# Foreign relations of Samoa

The Samoan Government is generally conservative and pro-Western, with a strong interest in regional political and economic issues. Samoa participated in a first round of negotiations with its Pacific Island neighbors for a regional trade agreement in August 2000. In January 2009, Samoa opened embassies in the Republic of Korea, China and Japan.

## Diplomatic relations

List of countries which Samoa maintains diplomatic relations with:
Date :
| 1 | New Zealand | 1 January 1962 |
| 2 | India | June 1970 |
| 3 | United Kingdom | September 1970 |
| 4 | Australia | 31 March 1971 |
| 5 | Canada | 11 June 1971 |
| 6 | United States | 14 July 1971 |
| 7 | Germany | 18 May 1972 |
| 8 | Israel | 30 May 1972 |
| 9 | South Korea | 15 September 1972 |
| 10 | Japan | 27 March 1973 |
| 11 | Belgium | May 1973 |
| 12 | France | September 1974 |
| 13 | Fiji | 10 November 1974 |
| 14 | China | 6 November 1975 |
| 15 | Thailand | 15 November 1975 |
| 16 | Netherlands | 13 April 1976 |
| 17 | Russia | 2 July 1976 |
| 18 | Philippines | 1 June 1977 |
| 19 | Sweden | 1977 |
| 20 | Solomon Islands | 17 July 1978 |
| 21 | Chile | 24 August 1978 |
| 22 | Egypt | 8 September 1978 |
| 23 | Turkey | 12 April 1979 |
| 24 | Papua New Guinea | 27 August 1979 |
| 25 | Nauru | 1979 |
| 26 | Indonesia | 17 March 1980 |
| 27 | Vanuatu | 30 June 1980 |
| 28 | Spain | 5 November 1980 |
| 29 | Greece | 3 April 1981 |
| 30 | Switzerland | 1 August 1981 |
| 31 | Malaysia | August 1982 |
| 32 | Pakistan | 7 March 1983 |
| 33 | Bangladesh | 21 December 1983 |
| 34 | Sri Lanka | 1 January 1984 |
| 35 | Peru | 23 January 1984 |
| 36 | Italy | 25 May 1987 |
| 37 | Colombia | 1 December 1987 |
| 38 | Tuvalu | 1988 |
| 39 | Federated States of Micronesia | 19 April 1990 |
| 40 | Singapore | 3 September 1990 |
| 41 | Marshall Islands | 22 October 1990 |
| 42 | Austria | 18 December 1992 |
| 43 | Argentina | 18 May 1993 |
| 44 | Maldives | 2 August 1993 |
| 45 | Croatia | 8 March 1994 |
| 46 | Vietnam | 29 March 1994 |
| — | Holy See | 10 June 1994 |
| 47 | Kyrgyzstan | 14 February 1995 |
| 48 | South Africa | 22 March 1995 |
| 49 | Portugal | 9 June 1995 |
| 50 | Czech Republic | 12 December 1995 |
| 51 | Slovenia | 25 November 1996 |
| 52 | Finland | 11 August 1999 |
| 53 | Norway | 1999 |
| 54 | Slovakia | 16 March 2000 |
| 55 | Cyprus | 24 March 2000 |
| 56 | Ireland | 26 June 2000 |
| 57 | Seychelles | 29 August 2000 |
| 58 | Malta | 22 July 2004 |
| 59 | Timor-Leste | 27 July 2004 |
| 60 | Iceland | 15 October 2004 |
| 61 | Brazil | 1 February 2005 |
| 62 | North Macedonia | 18 August 2005 |
| 63 | Brunei | 8 February 2006 |
| 64 | Romania | 2 March 2006 |
| 65 | Guatemala | 20 September 2007 |
| 66 | Cuba | 11 October 2007 |
| 67 | Albania | 1 August 2008 |
| 68 | Mexico | 21 October 2008 |
| 69 | Estonia | 23 January 2009 |
| 70 | Lithuania | 19 February 2009 |
| 71 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 13 March 2009 |
| 72 | Luxembourg | 2 June 2009 |
| 73 | Georgia | 12 March 2010 |
| 74 | Botswana | 18 March 2010 |
| 75 | Monaco | 4 May 2010 |
| 76 | United Arab Emirates | 11 May 2010 |
| 77 | Cambodia | 18 May 2010 |
| 78 | Montenegro | 28 January 2011 |
| 79 | Morocco | 28 January 2011 |
| 80 | Paraguay | 28 January 2011 |
| 81 | Qatar | 9 March 2011 |
| 82 | Hungary | 7 September 2011 |
| 83 | Ecuador | 20 December 2011 |
| 84 | Mongolia | 21 December 2011 |
| 85 | Moldova | 14 June 2012 |
| 86 | Latvia | 28 June 2012 |
| 87 | Suriname | 16 November 2012 |
| 88 | Kazakhstan | 7 February 2013 |
| 89 | Poland | 8 March 2013 |
| 90 | Nepal | 28 March 2013 |
| 91 | Uruguay | 21 May 2013 |
| — | Cook Islands | 30 August 2013 |
| 92 | Ukraine | 23 September 2013 |
| — | Kosovo | 10 March 2017 |
| 93 | Tajikistan | 22 December 2017 |
| 94 | Azerbaijan | 19 January 2018 |
| 95 | El Salvador | 17 April 2018 |
| 96 | San Marino | 28 February 2019 |
| 97 | Ghana | 20 December 2019 |
| 98 | Dominican Republic | 23 September 2021 |
| 99 | Jamaica | 26 April 2022 |
| 100 | Bahrain | 27 April 2023 |
| 101 | Bulgaria | 8 May 2023 |
| 102 | Cape Verde | 9 May 2023 |
| 103 | Saint Lucia | 14 December 2023 |
| 104 | Saudi Arabia | 23 May 2024 |
| 105 | Bahamas | 22 October 2024 |
| 106 | Rwanda | 22 October 2024 |
| 107 | Belize | 25 February 2025 |
| 108 | Uganda | 7 March 2025 |
| 109 | Kiribati | Established, date unknown |
| 110 | Tonga | Established, date unknown |

