Wikipedia

Foreign relations of Jamaica

Jamaica has diplomatic relations with many nations and is a member of the United Nations and the Organization of American States. Jamaica chairs the Working Group on smaller Economies.

Jamaica is an active member of the Commonwealth of Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement (G-77). Jamaica is a beneficiary of the Lome Conventions, through which the European Union (EU) grants trade preferences to selected states in Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, and has played a leading role in the negotiations of the successor agreement in Fiji in 2000.

Jamaica has been a member of The Forum of Small States (FOSS) since the group's founding in 1992.[1]

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: Transshipment point for cocaine from Central and South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade is the government ministry responsible for handling Jamaica's external relations and foreign trade.

History

edit

Historically, Jamaica has had close ties with the UK. Trade, financial, and cultural relations with the United States are now predominant. Jamaica is linked with the other countries of the English-speaking Caribbean through the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and more broadly through the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). Jamaica has served two 2-year terms on the United Nations Security Council, in 1979-80 and 2000-2001.

In the follow-on meetings to the December 1994 Summit of the Americas, Jamaica—together with Uruguay—was given the responsibility of coordinating discussions on invigorating society.

Diplomatic Relations

edit

List of countries which Jamaica maintains diplomatic relations with:

 
# Country[2] Date
1   United Kingdom 2 August 1962
2   Canada 2 August 1962
3   Netherlands 2 August 1962
4   United States 6 August 1962
5   France 6 August 1962
6   Germany 6 August 1962
7   India 12 August 1962
8   Israel 29 August 1962
9   South Korea 13 October 1962
10   Brazil 14 October 1962
11    Switzerland 12 December 1962
12   Luxembourg 2 January 1963
13   Pakistan 19 January 1963
14   Italy 14 February 1963
15   Argentina 25 March 1963
16   Lebanon 7 May 1963
17   Trinidad and Tobago 18 June 1963
18   Chile 18 December 1963
19   Japan 16 March 1964
20   Egypt 10 June 1964
21   Dominican Republic 4 December 1964
22   Colombia 24 February 1965
23   Venezuela 25 March 1965
24   Ethiopia 22 March 1966
25   Panama 29 July 1966
26   Spain 21 December 1966
27   Mexico 4 February 1967
28   Belgium 25 July 1967
39   Austria 2 November 1967
30   Ghana 15 November 1967
31   Sierra Leone 8 May 1968
32   Barbados 6 September 1968
33   Serbia 11 October 1968[3]
34   Guyana 20 June 1969
35   Peru 29 April 1970
36   Nigeria 29 April 1970
37   Zambia 25 February 1971
38   Turkey 30 March 1971
39   Tanzania 6 April 1971
40   Costa Rica 21 July 1971
41   Cyprus 31 August 1972
42   China 21 November 1972
43   Cuba 8 December 1972
44   Bahamas 10 July 1973
45   Ecuador 10 September 1973
46   Bangladesh 5 November 1973
47   Australia 6 January 1974
48   Sweden 5 February 1974
49   Mauritius 20 May 1974
50   Romania 21 August 1974
51   New Zealand 27 August 1974
52   North Korea 9 October 1974
53   Denmark 14 October 1974
54   Kuwait 14 November 1974
55   Grenada 21 January 1975
56   Guinea 30 January 1975
57   Iraq 30 January 1975
58   Algeria 30 January 1975
59   Iran 18 February 1975
60   Honduras 10 March 1975
61   Russia 12 March 1975
62   Poland 14 May 1975
63   Greece 15 May 1975
64   Hungary 2 June 1975
65   Czech Republic 3 June 1975[4]
66   Nicaragua 15 August 1975
67   Burkina Faso 20 September 1975
68   Suriname 26 November 1975
69   Malaysia 28 November 1975
70   Vietnam 5 January 1976
71   Senegal 8 January 1976
