Foreign relations of the Gambia

The Gambia followed a formal policy of non-alignment throughout most of former President Sir Dawda Jawara's tenure. It maintained close relations with the United Kingdom, Senegal, and other African countries. The July 1994 coup strained The Gambia's relationship with Western powers, particularly the United States. Starting in 1995, President Yahya Jammeh established diplomatic relations with several additional countries, including Libya, the Republic of China (on Taiwan, before 2013), and Cuba. As scholars on Gambia's foreign policy have argued, throughout Jammeh's period, the country's foreign policy was a shifting sand, with little of direction.

Amat Jeng, a scholar on The Gambia's foreign policy, argues that "The Gambia under Jammeh was not constrained by the bureaucratic hurly-burly which characterizes the foreign policy terrain of big democracies. In The Gambia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) had, on several occasions, been left in a vacuum, thereby placing it under the Office of the President. Between 1997 and 2013, the MFA had been occupied by more than 18 different ministers in more than 20 sworn-in occasions. This qualifies the argument that Jammeh had always had the power to fire ministers at will. In North Korea, the MFA has been occupied only by ten different foreign ministers since 1948." During Yahya Jammeh's presidency, The Gambia's foreign relations were characterized by a mix of isolationism, confrontational diplomacy, and strategic alliances. Jammeh's regime frequently clashed with Western nations over human rights issues, resulting in strained relations with the European Union and the United States. He often pursued alliances with non-Western countries, such as China, Iran, and Libya, to counterbalance Western influence and gain economic support. His administration also pulled The Gambia out of the Commonwealth in 2013, accusing the organization of neo-colonialism. Jammeh's unpredictable and authoritarian leadership style made Gambia's foreign policy under his rule highly controversial and often isolated the country on the international stage.

Despite these tensions, Jammeh's government engaged in regional diplomacy within West Africa, maintaining membership in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), though relations with neighboring Senegal were often tense due to border disputes and differing political stances. Jammeh's erratic foreign policy choices ultimately contributed to The Gambia's diplomatic isolation until his ouster in 2017.

During his last years, the EU grew increasingly intolerant of Jammeh's iron-fist rule. Consequently, Brussels withheld millions of Euros to The Gambia. Jammeh fired back by expelling the EU's top diplomat in the country after he had accused the bloc and human rights activists of conniving to besmirch the image of his government for its stance on homosexuality.

Diplomatic relations

List of countries which the Gambia maintains diplomatic relations with:

