# Foreign relations of the Comoros

In November 1975, Comoros became the 143rd member of the United Nations. The new nation was defined as consisting of the entire archipelago, despite the fact that France maintains control over Mayotte.

## Overview

Comoros also is a member of the African Union, the Arab League, the European Development Fund, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Indian Ocean Commission, and the African Development Bank.
The government fostered close relationships with the more conservative (and oil-rich) Arab states, such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It frequently received aid from those countries and the regional financial institutions they influenced, such as the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development. In October 1993, Comoros joined the League of Arab States, after having been rejected when it applied for membership initially in 1977.
Regional relations generally were good. In 1985 Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles agreed to admit Comoros as the fourth member of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), an organization established in 1982 to encourage regional cooperation. In 1993 Mauritius and Seychelles had two of the five embassies in Moroni, and Mauritius and Madagascar were connected to the republic by regularly scheduled commercial flights.
In November 1975, Comoros became the 143d member of the UN. In the 1990s, the republic continued to represent Mahoré in the UN. Comoros was also a member of the OAU, the EDF, the World Bank, the IMF, the IOC, and the African Development Bank.
Comoros thus cultivated relations with various nations, both East and West, seeking to increase trade and obtain financial assistance. In 1994, however, it was increasingly facing the need to control its expenditures and reorganize its economy so that it would be viewed as a sounder recipient of investment. Comoros also confronted domestically the problem of the degree of democracy the government was prepared to grant to its citizens, a consideration that related to its standing in the world community.

## Diplomatic relations

List of countries which the Comoros maintains diplomatic relations with:
Date :
| 1 | China | 13 November 1975 |
| 2 | North Korea | 13 November 1975 |
| 3 | Syria | 25 November 1975 |
| 4 | Russia | 6 January 1976 |
| 5 | Libya | 1 April 1976 |
| 6 | Kuwait | 3 May 1976 |
| 7 | Iraq | 1 June 1976 |
| 8 | Czech Republic | 7 June 1976 |
| 9 | Egypt | 28 June 1976 |
| 10 | India | June 1976 |
| 11 | Senegal | 10 July 1976 |
| 12 | Romania | 12 August 1976 |
| 13 | Iran | September 1976 |
| 14 | Italy | 1 November 1976 |
| 15 | Madagascar | 12 November 1976 |
| 16 | Belgium | 15 November 1976 |
| 17 | Serbia | 24 November 1976 |
| 18 | Cuba | 21 December 1976 |
| 19 | Tanzania | 1976 |
| 20 | Tunisia | 1976 |
| 21 | Netherlands | 21 February 1977 |
| 22 | Switzerland | 1 March 1977 |
| 23 | United Arab Emirates | 2 June 1977 |
| 24 | Bulgaria | 6 June 1977 |
| 25 | Poland | 6 June 1977 |
| 26 | Canada | 16 June 1977 |
| 27 | United States | 15 August 1977 |
| 28 | United Kingdom | 3 October 1977 |
| 29 | Japan | 14 November 1977 |
| 30 | Hungary | 30 November 1977 |
| 31 | Finland | 19 December 1977 |
| 32 | Sweden | 1977 |
| 33 | Luxembourg | 1 February 1978 |
| 34 | Germany | 2 February 1978 |
| 35 | France | 3 July 1978 |
| 36 | Morocco | 1978 |
