29 May 1998[66]
79 Georgia 24 July 1998[67]
80 Suriname 30 April 1999[68]
81 Guyana 19 May 1999[69]
82 Eritrea 1999[28]
83 Saint Lucia 1999[28]
84 Belize 1999[28]
85 Afghanistan 1999[28]
86 Kazakhstan 26 April 2001[70][71]
87 Moldova 5 May 2001[72]
88 Serbia 11 May 2001[73]
89 Tajikistan 1 June 2001[74]
90 Marshall Islands 3 May 2002[75]
91 Kiribati 2002[28]
92 Jordan 29 June 2003[76]
93 Angola 13 December 2005[77]
94 Montenegro 5 September 2006[78]
95 Timor-Leste 18 September 2006[79]
96 Kenya 14 September 2007[80]
97 Monaco 18 October 2007[81]
98 Turkmenistan 30 October 2007[80]
99 Ukraine 9 February 2008[80]
100 Bahamas 11 November 2008[80]
101 Sierra Leone 28 November 2008[80]
102 Namibia 31 March 2009[80]
103 Antigua and Barbuda 20 October 2009[80]
104 Cyprus 6 June 2012[82]
105 South Sudan 14 November 2014[83]
106 Grenada 6 November 2015[84]
107 Germany 15 November 2017[85]
108 Nauru 5 October 2018[86]
109 Estonia 11 March 2020[87]
110 Greece 2 December 2021[88]
111 Lesotho 7 December 2021[89]
112 Gambia 20 September 2023[90]
113 Burundi 25 October 2024[91]
114 Andorra 16 June 2025[92]
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Other countries

More information #, Name ...
# Name Diplomatic relations established Notes
European Union1987Ambassador level relations.[2]
Palestinian AuthorityAmbassador level relations.[1]
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Official relations

More information Name, Official relations established ...
Name Official relations established Region Notes
Belgium1960Europe
 Switzerland1960Europe
France1982EuropeFrance does not recognise the SMOM as a subject of international law.[93]
Luxembourg1995Europe
Canada4 June 2008North AmericaCanada established official relations in June 2008, with its Ambassador to the Holy See accredited to the Order of Malta.[94]
United Kingdom9 October 2024EuropeThe Sovereign Military Order of Malta established official relations with the United Kingdom on 9 October 2024.[95]
TaiwanAsiaThe Order of Malta has official relations with Taiwan through the Embassy of the Republic of China to the Holy See in Rome (Italy).[96]
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Unofficial relations

More information #, Name ...
# Name Region Notes
NetherlandsEuropeRecognises it as a knightly order[97]
MongoliaAsiaAccepts its stamps[98]
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Intergovernmental organizations

See also

Notes

  1. On 10 February 2012, President Rafael Correa issued a decree to withdraw recognition and initiate the process of cancelling relations.[18] Later on, the relations were restored by President Lenín Moreno on 24 September 2019.[19]
  2. The Supreme Court of Cassation decreed on 6 June 1974 that, "the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Malta constitutes a sovereign international subject, in all terms equal, even if without territory, to a foreign state with which Italy has normal diplomatic relations, so there is no doubt, as already this Supreme Court has warned, that it has the legal treatment of foreign states".[22] As Italy recognizes, in addition to extraterritoriality, the exercise by SMOM of all the prerogatives of sovereignty in its headquarters, Italian sovereignty and SMOM sovereignty uniquely coexist without overlapping.[23]
  3. Official relations between SMOM and San Marino were established on 23 June 1935; the treaty establishing relations described the parties as "due Stati" ("two States").[44] These ties were elevated to diplomatic relations on 4 March 1986.[45]

References

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