Foreign relations of Seychelles

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English 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.

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.Template:Rp

Diplomatic relations

List of countries which the Seychelles maintains diplomatic relations with:

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

Africa

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Mauritius	17 June 1988	Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Mauritius established as of 17 June 1988 Mauritius has an honorary consulate in Victoria. Seychelles has an honorary consulate in Port Louis. Both are the members of Commonwealth of Nations and La Francophonie.

Americas

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Cuba	12 April 1978	Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Cuba established as of 12 April 1978 and 26 April 2017 President Seychelles inauguration Embassy of Seychelles in Havana,Cuba In 2022, Seychelles closed its embassy in Havana. Cuba has an embassy in Victoria. Seychelles does not have an accreditation to Cuba.
Mexico	1 June 1986	Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Mexico established as of 1 June 1986 Mexico is accredited to the Seychelles from its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. Seychelles does not have an accreditation to Mexico.
United States	1 July 1976	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.

Asia

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
China	30 June 1976	See China–Seychelles relations China has an embassy in Victoria. Seychelles has an embassy in Beijing and a consulate-general in Shanghai.
India	29 June 1976	See India–Seychelles relations Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and India established as of 29 June 1976 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. This made India-Seychelles relations stronger. The Seychelles also praised the Indian Navy for their anti-piracy operations. India has a High Commission in Victoria. Seychelles maintains a High Commission in New Delhi.
Malaysia	1 May 1987	See Malaysia–Seychelles relations Malaysia is accredited to Seychelles from its embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe. Seychelles has a high commission in Kuala Lumpur.
North Korea	29 June 1976 and 24 August 1976	See North Korea–Seychelles relations Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the North Korea and the Republic of Seychelles is June 28, 1976. From 1980, DPR Korea and Seychelles have a good relations in military.
Turkey	22 June 1995	Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Turkey established as of 22 June 1995 Embassy of Seychelles in Paris is accredited to Turkey. The Turkish Embassy in Nairobi is accredited to Seychelles. Trade volume between the two countries was US$25.4 million in 2019 (Turkish exports/imports: 17.7/7.7 million USD).
United Arab Emirates	18 December 1982	Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and United Arab Emirates established as of 18 December 1982 Seychelles has an embassy in Abu Dhabi. UAE has an embassy in Victoria.
Vietnam	16 August 1979	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. Both countries are members of La Francophonie.

Europe

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Cyprus	1 July 1976	Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Cyprus established as of 1 July 1976 Both countries a members of the Commonwealth of Nations List of bilateral agreements. Cyprus is represented in Seychelles through its embassy in Muscat, Oman. Seychelles is represented in Cyprus through its High Commission in London, United Kingdom. Two countries are a member of La Francophonie.
France	29 June 1976	Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and France established as of 29 June 1976 File:Seychellois embassy in Paris.jpg Embassy of Seychelles in Paris France has an embassy in Victoria. Seychelles has an embassy in Paris. Seychelles claimed the French-owned Glorioso Islands in the Indian Ocean before the France–Seychelles Maritime Boundary Agreement. Both countries are members of La Francophonie.
Greece	16 July 1980	Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Greece established as of 16 July 1980 Greece is accredited to Seychelles from its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. Seychelles is accredited to Greece from its embassy in Paris, France.
Russia	30 June 1976	See 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. Russia has an embassy in Victoria. Seychelles is accredited to Russia from its embassy in Paris, France and maintains an honorary consulate in Saint Petersburg.
Switzerland	10 March 1981	Diplomatic relations between Seychelles and Switzerland established as of 10 March 1981 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 Kingdom	29 June 1976	See Seychelles–United Kingdom relations File:Prime Minister and Seychelles President sign counter-piracy agreement (6779708386).jpg 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. Seychelles maintains a high commission in London. The United Kingdom is accredited to Seychelles through its high commission in Victoria. 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.

The Seychelles and the Commonwealth of Nations

The Seychelles is a member state of the Commonwealth of Nations.

See also

• List of diplomatic missions in Seychelles
• List of diplomatic missions of Seychelles