72   Kenya 19 March 1976
73   Libya 24 June 1976
74   Saudi Arabia 15 August 1976
75   Bulgaria 22 March 1977
76   Norway 7 October 1977
77   Finland 1 December 1977
78   Dominica 3 November 1978
79   Seychelles 15 January 1979
80   Saint Lucia 22 January 1979
81   Portugal 26 January 1979
82   Niger 25 June 1979
–   Holy See 29 July 1979
83   Mozambique 7 August 1979
84   Republic of the Congo 6 September 1979
85   Yemen 12 September 1979
86   Lesotho 19 October 1979
87   Fiji 11 December 1979
88   São Tomé and Príncipe 29 February 1980
89   Zimbabwe 18 April 1980
90   Philippines 15 May 1980
91   Haiti 26 August 1981
92   Indonesia 17 December 1981
93   Botswana 4 May 1982
94   Belize 3 November 1982[5]
95   Antigua and Barbuda 8 February 1983
96   Saint Kitts and Nevis 19 September 1983[6]
97   Bolivia 2 February 1984
98   Thailand 10 September 1984
99   Uruguay 23 May 1985
100   Oman 27 May 1986
101   Vanuatu 23 July 1986
102   Maldives 27 February 1990
103   Namibia 28 August 1990
104   El Salvador 13 November 1990
105   Eswatini 13 February 1991
106   Papua New Guinea 16 April 1991
107   Cameroon 26 September 1991
108   Guatemala 11 December 1991
109   Ukraine 7 July 1992
110   Singapore 1 November 1992
111   Paraguay 10 November 1992
112   Slovakia 1 January 1993
113   Estonia 16 February 1993
114   Belarus 6 June 1993
115   South Africa 9 September 1993
116   Slovenia 23 July 1995
117   Kazakhstan 27 July 1995
118   Lithuania 20 September 1995
119   Gabon 23 October 1995
120   Azerbaijan 22 November 1995
121   Armenia 1 December 1995
122   Albania 3 April 1996
123   Moldova 9 July 1996
124   Turkmenistan 16 July 1996
125   Georgia 31 July 1996
126   Uzbekistan 8 August 1996
127   Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 October 1996
128   Croatia 9 October 1996
129   Ireland 7 December 1997
130   Sri Lanka 29 September 1998
131   Rwanda 6 November 1998
132   Cape Verde 22 March 1999
133   Laos 27 August 1999
134   Malawi 30 September 1999
135   Myanmar 6 December 1999
136   Kyrgyzstan 25 February 2000
137   Iceland 23 May 2000
138   Angola 8 October 2002
139   North Macedonia 1 April 2003
–   Cook Islands 14 May 2003
140   Qatar 27 June 2003
141   Mali 17 December 2003
142   Malta 27 October 2004
143   Sudan 19 September 2005
144   Benin 25 April 2006
145   Morocco 29 January 2008
146   Monaco 4 April 2008[7]
147   Cambodia 12 January 2010
148   Montenegro 12 November 2010
149   Nauru 24 February 2011
150   United Arab Emirates 4 March 2011
151   Brunei 20 June 2011
152   Uganda 21 September 2011
153   Gambia 29 November 2011
154   Mongolia 26 October 2012
155   Solomon Islands 3 July 2013
156   Andorra 23 September 2014[8]
157   East Timor 27 September 2014[8]
158   Equatorial Guinea 18 May 2015[8]
159     Nepal 1 October 2015[8]
160   Tajikistan 11 December 2017[8]
161   Bahrain 28 September 2018[8]
162   San Marino 29 September 2020[8]
163   Togo 24 November 2021[8]
164   Kiribati 26 April 2022[9]
165   Samoa 26 April 2022[10]
166   Palau 28 April 2022[11]
167   Liberia 22 September 2022[8]
168   Marshall Islands 23 September 2022[8]
169   Liechtenstein 18 September 2023[8]
170   Jordan 23 September 2023[12]
171   Eritrea 17 November 2023[13]
172   Tunisia 26 September 2024[8]
173   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Unknown date[14]

Bilateral relations

edit
Country Formal Relations Began Notes
  Belize 3 November 1982

Belize and Jamaica are two of fifteen commonwealth realms, members of: the Association of Caribbean States, the Caribbean Community, the Belt & Road Initiative, the Caribbean Development Bank, the Commonwealth of Nations, ECLAC, EU-CARIFORUM, the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States, the Organization of American States, the Small Island Developing States, and the United Nations.