File:Diplomatic relations of the Gambia.svg
#	Country	Date
1	United Kingdom	Template:Dts
2	Japan	Template:Dts
3	Turkey	Template:Dts
4	South Korea	Template:Dts
5	Germany	Template:Dts
6	Senegal	Template:Dts
7	Lebanon	Template:Dts
8	Ghana	Template:Dts
9	Nigeria	Template:Dts
10	Egypt	Template:Dts
11	France	Template:Dts
12	Israel	Template:Dts
13	India	Template:Dts
14	Russia	Template:Dts
15	United States	Template:Dts
16	Spain	Template:Dts
17	Italy	Template:Dts
18	Liberia	Template:Dts
19	Mauritania	Template:Dts
20	Serbia	Template:Dts
21	Belgium	Template:Dts
22	Switzerland	Template:Dts
23	Morocco	Template:Dts
24	Netherlands	Template:Dts
25	Canada	Template:Dts
26	Ethiopia	Template:Dts
27	Sierra Leone	Template:Dts
28	Pakistan	Template:Dts
29	Sweden	Template:Dts
30	Austria	Template:Dts
31	Hungary	Template:Dts
32	Mali	Template:Dts
33	Romania	Template:Dts
34	Guinea	Template:Dts
35	Czech Republic	Template:Dts
36	Algeria	Template:Dts
37	Tunisia	Template:Dts
38	North Korea	Template:Dts
39	Vietnam	Template:Dts
40	Libya	Template:Dts
41	Saudi Arabia	Template:Dts
42	Guinea-Bissau	Template:Dts
43	Venezuela	Template:Dts
44	Kuwait	Template:Dts
45	China	Template:Dts
46	Zambia	Template:Dts
47	Bangladesh	Template:Dts
48	Poland	Template:Dts
49	Iran	Template:Dts
50	Cameroon	Template:Dts
51	Luxembourg	Template:Dts
52	United Arab Emirates	Template:Dts
53	Ivory Coast	Template:Dts
54	Mexico	Template:Dts
55	Portugal	Template:Dts
56	Malta	Template:Dts
57	Uganda	Template:Dts
58	Togo	Template:Dts
59	Suriname	Template:Dts
60	Qatar	Template:Dts
61	Cape Verde	Template:Dts
—	Holy See	Template:Dts
62	Denmark	Template:Dts
63	Brazil	Template:Dts
64	Cuba	Template:Dts
65	Argentina	Template:Dts
66	Oman	Template:Dts
67	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Template:Dts
68	Niger	Template:Dts
69	Australia
70	Malaysia	Template:Dts
71	Iraq	Template:Dts
72	Indonesia	Template:Dts
73	Bahrain	Template:Dts
74	Norway	Template:Dts
75	Thailand	Template:Dts
76	Yemen	Template:Dts
77	Bahamas	Template:Dts
78	Finland	Template:Dts
79	Colombia	Template:Dts
80	Maldives	Template:Dts
—	Template:Country data State of Palestine	Template:Dts
81	Namibia	1990–1992
82	Azerbaijan	Template:Dts
83	Slovakia	Template:Dts
84	Philippines	Template:Dts
85	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Template:Dts
86	Latvia	Template:Dts
87	South Africa	Template:Dts
88	Template:Country data North Macedonia	Template:Dts
89	Croatia	Template:Dts
90	Ukraine	Template:Dts
91	Costa Rica	Template:Dts
92	Lithuania	Template:Dts
93	Kyrgyzstan	Template:Dts
94	Cyprus	Template:Dts
95	Ireland	Template:Dts
96	Estonia	Template:Dts
97	Belarus	Template:Dts
98	Mauritius	Template:Dts
99	Iceland	Template:Dts
100	Madagascar	Template:Dts
101	San Marino	Template:Dts
102	Slovenia	Template:Dts
103	Guatemala	Template:Dts
104	Burkina Faso	Template:Dts
105	Jordan	Template:Dts
106	Uruguay	Template:Dts
107	Sudan	Template:Dts
108	Kenya	Template:Dts
109	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Template:Dts
110	Guyana	Template:Dts
111	Template:Country data Georgia	Template:Dts
112	Paraguay	Template:Dts
113	Cambodia	Template:Dts
114	Myanmar	Template:Dts
115	Kazakhstan	Template:Dts
116	Solomon Islands	Template:Dts
117	Jamaica	Template:Dts
118	Ecuador	Template:Dts
119	Mongolia	Template:Dts
120	Moldova	Template:Dts
121	Zimbabwe	Template:Dts
122	Dominica	Template:Dts
123	Tuvalu	Template:Dts
124	Turkmenistan	Template:Dts
125	Montenegro	Template:Dts
126	Kiribati	Template:Dts
127	Nauru	Template:Dts
128	Rwanda	Template:Dts
129	Fiji	Template:Dts
130	Singapore	Template:Dts
131	Brunei	Template:Dts
132	Saint Lucia	Template:Dts
133	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Template:Dts
—	Kosovo	Template:Dts
134	Tajikistan	Template:Dts
135	Armenia	Template:Dts
136	Malawi	Template:Dts
137	Tanzania	Template:Dts
138	Dominican Republic	Template:Dts
139	Sri Lanka	Template:Dts
140	Nicaragua	Template:Dts
141	Nepal	Template:Dts
142	Djibouti	Template:Dts
143	Chad	Template:Dts
144	Gabon	Template:Dts
145	Angola	Template:Dts
146	Comoros	Template:Dts
147	Burundi	Template:Dts
148	Equatorial Guinea	Template:Dts
149	Republic of the Congo	Template:Dts
150	Somalia	Template:Dts
—	Sovereign Military Order of Malta	Template:Dts
151	Belize	Template:Dts
152	Seychelles	Template:Dts
153	Botswana	Template:Dts
154	Uzbekistan	Template:Dts
155	Marshall Islands	Template:Dts
156	Mozambique	Template:Dts
157	Grenada	Template:Dts
158	South Sudan	Template:Dts
159	Benin	Unknown
160	Greece	Unknown

Bilateral relations

Africa

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Benin		The two countries maintain diplomatic relations.

