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Foreign relations of Jamaica

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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

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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

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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

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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

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

Multilateral membership

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See also

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References

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  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.
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