  Brazil 14 October 1962 See Jamaica–Brazil relations

Jamaica and Brazil established diplomatic relations on October 14, 1962. Both countries are full members of the Group of 15.

  Canada 1962 See Canada–Jamaica relations

Canada and Jamaica are two of fifteen commonwealth realms, members of: the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organization of American States, and the United Nations. Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1962. Since March 4, 1963, Canada has a high commission in Kingston. Jamaica has a high commission in Ottawa. On April 15, 2009, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper became the first Canadian head of government to address the Jamaican parliament. There are 231,000 people of Jamaican descent living in Canada. Jamaican-Canadians celebrate their island heritage through festivals held in major cities across Canada, the most recognized of which is Caribana. Caribana is held in Toronto, Ontario every year and attracts over one million visitors to the region, many of whom fly all the way from Jamaica.

  Cuba 1972 See Cuba–Jamaica relations

Prime Minister Percival James Patterson visited Cuba at the end of May 1997. In the fall of 1997, Jamaica upgraded its consulate in Havana to an embassy, and the nonresident Jamaican ambassador to Cuba was replaced by a resident ambassador.

  China 21 November 1972 See China–Jamaica relations

Relations from November 21, 1972. China has an embassy in Kingston, Jamaica. Jamaica has an embassy in Beijing.

  Ghana See Ghana-Jamaica relations

Ghana, as the former Gold Coast, and Jamaica share historical links through the slave trade and forced Ashanti/Akan emigration to the Caribbean. Ghana and Jamaica have a Joint Permanent Commission, and there are plans for Ghanaian investment in Jamaica.

  Guyana 26 May 1966
  Haiti

Haiti has an embassy in Kingston and Jamaica has an honorary consul in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

In January, 2007, Haitian President René Préval, made a four-day working visit to Jamaica. At a press conference, Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller announced that a Joint Jamaica/Haiti Commission would be convened later that year.[16]

  India See India–Jamaica relations

Both nations inherited many cultural and political connections from British colonisation, such as membership in the Commonwealth of Nations, parliamentary democracy, the English language and cricket.[17]

India has a High Commission in Kingston,[18] whilst Jamaica has a consulate in New Delhi.[19]

  Malaysia See Jamaica–Malaysia relations
  Mexico 18 March 1966 See Jamaica–Mexico relations

Both nations established diplomatic relations on 18 March 1966.

  Netherlands
  • Jamaica is accredited to the Netherlands from its embassy in Brussels, Belgium.
  • the Netherlands is accredited to Jamaica from its embassy in Havana, Cuba.
  South Korea 13 October 1962

The establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and the Jamaica started on October 13, 1962 .[22]

  Turkey 1970[24] See Jamaica–Turkey relations
  • Turkish Embassy in Havana is accredited to Jamaica.[25]
  • Trade volume between the two countries was 90.5 million USD in 2019 (Jamaican exports/imports: 0.5/90 million USD).[25]
  United Kingdom 1962 See Foreign relations of the United Kingdom

The UK established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 6 August 1962.[26]

The UK governed Jamaica from 1655 to 1962, when Jamaica achieved full independence.

Both countries share common membership of the Caribbean Development Bank, the Commonwealth, the International Criminal Court, and the World Trade Organization, as well as the CARIFORUM–UK Economic Partnership Agreement.[28] Bilaterally the two countries have an Investment Agreement.[29]

  United States See Jamaica–United States relations
 
Embassy of Jamaica in Washington, D.C.