| 37 | South Korea | 19 February 1979 |
| 38 | Algeria | 27 February 1979 |
| 39 | Turkey | 22 August 1979 |
| 40 | Oman | 9 January 1981 |
| 41 | Guinea | 11 August 1981 |
| 42 | Denmark | 1 December 1981 |
| 43 | Nigeria | 5 November 1982 |
| 44 | Spain | 1 March 1983 |
| 45 | Indonesia | 19 March 1983 |
| 46 | Maldives | 20 July 1983 |
| 47 | Australia | 27 July 1983 |
| 48 | Pakistan | 19 October 1983 |
| 49 | Djibouti | 29 March 1984 |
| 50 | Bahrain | 1984 |
| 51 | Saudi Arabia | 1984 |
| 52 | Yemen | 6 January 1985 |
| 53 | Mauritius | 25 February 1985 |
| 54 | Mozambique | 20 June 1985 |
| 55 | Thailand | 15 July 1986 |
| 56 | Seychelles | 30 June 1988 |
| 57 | Argentina | 28 September 1988 |
| 58 | Colombia | 3 October 1988 |
| 59 | Bolivia | 3 April 1989 |
| 60 | Venezuela | 26 October 1990 |
| — | State of Palestine | 1990 |
| 61 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 10 December 1992 |
| 62 | South Africa | 14 May 1993 |
| 63 | Ukraine | 23 July 1993 |
| 64 | Portugal | 27 December 1996 |
| 65 | Brunei | 16 February 1999 |
| 66 | Croatia | 29 June 1999 |
| 67 | North Macedonia | 29 June 2000 |
| 68 | Malaysia | 2000 |
| 69 | Iceland | 29 October 2004 |
| 70 | Cyprus | 10 November 2004 |
| 71 | Angola | 22 December 2004 |
| 72 | Brazil | 25 March 2005 |
| 73 | Uzbekistan | 21 May 2005 |
| 74 | Zambia | 22 February 2007 |
| 75 | Austria | 8 March 2007 |
| 76 | Armenia | 2 July 2008 |
| 77 | Andorra | 8 July 2008 |
| 78 | Mexico | 13 October 2008 |
| 79 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 24 September 2008 |
| 80 | Uruguay | 14 May 2009 |
| 81 | Azerbaijan | 1 January 2010 |
| 82 | Cambodia | 22 February 2010 |
| 83 | Latvia | 24 February 2010 |
| 84 | Georgia | 26 March 2010 |
| 85 | Estonia | 30 November 2010 |
| 86 | Montenegro | 9 February 2011 |
| 87 | Solomon Islands | 14 February 2011 |
| 88 | Slovenia | 25 April 2011 |
| 89 | Sudan | 16 August 2011 |
| 90 | Philippines | 25 November 2011 |
| 91 | Mongolia | 5 December 2011 |
| 92 | Kazakhstan | 29 March 2012 |
| 93 | Tuvalu | 5 April 2012 |
| 94 | Equatorial Guinea | 29 August 2012 |
| 95 | Singapore | 8 April 2013 |
| 96 | Lithuania | 26 September 2013 |
| 97 | Fiji | 7 November 2013 |
| 98 | Bangladesh | 14 October 2014 |
| 99 | Ghana | 5 July 2015 |
| 100 | Vietnam | 24 September 2015 |
| 101 | Ecuador | 15 October 2015 |
| 102 | Ivory Coast | 16 February 2016 |
| 103 | Mali | 16 February 2016 |
| 104 | Mauritania | 19 October 2016 |
| 105 | Slovakia | 6 June 2017 |
| 106 | Ireland | 2017 |
| 107 | Benin | 17 May 2018 |
| 108 | South Sudan | 17 May 2018 |
| 109 | Tajikistan | 17 August 2018 |
| 110 | Jordan | 2 September 2018 |
| 111 | Botswana | 26 September 2018 |
| 112 | Uganda | 24 October 2018 |
| 113 | Norway | 28 June 2019 |
| 114 | Nicaragua | 18 September 2019 |
| 115 | Niger | 21 November 2020 |
| 116 | Gambia | 11 October 2021 |
| 117 | Namibia | 20 October 2021 |
| 118 | Malawi | 7 October 2022 |
| 119 | Rwanda | 16 January 2023 |
| 120 | Republic of the Congo | 3 February 2023 |
| 121 | Kenya | 1 September 2023 |
| 122 | Cape Verde | 25 April 2024 |
| 123 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 28 September 2024 |
| 124 | Burkina Faso | Unknown |
| 125 | Burundi | Unknown |
| 126 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Unknown |
| 127 | Ethiopia | Unknown |
| 128 | Greece | Unknown |
| 129 | Lebanon | Unknown |
| — | Qatar (suspended) | Unknown |

