Foreign relations of the Comoros

Template:Short description Template:Politics of Comoros In November 1975, Comoros became the 143rd member of the United Nations. The new nation was defined as consisting of the entire archipelago, despite the fact that France maintains control over Mayotte.

Overview

Comoros also is a member of the African Union, the Arab League, the European Development Fund, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Indian Ocean Commission, and the African Development Bank.

The government fostered close relationships with the more conservative (and oil-rich) Arab states, such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It frequently received aid from those countries and the regional financial institutions they influenced, such as the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development. In October 1993, Comoros joined the League of Arab States, after having been rejected when it applied for membership initially in 1977.

Regional relations generally were good. In 1985 Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles agreed to admit Comoros as the fourth member of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), an organization established in 1982 to encourage regional cooperation. In 1993 Mauritius and Seychelles had two of the five embassies in Moroni, and Mauritius and Madagascar were connected to the republic by regularly scheduled commercial flights.

In November 1975, Comoros became the 143d member of the UN. In the 1990s, the republic continued to represent Mahoré in the UN. Comoros was also a member of the OAU, the EDF, the World Bank, the IMF, the IOC, and the African Development Bank.

Comoros thus cultivated relations with various nations, both East and West, seeking to increase trade and obtain financial assistance. In 1994, however, it was increasingly facing the need to control its expenditures and reorganize its economy so that it would be viewed as a sounder recipient of investment. Comoros also confronted domestically the problem of the degree of democracy the government was prepared to grant to its citizens, a consideration that related to its standing in the world community.

Diplomatic relations

List of countries which the Comoros maintains diplomatic relations with:

File:Diplomatic relations of the Comoros.svg
#	Country	Date
1	China	Template:Dts
2	North Korea	Template:Dts
3	Syria	Template:Dts
4	Russia	Template:DTS
5	Libya	Template:DTS
6	Kuwait	Template:Dts
7	Iraq	Template:Dts
8	Czech Republic	Template:Dts
9	Egypt	Template:Dts
10	India	Template:Dts
11	Senegal	Template:Dts
12	Romania	Template:Dts
13	Iran	Template:Dts
14	Italy	Template:Dts
15	Madagascar	Template:Dts
16	Belgium	Template:Dts
17	Serbia	Template:Dts
18	Cuba	Template:Dts
19	Tanzania	Template:Dts
20	Tunisia	Template:Dts
21	Netherlands	Template:Dts
22	Switzerland	Template:Dts
23	United Arab Emirates	Template:Dts
24	Bulgaria	Template:Dts
25	Poland	Template:Dts
26	Canada	Template:Dts
27	United States	Template:Dts
28	United Kingdom	Template:Dts
29	Japan
30	Hungary	Template:Dts
31	Finland	Template:Dts
32	Sweden	Template:Dts
33	Luxembourg	Template:Dts
34	Germany	Template:Dts
35	France	Template:Dts
36	Morocco	Template:Dts
37	South Korea
38	Algeria
39	Turkey	Template:Dts
40	Oman	Template:Dts
41	Guinea	Template:Dts
42	Denmark	Template:Dts
43	Nigeria	Template:Dts
44	Spain	Template:Dts
45	Indonesia	Template:Dts
46	Maldives	Template:Dts
47	Australia	Template:Dts
48	Pakistan	Template:Dts
49	Djibouti	Template:Dts
50	Bahrain	Template:Dts
51	Saudi Arabia	Template:Dts
52	Yemen	Template:Dts
53	Mauritius	Template:Dts
54	Mozambique	Template:Dts
55	Thailand	Template:Dts
56	Seychelles	Template:Dts
57	Argentina	Template:Dts
58	Colombia	Template:Dts
59	Bolivia	Template:Dts
60	Venezuela	Template:Dts
—	Template:Country data State of Palestine	Template:Dts
61	Bosnia and Herzegovina
62	South Africa	Template:Dts
63	Ukraine	Template:Dts
64	Portugal	Template:Dts
65	Brunei	Template:Dts
66	Croatia	Template:Dts
67	Template:Country data North Macedonia
68	Malaysia	Template:Dts
69	Iceland	Template:Dts
70	Cyprus	Template:Dts
71	Angola
72	Brazil	Template:Dts
73	Uzbekistan
74	Zambia
75	Austria	Template:Dts
76	Armenia	Template:Dts
77	Andorra	Template:Dts
78	Mexico	Template:Dts
79	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Template:Dts
80	Uruguay
81	Azerbaijan	Template:Dts
82	Cambodia	Template:Dts
83	Latvia	Template:Dts
84	Template:Country data Georgia	Template:Dts
85	Estonia	Template:Dts
86	Montenegro	Template:Dts
87	Solomon Islands	Template:Dts
88	Slovenia	Template:Dts
89	Sudan	Template:Dts
90	Philippines	Template:Dts
91	Mongolia	Template:Dts
92	Kazakhstan	Template:Dts
93	Tuvalu	Template:Dts
94	Equatorial Guinea	Template:Dts
95	Singapore	Template:Dts
96	Lithuania	Template:Dts
97	Fiji	Template:Dts
98	Bangladesh	Template:Dts
99	Mauritania	Template:Dts
100	Ghana	Template:Dts
101	Vietnam	Template:Dts
102	Ecuador	Template:Dts
103	Ivory Coast	Template:Dts
104	Mali	Template:Dts
105	Slovakia	Template:Dts
106	Ireland	Template:Dts
107	Benin	Template:Dts
108	South Sudan	Template:Dts
109	Tajikistan	Template:Dts
110	Jordan	Template:Dts
111	Botswana	Template:Dts
112	Uganda	Template:Dts
113	Norway	Template:Dts
114	Nicaragua	Template:Dts
115	Niger	Template:Dts
116	Gambia	Template:Dts
117	Namibia
118	Malawi	Template:Dts
119	Republic of the Congo	Template:Dts
120	Kenya	Template:Dts
121	Cape Verde	Template:Dts
122	Saint Kitts and Nevis
123	Rwanda	Template:Dts
124	Somalia	Template:Dts
125	Dominica	Template:Dts
126	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Unknown
127	Ethiopia	Unknown
128	Greece	Unknown
129	Lebanon	Unknown
—	Qatar (suspended)	Unknown

