Foreign relations of Malawi
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates
Template:Politics of Malawi Malawi's former President Bakili Muluzi continued the pro-Western foreign policy established by his predecessor, Hastings Banda. It maintains excellent diplomatic relations with principal Western countries. Malawi's close relations with South Africa throughout the apartheid era strained its relations with other African nations. Following the collapse of apartheid in 1994, Malawi developed, and currently maintains, strong diplomatic relations with all African countries.
Bilateral donors
Important bilateral donors include Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Iceland, Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Republic of China (Taiwan), the United Kingdom, and the United States. Multilateral donors include the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the European Union, the African Development Bank, and the United Nations organizations.
SADC
Malawi assumed the chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in 2001. Muluzi took an active role in SADC on issues such as the global coalition against terrorism and land reform in Zimbabwe.
ACP
Malawi has been a member of the ACP group since Lomé I and is also a party to the Cotonou Agreement, the partnership agreement between the European Community/European Union and 77 states from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
Memberships in international organizations
Malawi is a member of the following international organizations: the Commonwealth of Nations, the United Nations and some of its specialized and related agencies (i.e. UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO), IMF, World Bank, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Berne Convention, Universal Copyright Convention, Organization of African Unity (OAU), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, Lomé Convention, African Development Bank (AFDB), Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Non-Aligned Movement, G-77, and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Malawi 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).
Diplomatic relations
List of countries which Malawi maintains diplomatic relations with:
Bilateral Relations
| Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Template:Flag | 1 July 1983 |
|
| Template:Flag | 1 July 1967 |
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 1 July 1967 when first High Commissioner of Botswana Mr. H. Mannathoko presented his credentials to President of Malawi.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite book</ref> Both countries are full members of the Southern African Development Community, Commonwealth of Nations and of the Non-Aligned Movement. |
| Template:Flag | 12 February 1974 |
|
| Template:Flag | 28 December 2007 |
Hastings Banda recognized the Republic of China (Taiwan) in 1967. In January 2008, Malawi switched this recognition to the People's Republic of China.[1] Template:Webarchive Since 2008 there has been a significant shift by the Malawian government towards accepting investment from China.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Potentially this may be part of a wider power struggle between the East and West in Africa.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| Template:Flag | 30 April 1970 |
|
| Template:Flag | 19 October 1964 | See India–Malawi relations
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 19 October 1964 when has been accredited Acting High Commissioner of India to Malawi Mr. Dileep S. Kamtekar.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> |
| Template:Flag | 5 April 1971 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 5 April 1971.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> But diplomatic relations were severed on 11 February 1979 and re-established on 18 February 1996.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite book</ref> |
| Template:Flag | 15 July 1964 | See Israel–Malawi relations |
| Template:Flag | 10 December 1998 |
|
| Template:Flag | 1 July 1981 | See Malawi–Mozambique relations
Between 1985 and 1995, Malawi accommodated more than a million refugees from Mozambique. The refugee crisis placed a substantial strain on Malawi's economy but also drew significant inflows of international assistance. The accommodation and eventual repatriation of the Mozambicans is considered a major success by international organizations. |
| Template:Flag | 3 May 2001 |
Neither country has an embassy in each other's territories. The Philippines's embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, is accredited to Malawi; on the other hand, Malawi's embassy in Tokyo, Japan, is accredited to the Philippines. As of 25 May 2018, the date of presentation of credentials of Philippine non-resident ambassador Uriel Norman Garibay to President Arthur Peter Mutharika, there are 41 Filipino nationals residing in Malawi, mainly in Blantyre and Lilongwe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:Flag | 10 July 1992 | See Malawi–Poland relations |