## Bilateral relations

| Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
| Belgium | 15 November 1976 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 15 November 1976 Comoros maintains an embassy in Brussels. |
| China | 13 November 1975 | See China–Comoros relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 13 November 1975 Comoros also hosted an embassy of China, which established relations during the Soilih regime. The Chinese had long been a source of aid and apparently wished to maintain contact with Comoros to counterbalance Indian and Soviet (later Russian) influence in the Indian Ocean. In August 2008, a Comorian delegation visited China on a good-will visit. Together with the Chinese defense minister Liang Guanglie, and Chief of Staff of the Comoros armed forces Salimou Mohamed Amiri, pledged to increase cooperation between the military of the two nations. Amiri stated that Comoros will continue to adhere to the One-China policy. A comprehensive Chinese-assisted treatment campaign has apparently eliminated malaria from the Comorian island of Moheli (population 36,000). Administered by Li Guoqiao at the Tropical Medicine Institute, the program relies on hybrid Artemisia annua of hybrid ancestry, which was used for a drug regimen by which all residents of the island, whether or not visibly ill, took two doses at a 40-day interval. This eliminated the human reservoir of the disease and reduced hospital admissions to 1% or less of January 2008 levels. Visitors to Moheli are now required to take antimalarial drugs, a mix of artemisinin, primaquine and pyrimethamine that China provides for free. When asked about Artemisia exports, Li was quoted, "We want to grow them in China and whatever we export depends on bilateral relationships." Comoros has requested a similar program for Grande Comore and Anjouan, total population 760,000, and Li said that Beijing has agreed in principle. |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | | The countries maintain diplomatic relations and Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi visited Comoros in 2023. |
| Cyprus | | Cyprus is represented in Comoros by its embassy in Pretoria. |
| Denmark | 1 December 1981 | Denmark is represented in Comoros by its embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. |
| Finland | 19 December 1977 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 19 December 1977 Comoros is represented in Finland by its embassy in Paris, France. |
| France | 1 July 1978 | See France–Comoros relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 1 July 1978 Comoros' most significant international relationship is that with France. The three years of estrangement following the unilateral declaration of independence and the nationalistic Soilih regime were followed during the conservative Abdallah and Djohar regimes by a period of growing trade, aid, cultural, and defense links between the former colony and France, punctuated by frequent visits to Paris by the head of state and occasional visits by the French president to Moroni. The leading military power in the region, France has detachments on Mahoré and Réunion, and its Indian Ocean fleet sails the waters around the islands. France and Comoros signed a mutual security treaty in 1978; following the mercenary coup against Abdallah in 1989, French troops restored order and took responsibility for reorganizing and training the Comorian army. With Mahoré continuing to gravitate politically and economically toward France, and Comoros increasingly dependent on the French for help with its own considerable social, political, and economic problems, the issue of Mahoré diminished somewhat in urgency. Comoros claims French-administered Mayotte & the Glorioso Islands. |
| India | 4 June 1976 | See Comoros–India relations Both countries established diplomatic relations in June 1976. Both countries are full members of the Indian-Ocean Rim Association. |
| Indonesia | 23 June 1983 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 23 June 1983 Indonesia is represented in Comoros by their embassy in Dar es Salaam. Both countries are full members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and of the Indian-Ocean Rim Association. |
| Ireland | 24 October 2018 | Ireland is represented in Comoros by its embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. |
| Italy | 1 November 1976 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 1 November 1976 Comoros is represented in Italy by its embassy in Paris, France and an honorary consulate in Rome. Italy is represented in Comoros by its embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and an honorary consulate in Anjouan. |
| Japan | 14 November 1977 | Comorian relations with Japan were also significant because Japan was the second largest provider of aid, consisting of funding for fisheries, food, and highway development. |
| Libya | 1 April 1976 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 1 April 1976 |
| Malaysia | 2000 | Both countries established diplomatic relations in 2000. |
| Mexico | 13 October 2008 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 13 October 2008 The Comoros does not have an accreditation to Mexico. Mexico is accredited to the Comoros from its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. |
| Morocco | | The two countries maintain diplomatic relations and signed 11 agreements in 2022. |
| Netherlands | 21 February 1977 | Comoros is represented in Netherlands by their embassy in Brussels, Belgium. The Netherlands are represented in Comoros by their embassy in Dar es Salaam. |
| Niger | | The two countries maintain cordial relations. |
| North Korea | | See Comoros–North Korea relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on November 13, 1975. |
| Qatar | | See Comoros–Qatar relations Comoros severed the diplomatic relations with Qatar in June 2017. |
| Saudi Arabia | | Saudi Arabia has an embassy in Comoros. |
| Serbia | 24 November 1976 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 24 November 1976. Serbia is represented in Comoros by its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. |
| South Africa | 14 May 1993 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 14 May 1993 The close relationship Comoros developed with South Africa in the 1980s was much less significant to both countries in the 1990s. With the reform of its apartheid government, South Africa no longer needed Comoros as evidence of its ostensible ability to enjoy good relations with a black African state; the end of the Cold War had also diminished Comoros' strategic value to Pretoria. Although South Africa continued to provide developmental aid, it closed its consulate in Moroni in 1992. Since the 1989 coup and subsequent expulsion of South African-financed mercenaries, Comoros likewise turned away from South Africa and toward France for assistance with its security needs. |
| Turkey | 22 August 1979 | See Comoros–Turkey relations The Embassy of the Comoros in Cairo is accredited to Turkey. The Turkish ambassador in Antananarivo to Madagascar is also accredited to the Union of the Comoros. Trade volume between the two countries was US$21.1 million in 2019. |
| Ukraine | 23 July 1993 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on July 23, 1993. Comoros has an honorary consulate in Kyiv. Ukraine is represented in Comoros by its embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. |
| United Kingdom | 3 October 1977 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 3 October 1977. Great-Britain is represented in Comoros by its embassy in Antananarivo, Madagascar. |
| United States | 15 August 1977 | See Comoros–United States relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 15 August 1977. The American Embassy at Moroni was established on August 26, 1985, with Edward Brynn as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim. The American Embassy at Moroni was closed on September 30, 1993. Subsequent American Ambassadors to Comoros also have been accredited to Mauritius, and resident at Port Louis. On March 6, 2006, responsibilities for Comoros were transferred from Embassy Port Louis to Embassy Antananarivo. The two countries enjoy friendly relations. The historic under-commitment by the US within France's sphere of interest in the Indian Ocean looks set to continue after a November 2009 meeting between heads of state. Future friendly relations continue to look promising between the Comoros and America. |
| Uzbekistan | 21 May 2005 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 21 May 2005 Both countries are full members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. |
| Yemen | 6 January 1985 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 6 January 1985 In April 2008, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation of Yemen and Comoros Ministry of Fishery and Environment signed a "Memo of Understanding" (MOU) concerning agricultural cooperation. |