Bilateral relations

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Belgium	15 November 1976	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 15 November 1976 Comoros maintains an embassy in Brussels.
China	13 November 1975	See China–Comoros relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 13 November 1975 Comoros also hosted an embassy of China, which established relations during the Soilih regime. The Chinese had long been a source of aid and apparently wished to maintain contact with Comoros to counterbalance Indian and Soviet (later Russian) influence in the Indian Ocean. In August 2008, a Comorian delegation visited China on a good-will visit. Together with the Chinese defense minister Liang Guanglie, and Chief of Staff of the Comoros armed forces Salimou Mohamed Amiri, pledged to increase cooperation between the military of the two nations. Amiri stated that Comoros will continue to adhere to the One-China policy. A comprehensive Chinese-assisted treatment campaign has apparently eliminated malaria from the Comorian island of Moheli (population 36,000). Administered by Li Guoqiao at the Tropical Medicine Institute, the program relies on hybrid Artemisia annua of hybrid ancestry, which was used for a drug regimen by which all residents of the island, whether or not visibly ill, took two doses at a 40-day interval. This eliminated the human reservoir of the disease and reduced hospital admissions to 1% or less of January 2008 levels. Visitors to Moheli are now required to take antimalarial drugs, a mix of artemisinin, primaquine and pyrimethamine that China provides for free. When asked about Artemisia exports, Li was quoted, "We want to grow them in China and whatever we export depends on bilateral relationships." Comoros has requested a similar program for Grande Comore and Anjouan, total population 760,000, and Li said that Beijing has agreed in principle.
Template:Country data Democratic Republic of Congo		The countries maintain diplomatic relations and Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi visited Comoros in 2023.
Cyprus		Cyprus is represented in Comoros by its embassy in Pretoria.
Denmark	1 December 1981	Denmark is represented in Comoros by its embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Finland	19 December 1977	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 19 December 1977 Comoros is represented in Finland by its embassy in Paris, France.
France	1 July 1978	See France–Comoros relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 1 July 1978 Comoros' most significant international relationship is that with France. The three years of estrangement following the unilateral declaration of independence and the nationalistic Soilih regime were followed during the conservative Abdallah and Djohar regimes by a period of growing trade, aid, cultural, and defense links between the former colony and France, punctuated by frequent visits to Paris by the head of state and occasional visits by the French president to Moroni. The leading military power in the region, France has detachments on Mahoré and Réunion, and its Indian Ocean fleet sails the waters around the islands. France and Comoros signed a mutual security treaty in 1978; following the mercenary coup against Abdallah in 1989, French troops restored order and took responsibility for reorganizing and training the Comorian army. With Mahoré continuing to gravitate politically and economically toward France, and Comoros increasingly dependent on the French for help with its own considerable social, political, and economic problems, the issue of Mahoré diminished somewhat in urgency. Comoros claims French-administered Mayotte & the Glorioso Islands.
India	4 June 1976	See Comoros–India relations Both countries established diplomatic relations in June 1976. Both countries are full members of the Indian-Ocean Rim Association.
Indonesia	23 June 1983	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 23 June 1983 Indonesia is represented in Comoros by their embassy in Dar es Salaam. Both countries are full members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and of the Indian-Ocean Rim Association.
Ireland	24 October 2018	Ireland is represented in Comoros by its embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Italy	1 November 1976	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 1 November 1976 Comoros is represented in Italy by its embassy in Paris, France and an honorary consulate in Rome. Italy is represented in Comoros by its embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and an honorary consulate in Anjouan.
