# Foreign relations of Palau

Palau gained its independence October 1, 1994 with the entry into force of the Compact of Free Association with the United States. Palau was the last Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands territories to gain its independence. Under the Compact, the U.S. remains responsible for Palau's defense for 50 years.
Palau is a sovereign nation and conducts its own foreign relations. From its independence until July 2019, Palau had established diplomatic relations with 101 countries.
Palau was admitted to the United Nations on December 15, 1994, and has since joined several other international organizations. In 2004, Stuart Beck was appointed to serve as Palau's first permanent representative to the United Nations. Along with the other former Trust Territories, Palau is one of a handful of countries that regularly votes with Israel in the United Nations General Assembly.

## Diplomatic relations

List of countries which Palau maintains diplomatic relations with:
Date :
| 1 | Australia | 1 October 1994 |
| 2 | Federated States of Micronesia | 1 October 1994 |
| 3 | Papua New Guinea | 1 October 1994 |
| 4 | United States | 1 October 1994 |
| 5 | Israel | 2 October 1994 |
| 6 | Nauru | 14 October 1994 |
| 7 | Japan | 2 November 1994 |
| 8 | New Zealand | 2 December 1994 |
| 9 | South Korea | 22 March 1995 |
| 10 | India | 10 April 1995 |
| 11 | Kiribati | 12 July 1995 |
| 12 | Spain | 3 August 1995 |
| 13 | Sweden | 9 August 1995 |
| 14 | Portugal | 17 May 1996 |
| 15 | United Kingdom | 16 August 1996 |
| 16 | Netherlands | 21 April 1997 |
| 17 | Thailand | 13 May 1997 |
| 18 | Philippines | 15 July 1997 |
| 19 | Canada | 25 August 1997 |
| 20 | Germany | 11 November 1997 |
| 21 | France | 25 November 1997 |
| 22 | Marshall Islands | 1 August 1998 |
| — | Holy See | 17 December 1998 |
| 23 | Singapore | 30 September 1999 |
| 24 | Chile | 24 November 1999 |
| — | Republic of China | 29 December 1999 |
| 25 | Ireland | 14 July 2000 |
| 26 | Switzerland | 31 August 2001 |
| 27 | Mexico | 17 October 2001 |
| 28 | Italy | 22 March 2002 |
| 29 | Timor-Leste | 16 August 2002 |
| 30 | Czech Republic | 17 September 2003 |
| 31 | Greece | 2 June 2004 |
| 32 | Argentina | 6 July 2004 |
| 33 | Iceland | 6 October 2004 |
| 34 | Austria | 16 November 2004 |
| 35 | Brazil | 31 January 2005 |
| 36 | Qatar | 17 February 2005 |
| 37 | South Africa | 24 August 2005 |
| 38 | Turkey | 2 May 2006 |
| 39 | Russia | 28 November 2006 |
| 40 | Indonesia | 6 July 2007 |
| 41 | Slovakia | 24 September 2007 |
| 42 | Vietnam | 18 August 2008 |
| — | Kosovo | 25 March 2009 |
| 43 | Finland | 5 May 2009 |
| 44 | Morocco | 8 May 2009 |
| 45 | Solomon Islands | 25 September 2009 |
| 46 | Malaysia | 5 October 2009 |
| 47 | United Arab Emirates | 16 October 2009 |
| 48 | Cambodia | 26 October 2009 |
| 49 | Belgium | 18 May 2010 |
| 50 | Egypt | 25 September 2010 |
| 51 | Slovenia | 18 February 2011 |
| 52 | Georgia | 17 October 2011 |
| 53 | Monaco | 28 October 2011 |
| 54 | Brunei | 16 December 2011 |
| 55 | Poland | 27 January 2012 |
| 56 | Luxembourg | 16 February 2012 |
| 57 | Panama | 18 April 2012 |
| 58 | Kazakhstan | 19 November 2012 |
| 59 | Jordan | 10 March 2013 |
| — | Cook Islands | 3 September 2013 |
| 60 | Lithuania | 25 September 2013 |
| 61 | Mongolia | 25 September 2013 |
| 62 | Montenegro | 25 September 2013 |
| 63 | Estonia | 8 November 2013 |
| 64 | Maldives | 17 October 2014 |
| 65 | Latvia | 20 March 2015 |
| 66 | Seychelles | 30 March 2015 |
| 67 | Fiji | 2 April 2015 |
| 68 | Kuwait | 26 May 2015 |
| 69 | Cyprus | 10 August 2015 |
| 70 | Cuba | 26 September 2015 |
| 71 | Croatia | 26 September 2015 |
| 72 | Norway | 31 May 2017 |
| 73 | Hungary | 18 September 2017 |
| 74 | Armenia | 21 September 2017 |
| 75 | Tajikistan | 30 January 2018 |
| 76 | Azerbaijan | 1 February 2018 |
| 77 | Romania | 16 February 2018 |
| 78 | Mauritius | 15 March 2018 |
| 79 | Malta | 17 July 2018 |
| 80 | Andorra | 25 September 2018 |
| 81 | San Marino | 26 September 2018 |
| 82 | Bahrain | 28 September 2018 |
| 83 | Denmark | 30 September 2018 |
| 84 | Serbia | 7 December 2018 |
| 85 | Dominica | 2018 |
| 86 | Peru | 14 February 2019 |
| 87 | Nicaragua | 17 June 2019 |
| 88 | Bangladesh | 16 July 2019 |
| 89 | Kyrgyzstan | 7 October 2021 |
| 90 | Pakistan | 22 November 2021 |
| 91 | Moldova | 6 December 2021 |
| 92 | Nepal | 21 March 2022 |
| 93 | Paraguay | 1 April 2022 |
| 94 | Jamaica | 28 April 2022 |
| 95 | Bulgaria | 7 July 2022 |
| 96 | Tuvalu | 16 July 2022 |
| 97 | Cape Verde | 22 September 2022 |
| 98 | Ecuador | 24 October 2022 |
| 99 | Saudi Arabia | 23 November 2022 |
| 100 | Guatemala | 19 January 2023 |
| 101 | Dominican Republic | 15 February 2023 |
| 102 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 21 May 2024 |
| 103 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 21 May 2024 |
| 104 | Ukraine | 16 June 2024 |
| 105 | Belize | 25 September 2024 |