| Template:Flag | 26 September 2012 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 26 September 2012 when Ambassador of Malawi to Qatar (resident in Kuwait City) Mr. Yunis Abdul Karim has presented his credentials.<ref name=":8">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:Flag | 26 June 2001 |
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 26 June 2001 when accredited first Ambassador of Rwanda to Malawi (resident in Dar es Salaam) Mr. Zephyr Mutanguha<ref name=":7">Template:Cite book</ref> In 1996, Malawi received a number of Rwandan and Congolese refugees seeking asylum. The government did not turn away refugees, but it did invoke the principle of "first country of asylum." Under this principle, refugees who requested asylum in another country first, or who had the opportunity to do so would not subsequently be granted asylum in Malawi. There were no reports of the forcible repatriation of refugees. |
| Template:Flag | 10 September 1967 | See Malawi–South Africa relations
The colonial structures of Malawian labour export to South African mines continued after Malawi achieved independence in 1964. Led by dictator Hastings Banda, Malawi was the only African country to maintain close relations with White-ruled South Africa until the 1994 election of Nelson Mandela. Malawians were viewed as important workers in the South African mines due to their "skills, work discipline and lack of militancy"<ref name="afraf.oxfordjournals.org">Aliens and AIDS in Southern Africa: The Malawi–South Africa debate by Wiseman Chijere Chirwa, in African Affairs, 97:53-79 (1998)</ref> From 1988 to 1992, around 13,000 Malawian migrant laborers were forcefully repatriated out of South Africa. Officially, this was because 200 Malawians had tested positive for HIV in the previous two years, but many believe that it was due to the need for retrenchment of laborers during a crisis in South Africa's mining industry.<ref name="afraf.oxfordjournals.org" /> Since South Africa and Malawi had their first democratic elections in 1994, Malawi and South Africa have enhanced relations. In 2008, the two governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding designed to enhance the relationship between the two countries through enhanced security cooperation.<ref>Country, Malawi to Enhance Defence Co-Operation Template:Webarchive by Bathandwa Mbola, BuaNews, 25 February 2008</ref> |
| Template:Flag | 9 March 1965 |
In 2011 Bilateral Trade between both nations totaled US$31 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| Template:Flag | 4 August 1969 |
|
| Template:Flag | 22 December 1998 | See Malawi–Ukraine relations |
| Template:Flag | 6 July 1964Template:Failed verification | See Malawi–United Kingdom relations
Malawi established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on 6 July 1964.<ref name=":0"/>Template:Failed verification
The UK governed Malawi from 1893 until 1964, when Malawi gained full independence. Both countries share common membership of the Commonwealth, the International Criminal Court, and the World Trade Organization. Bilaterally the two countries have a Development Partnership,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and a Double Taxation Agreement.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Historical ties make the UK historically one of the more important donors and supporters of Malawi. However, the expulsion of the UK's High Commissioner in April 2011 may change this relationship. Since the expulsion the UK has suspended direct government aid,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> citing concerns over governance and human rights. |
| Template:Flag | 6 July 1964 | See Malawi–United States relations
The transition from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy significantly strengthened the already cordial U.S. relationship with Malawi. Significant numbers of Malawians study in the United States. The United States has an active Peace Corps program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services, and an Agency for International Development (USAID) mission in Malawi. In July 2011, the United States suspended direct funding. The US government agency responsible, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, suspended aid because it was 'deeply upset' by the deaths of the 19 people during the July protests.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> |
| Template:Flag | 17 July 1981 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 17 July 1981 when has been appointed first High Commissioner of Malawi to Zimbabwe Mr. M. A. Banda and open High Commission of Malawi in Harare.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite book</ref> |
Malawi and the Commonwealth of Nations
Malawi became a full member of the Commonwealth of Nations on independence from the United Kingdom in 1964. Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth, was Queen of Malawi, represented by the Governor-General of Malawi, until the country became a republic in the Commonwealth of Nations in 1966, when the then Prime Minister of Malawi, Hastings Banda, declared himself the first President of Malawi.
See also
References
Template:Foreign relations of the Commonwealth of Nations Template:Foreign relations of Malawi Template:Southern African Development Community Template:Africa topic