The United States maintains close and productive relations with the Government of Jamaica. Former Prime Minister Patterson visited Washington, DC, several times after assuming office in 1992. In April 2001, Prime Minister Patterson and other Caribbean leaders met with President George W. Bush during the Summit of the Americas in Quebec, Canada, at which a "Third Border Initiative" was launched to deepen U.S. cooperation with Caribbean nations and enhance economic development and integration of the Caribbean nations. Then-Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller attended the "Conference on the Caribbean--A 20/20 Vision" in Washington in June 2007.

President Barack Obama visited the island on April 9. 2015. President Obama managed to squeeze in some fun in between meetings with Jamaican and Caribbean leaders on his trip to Jamaica this week—from paying homage to reggae star Bob Marley to practising his own Jamaican accent.

The United States is Jamaica's most important trading partner: bilateral trade in goods in 2005 was over $2 billion. Jamaica is a popular destination for American tourists; more than 1.2 million Americans visited in 2006. Also, some 10,000 American citizens, including many dual-nationals born on the island, permanently reside in Jamaica.

Jamaica maintains economic and cultural relations with Taiwan via Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada.

Jamaica and the Commonwealth

edit

Jamaica has been a member state of the Commonwealth of Nations since 1962 when it became an independent Commonwealth realm.

Multilateral membership

edit

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ 50 Years of Singapore and the United Nations. World Scientific. 2015. ISBN 978-981-4713-03-0..
  2. ^ "Countries with which Jamaica has Established Diplomatic Relations". 16 April 2021. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Ministry paper no. 57 - Jamaica at the United Nations, 1968" (PDF). 1969. p. 21. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  4. ^ Petruf, Pavol. Československá zahraničná politika 1945 – 1992 (in Slovak). p. 112.
  5. ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-12-30. Retrieved 2019-02-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ "Diplomatic Relations". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Presentation of Credentials by H.E. Mrs Marcia Yvette GILBERT-ROBERTS, Ambassador of Jamaica to the Principality of Monaco". 4 April 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Diplomatic relations between Jamaica and ..." Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  9. ^ "JAMAICA AND THE REPUBLIC OF KIRIBATI ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS". 29 April 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  10. ^ "JAMAICA AND THE INDEPENDENT STATE OF SAMOA ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS". 29 April 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  11. ^ "JAMAICA AND THE REPUBLIC OF PALAU ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS". 29 April 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Pleased to join Jamaica FM kaminajsmith in announcing the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries". 23 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  13. ^ "Eritrea: President Isaias Receives Credentials of Ambassadors". 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  14. ^ "DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS ACCREDITED TO SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES" (PDF). p. 16. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Countries with which Guyana has Establishment Diplomatic Relations – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation| Co-operative Republic of Guyana". Archived from the original on 2019-02-16. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  16. ^ Caribbean Net News Jamaica and Haiti to deepen diplomatic relations Archived 2007-08-05 at the Wayback Machine, January 6, 2007
  17. ^ "India High Commission: India - Jamaica Relations". Archived from the original on 2012-06-18. Retrieved 2013-01-06.
  18. ^ India High Commission
  19. ^ "Jamaican High Commissions". Congenjamaica-ny.org. Archived from the original on 2015-02-21. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
  20. ^ Embassy of Jamaica in Mexico City Archived 2016-04-19 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ Embassy of Mexico in Kingston (in English and Spanish)
  22. ^ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea". Archived from the original on 2014-01-22.
  23. ^ "주 자메이카 대한민국 대사관(주킹스턴분관)".
  24. ^ "II.Bilateral Relations (Main Documents)". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey.
  25. ^ a b "Relations between Turkey and Jamaica".
  26. ^ Hartman Reckord, Elaine (28 October 2022). "Jamaica and UK Celebrate 60 Years of Diplomatic Relations". Jamaica Information Service. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  27. ^ "British High Commission Kingston". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  28. ^ Partington, Richard (22 March 2019). "UK secures post-Brexit trade deal with group of Caribbean countries". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  29. ^ "Jamaica - United Kingdom BIT (1987)". UN Trade and Development. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=Foreign_relations_of_Jamaica&oldid=1256370476"