## Bilateral relations

| Country | Notes |
| Australia | See Australia–Palau relations |
| India | See India–Palau relations As per the Ministry of External Affairs of India, India established diplomatic relations with Palau in April 1995. Development assistance from India has included a grant of US$149,841 for purchase of kitchen equipment for Palau National Hospital, US $ in 2008 for purchase of a boat and two pick-up trucks, US$100,000 in June 2010 for purchase of computers and grant of 2 ITEC scholarships in 2010–11. Palau has been supportive of issues of importance to India, particularly Indian candidature to international organizations. It supported India's candidature for the non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for the 2011–12 term. Presently, there are about 15 Indian nationals in Palau. |
| Israel | See Israel–Palau relations Palau established formal consular links with Israel, it was reported in early 2008. |
| Japan | See Japan–Palau relations Diplomatic relations between Japan and Palau were established in December 1994. Japan maintains an embassy at Koror. Japan is currently the second largest donor to Palau after the United States. Ministerial level visits are frequent between the two countries, and Palau is a popular tourist destination for Japanese travellers. Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko made a state visit to Palau in April 2015. |
| Marshall Islands | See Marshall Islands-Palau relations The Marshall Islands and Palau share very good relations, as they are both bound by Compacts of Free Association with the United States. |
| Mexico | Mexico is accredited to Palau from its embassy in Manila, Philippines. |
| Micronesia | See Federated States of Micronesia–Palau relations The Federated States of Micronesia and Palau share very good relations, as they are both bound by Compacts of Free Association with the United States. |
| Philippines | See Palau–Philippines relations Both countries were incorporated by Spain in the Spanish East Indies, where the capital was Manila, during the 16th century and was formalized in Palau in the 17th century. Palau was a part, and was represented, in the congress of the First Philippine Republic., but due to the German-Spanish Treaty was eventually handed over to Germany, ending Philippine-Palau relations during that period. Formal diplomatic relations were again made on July 15, 1997, after Palau became independent from the United States. Currently, there are at least 5,000 Filipinos working in Palau, and few of Palau's students are educated in the Philippines, notably in Mindanao's top universities. The Philippine embassy in Koror closed on July 31, 2012. Palau and the Philippines are currently discussing the bordering of their maritime borders to negate any future clashes on the matter. |
| Serbia | Palau–Serbia relations Both nations are members of the United Nations where they cooperate on issues of climate change. Two countries collaborate through their non-resident embassies in Tokyo. |
| South Korea | See Palau–South Korea States relations The establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Palau and the Republic of Korea began on 22 March 1995. |
| Spain | See Palau–Spain relations Palau was once part of the Spanish East Indies. Palau does not have an accreditation to Spain. Spain is accredited to Palau from its embassy in Manila, Philippines. |
| Taiwan | See Palau–Taiwan relations Palau has been strengthening relations with the Republic of China in economic and political relations since 1994. |
| United States | See Palau–United States relations Both countries are members of the Compact of Free Association. Palau has an embassy in Washington, D.C. United States has an embassy in Airai. |

## Military relations

The Palau government has agreed to host a large United States Air Force high-frequency radar station in Palau, a Tactical Multi-Mission Over the Horizon Radar (TACMOR) system costing well over $100 million, which is expected to be operational in 2026.
Palau has participated in various U.S. military exercises over the years, including Exercise Valiant Shield. The first-launch in Palau of a Patriot surface-to-air missile by the U.S. took place in 2022 Valiant Shield, which also had the experimental deployment of A-10 Warthogs at Roman Tmetuchl International Airport.