## Bilateral relations

| Country | Notes |
| Argentina | Argentina is accredited to Samoa from its embassy in Wellington, New Zealand. Samoa has an honorary consulate in Buenos Aires. |
| Australia | Australia has a High Commission in Apia. Samoa has a High Commission in Canberra and a consulate-general in Sydney. |
| Canada | Canada is accredited to Samoa from its high commission in Wellington, New Zealand. Samoa is accredited to Canada from its mission in New York City. |
| China | See China–Samoa relations The Independent State of Samoa and the People's Republic of China (PRC) established official diplomatic relations in 1976. The two countries currently maintain cordial relations; China provides economic aid to Samoa. China has an embassy in Apia. Samoa has an embassy in Beijing and has an honorary consulate in Hong Kong. |
| Cuba | Samoa participated in the first Cuba-Pacific Islands ministerial meeting in Havana in September 2008, aimed at "strengthening cooperation" between Cuba and Samoa, notably in coping with the impact of climate change. Cuba is accredited to Samoa from its embassy in Suva, Fiji. Samoa does not have an accreditation to Cuba. |
| Fiji | Fiji is accredited to Samoa from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs based in Suva. Samoa has a high commission in Suva. |
| France | The Samoan Government was an outspoken critic of the French decision to resume nuclear weapons testing in the South Pacific Ocean in 1995. An indefinite ban was placed on visits to Samoa by French warships and aircraft. Large-scale street demonstrations were held in Apia. The French tests concluded in early 1996. France is accredited to Samoa from its embassy in Wellington, New Zealand and maintains an honorary consulate in Apia. Samoa is accredited to France from its embassy in Brussels, Belgium. |
| Germany | Main article: Germany–Samoa relations Germany is accredited to Samoa from its embassy in Wellington, New Zealand and maintains an honorary consulate in Apia. Samoa is accredited to Germany from its embassy in Brussels, Belgium and maintains an honorary consulate in Berlin. |
| India | See India–Samoa relations India is accredited to Samoa from its high commission in Wellington, New Zealand. Samoa does not have an accreditation to India. |
| Japan | Diplomatic relations between Japan and Samoa were established in 1973. Ministerial level visits are frequent between the two countries. Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko made a state visit to Samoa in 2003 when the Emperor was still Crown Prince. Japan opened an embassy in Apia on 1 January 2013. Japan has an embassy in Apia. Samoa has an embassy in Tokyo. |
| Kosovo | In September 2008, Samoa became the 46th country to officially recognise the independence of Kosovo. |
| Mexico | Mexico is accredited to Samoa from its embassy in Wellington, New Zealand and maintains an honorary consulate in Apia. Samoa does not have an accreditation to Mexico. |
| New Zealand | See New Zealand–Samoa relations At independence in 1962, Samoa signed a Treaty of Friendship with New Zealand. This treaty confirms the special relationship between the two countries and provides a framework for their interaction. Under the terms of the treaty, Samoa can request that New Zealand act as a channel of communication to governments and international organizations outside the immediate area of the Pacific islands. Samoa can also request defense assistance which New Zealand is required to consider, as Samoa does not maintain a formal military. Overall, Samoa has strong links with New Zealand, where many Samoans now live and many others were educated. New Zealand is the closest stopping ground for travel to Samoa. New Zealand has a high commission in Apia. Samoa has a high commission in Wellington and a consulate-general in Auckland. |
| South Korea | The Independent State of Samoa and the Republic of Korea have established diplomatic relations on 15 September 1972. Samoa and South Korea have good diplomatic relations. |
| Tonga | See Samoa–Tonga relations Both nations are Pacific Islands countries and members of the Commonwealth of Nations and Pacific Islands Forum. Samoa is accredited to Tonga from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Apia. Tonga is accredited to Samoa from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nukuʻalofa. |
| Turkey | See Samoa–Turkey relations Turkish ambassador in Wellington to New Zealand is also accredited to Samoa. Trade volume between the two countries was negligible in 2019. |
| United Kingdom | Samoa is accredited to the United Kingdom from its embassy in Brussels, Belgium. United Kingdom has a high commission in Apia. |
| United States | See Samoa–United States relations The two countries share cordial relations. Since 1967, the United States has supported a substantial Peace Corps program in Samoa. Over 1,700 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Samoa over that time, with 51 Volunteers currently in-country. Peace Corps programs emphasize village-based development and capacity building. Other forms of U.S. assistance to Samoa are limited. The U.S. Embassy, staffed by a single officer, is the smallest embassy in Samoa and one of the few one-officer U.S. embassies in the world. Samoa is accredited to the United States from its mission in New York City and has a consulate-general in Pago Pago, American Samoa. United States has an embassy in Apia. |

## Samoa and the Commonwealth of Nations

Western Samoa joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970.

## Regional integration

Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi has pushed through a variety of legislation to increase links between Samoa and the Pacific regional powers of Australia and New Zealand. Under his leadership the country switched to driving on the left, decided to shift westwards across the International Date Line and adopted daylight saving time, and proposed the introduction of a common Pacific currency.
In late 2011, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi initiated a meeting of Polynesian leaders which led, in November, to the formal launching of the Polynesian Leaders Group, a regional grouping intended to cooperate on a variety of issues including culture and language, education, responses to climate change, and trade and investment. The Group was in part a response to the Melanesian Spearhead Group.