Asia

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Azerbaijan	Template:DTS	See Azerbaijan-The Gambia relations On November 11, 1994, Azerbaijan and the Gambia signed the Protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations.
China	Template:DTS	See China–Gambia relations China and Gambia reestablished diplomatic relations on 17 March 2016.
India	25 June Template:DTS	See The Gambia–India relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 25 June 1965
Malaysia	Template:DTS	Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1981 See The Gambia–Malaysia relations The Malaysian embassy in Dakar is accredited to The Gambia while the Gambian embassy in Abu Dhabi is accredited to Malaysia. The relations are friendly and warm.
Taiwan	—	See The Gambia–Taiwan relations The Gambia firstly established diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) in 1968, three years after The Gambia gained its independence from the United Kingdom. In 1974, The Gambia switched diplomatic relations from ROC to the People's Republic of China but switched again back to ROC in 1995. In December 2006, the Premier of the Republic of China (Taiwan) completed an official visit to the Gambia in part to pay respects to President Jammeh's inaugural ceremony and to donate funds for medical purposes. The Gambian Secretary of State reciprocated with an official visit to Taiwan. There have been several occasional official visits between the two countries. The People's Republic of China cut ties with the Gambia in 1995 after the latter established diplomatic links with the Republic of China (Taiwan). After 18 years, however, Gambian President Yahya Jammeh announced the breaking of diplomatic ties with ROC to recognize PRC on 14 November 2013 citing national strategic interest, immediately even after receiving US$6.6  million worth of aid from the Republic of China (Taiwan) earlier. The ROC officially terminated its ties with The Gambia four days later on 18 November 2013. In an unprecedented move, however, the PRC did not respond to Gambia's offer to establish diplomatic relations, presumably because of its desire to improve relations with Taiwan. The PRC and Gambia reestablished diplomatic relations on 17 March 2016.
Turkey	Template:DTS	The Gambia has an embassy in Ankara. Turkey has an embassy in Banjul. There are direct flights from Istanbul to Banjul since August 2018.

Americas

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
United States	Template:DTS	See The Gambia–United States relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 9 August 1965 U.S. policy seeks to build improved relations with the Gambia on the basis of historical ties, mutual respect, democratic rule, human rights, and adherence to UN resolutions on counterterrorism, conflict diamonds, and other forms of trafficking. In accordance with U.S. law, most direct bilateral development and military assistance to the Gambia was suspended because of the 1994 coup d'état. U.S. assistance continues, however, in the form of food aid administered through Catholic Relief Services, support for democracy and human rights projects, and the financing of girls' secondary education. In addition, the Peace Corps maintains a large program with about eighty volunteers engaged in the environment, public health, and education sectors, mainly at the village level. The Gambia is also a member of the International Criminal Court with a Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the US-military (as covered under Article 98).

Europe

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Belgium		Gambia has an embassy in Brussels.
Greece		The two countries maintain diplomatic relations.
Italy		Italy is represented in Gambia through its embassy in Dakar, Senegal.
Luxembourg		Gambia is represented in Luxembourg through its embassy in Brussels.
Netherlands		Gambia is represented in the Netherlands through its embassy in Brussels.
Russia	Template:Dts	See The Gambia–Russia relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 17 July 1965.
Spain	Template:Dts	See The Gambia–Spain relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 14 August 1965
United Kingdom	Template:Dts	See The Gambia–United Kingdom relations The Gambia established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 18 February 1965. The Gambia maintains a High Commission in London. The United Kingdom is accredited to Ghana through its High Commission in Banjul. The UK governed the Gambia from 1816 to 1965, when it achieved full independence. Both countries share common membership of the Atlantic Co-operation Pact, the Commonwealth, the International Criminal Court, and the World Trade Organization. Bilaterally the two countries have a Double Taxation Convention, and an Investment Agreement. An 1889 agreement with France established the present boundaries. The Gambia became a British Crown Colony, British Gambia, divided for administrative purposes into the colony (city of Banjul and the surrounding area) and the protectorate (remainder of the territory). The Gambia received its own executive and legislative councils in 1901 and gradually progressed toward self-government. It passed a 1906 ordinance abolishing slavery. During World War II, Gambian troops fought with the Allies in Burma. Banjul (then named Bathurst) served as an air stop for the U.S. Army Air Corps and a port of call for Allied naval convoys. U. S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt stopped overnight in Banjul en route to and from the Casablanca Conference in 1943, marking the first visit to the African continent by a sitting American president. After World War II, the pace of constitutional reform increased. Following general elections in 1962, the United Kingdom granted full internal self-governance in the following year. The Gambia achieved independence on 18 February 1965, as a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth of Nations.

The Gambia and the Commonwealth of Nations

The Gambia was a member of the Commonwealth of Nations from its independence in 1965 until its withdrawal in October 2013.

After presidential elections in 2016, the winning candidate Adama Barrow promised to return The Gambia to the Commonwealth. On 14 February 2017, The Gambia began the process of returning and formally presented its application to re-join to Secretary-General Patricia Scotland on 22 January 2018. Boris Johnson, who became the first British Foreign Secretary to visit The Gambia since the country gained independence in 1965, announced that the British government welcomed The Gambia's return to the Commonwealth.

See also

• List of diplomatic missions in the Gambia
• List of diplomatic missions of the Gambia