Japan	14 November 1977	Comorian relations with Japan were also significant because Japan was the second largest provider of aid, consisting of funding for fisheries, food, and highway development.
Libya	1 April 1976	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 1 April 1976
Malaysia	2000	Both countries established diplomatic relations in 2000.
Mexico	13 October 2008	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 13 October 2008 The Comoros does not have an accreditation to Mexico. Mexico is accredited to the Comoros from its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.
Morocco		The two countries maintain diplomatic relations and signed 11 agreements in 2022.
Netherlands	21 February 1977	Comoros is represented in Netherlands by their embassy in Brussels, Belgium. The Netherlands are represented in Comoros by their embassy in Dar es Salaam.
Niger		The two countries maintain cordial relations.
North Korea		See Comoros–North Korea relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on November 13, 1975.
Qatar		See Comoros–Qatar relations Comoros severed the diplomatic relations with Qatar in June 2017.
Saudi Arabia		Saudi Arabia has an embassy in Comoros.
Serbia	24 November 1976	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 24 November 1976. Serbia is represented in Comoros by its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.
South Africa	14 May 1993	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 14 May 1993 The close relationship Comoros developed with South Africa in the 1980s was much less significant to both countries in the 1990s. With the reform of its apartheid government, South Africa no longer needed Comoros as evidence of its ostensible ability to enjoy good relations with a black African state; the end of the Cold War had also diminished Comoros' strategic value to Pretoria. Although South Africa continued to provide developmental aid, it closed its consulate in Moroni in 1992. Since the 1989 coup and subsequent expulsion of South African-financed mercenaries, Comoros likewise turned away from South Africa and toward France for assistance with its security needs.
Turkey	22 August 1979	See Comoros–Turkey relations The Embassy of the Comoros in Cairo is accredited to Turkey. The Turkish ambassador in Antananarivo to Madagascar is also accredited to the Union of the Comoros. Trade volume between the two countries was US$21.1 million in 2019.
Ukraine	23 July 1993	Both countries established diplomatic relations on July 23, 1993. Comoros has an honorary consulate in Kyiv. Ukraine is represented in Comoros by its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.
United Kingdom	3 October 1977	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 3 October 1977. Great-Britain is represented in Comoros by its embassy in Antananarivo, Madagascar.
United States	15 August 1977	See Comoros–United States relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 15 August 1977. The American Embassy at Moroni was established on August 26, 1985, with Edward Brynn as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim. The American Embassy at Moroni was closed on September 30, 1993. Subsequent American Ambassadors to Comoros also have been accredited to Mauritius, and resident at Port Louis. On March 6, 2006, responsibilities for Comoros were transferred from Embassy Port Louis to Embassy Antananarivo. The two countries enjoy friendly relations. The historic under-commitment by the US within France's sphere of interest in the Indian Ocean looks set to continue after a November 2009 meeting between heads of state. Future friendly relations continue to look promising between the Comoros and America.
Uzbekistan	21 May 2005	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 21 May 2005 Both countries are full members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Yemen	6 January 1985	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 6 January 1985 In April 2008, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation of Yemen and Comoros Ministry of Fishery and Environment signed a "Memo of Understanding" (MOU) concerning agricultural cooperation.

See also

• List of diplomatic missions in the Comoros
• List of diplomatic missions of the Comoros