Foreign relations of Malawi

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:

File:Diplomatic relations of Malawi.svg
#	Country	Date
1	Template:Flag	6 July 1964<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
2	Template:Flag	6 July 1964<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
3	Template:Flag	6 July 1964<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
4	Template:Flag	6 July 1964<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
5	Template:Flag	8 July 1964<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
6	Template:Flag	15 July 1964<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
7	Template:Flag	30 July 1964<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
8	Template:Flag	19 October 1964<ref name=":0" />
9	Template:Flag	25 November 1964<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
10	Template:Flag	9 March 1965<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
11	Template:Flag	9 March 1965<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
12	Template:Flag	27 May 1965<ref name=":0"/>
13	Template:Flag	28 September 1965<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
14	Template:Flag	2 December 1965<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
15	Template:Flag	16 December 1965<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref>
16	Template:Flag	1965<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
17	Template:Flag	28 January 1966<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
—	Template:Flag	5 February 1966<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
18	Template:Flag	22 February 1966<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
19	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
20	Template:Flag	19 May 1966<ref name=":0"/>
21	Template:Flag	17 June 1966<ref name=":0"/>
22	Template:Flag	20 September 1966<ref name=":0"/>
23	Template:Flag	1 July 1967<ref name=":3" />
24	Template:Flag	10 September 1967<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
25	Template:Flag	4 August 1969<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
26	Template:Flag	29 November 1969<ref name=":2">Template:Cite book</ref>
27	Template:Flag	30 April 1970<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
28	Template:Flag	15 September 1970<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
29	Template:Flag	27 October 1972<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
30	Template:Flag	12 February 1974<ref name=":4" />
31	Template:Flag	10 September 1974<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
32	Template:Flag	4 September 1976<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
33	Template:Flag	28 October 1980<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
34	Template:Flag	November 1980<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
35	Template:Flag	19 June 1981<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
36	Template:Flag	1 July 1981<ref name="UNDL" />
37	Template:Flag	17 July 1981<ref name="UNDL">Template:Cite web</ref>
38	Template:Flag	1981<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
39	Template:Flag	25 June 1982<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
40	Template:Flag	1 July 1983<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
41	Template:Flag	16 May 1985<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
42	Template:Flag	11 July 1985<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
43	Template:Flag	15 July 1985<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
44	Template:Flag	1 May 1986<ref name="UNDL" />
45	Template:Flag	1 June 1987<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
46	Template:Flag	21 March 1990<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
47	Template:Flag	23 August 1990<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
48	Template:Flag	30 November 1990<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
49	Template:Flag	26 December 1990<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
50	Template:Flag	20 March 1991<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
51	Template:Flag	6 November 1991<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
52	Template:Flag	10 July 1992<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
53	Template:Flag	2 November 1993<ref name="UNDL" />
54	Template:Flag	9 November 1993<ref name="UNDL" />
55	Template:Flag	30 December 1993<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
56	Template:Flag	23 November 1994<ref name="UNDL" />
57	Template:Flag	19 June 1995<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
58	Template:Flag	18 February 1996<ref name=":6" />
59	Template:Flag	12 June 1996<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
60	Template:Flag	10 December 1997<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
61	Template:Flag	13 February 1998<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
62	Template:Flag	20 February 1998<ref name="UNDL" />
63	Template:Flag	30 March 1998<ref name="UNDL" />
64	Template:Flag	21 April 1998<ref name="UNDL" />
65	Template:Flag	9 June 1998<ref name="UNDL" />
66	Template:Flag	14 August 1998<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
67	Template:Flag	24 August 1998<ref name="UNDL" />
68	Template:Flag	10 September 1998<ref name="UNDL" />
—	Template:Flag	23 October 1998<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
69	Template:Flag	13 November 1998<ref name="UNDL" />
70	Template:Flag	10 December 1998<ref name="UNDL" />
71	Template:Flag	22 December 1998<ref name="UNDL" />
72	Template:Flag	1998<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
73	Template:Flag	11 March 1999<ref name="UNDL" />
74	Template:Flag	23 June 1999<ref name="UNDL" />
75	Template:Flag	15 August 1999<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
76	Template:Flag	27 September 1999<ref name="UNDL" />
77	Template:Flag	30 September 1999<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
78	Template:Flag	12 April 2000<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
79	Template:Flag	22 June 2000<ref name="UNDL" />
80	Template:Flag	11 October 2000<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
81	Template:Flag	31 January 2001<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
82	Template:Flag	9 February 2001<ref name="UNDL" />
83	Template:Flag	3 May 2001<ref name="UNDL" />
84	Template:Flag	22 May 2001<ref name="UNDL" />
85	Template:Flag	26 June 2001<ref name=":7" />
86	Template:Flag	13 July 2001<ref name="UNDL" />
—	Template:Flag (cancelled)	24 March 2002<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
87	Template:Flag	2002<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
88	Template:Flag	21 May 2004<ref name="UNDL" />
89	Template:Flag	31 January 2007<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
90	Template:Flag	28 December 2007<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
91	Template:Flag	26 February 2009<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
92	Template:Flag	9 June 2011<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
93	Template:Flag	25 June 2011<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
94	Template:Flag	19 July 2011<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
95	Template:Flag	20 July 2011<ref name="UNDL" />
96	Template:Flag	21 July 2011<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
97	Template:Flag	21 July 2011<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
98	Template:Flag	16 September 2011<ref name="UNDL" />
99	Template:Flag	19 September 2011<ref name="UNDL" />
100	Template:Flag	26 September 2011<ref name="UNDL" />
101	Template:Flag	18 October 2011<ref name="UNDL" />
102	Template:Flag	18 November 2011<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
103	Template:Flag	21 December 2011<ref name="UNDL" />
104	Template:Flag	2011<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
105	Template:Flag	20 January 2012<ref name="UNDL" />
106	Template:Flag	30 January 2012<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
107	Template:Flag	15 March 2012<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
108	Template:Flag	31 July 2012<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
109	Template:Flag	26 September 2012<ref name=":8" />
110	Template:Flag	20 March 2013<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
111	Template:Flag	29 September 2014<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
112	Template:Flag	8 March 2016<ref name="facebook.com">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="faceofmalawi.com">Template:Cite web</ref>
113	Template:Flag	8 March 2016<ref name="facebook.com" /><ref name="faceofmalawi.com" />
114	Template:Flag	9 March 2016<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
—	Template:Flag	20 July 2016<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
115	Template:Flag	7 December 2016<ref name="UNDL" />
116	Template:Flag	3 May 2017<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
117	Template:Flag	20 July 2017<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
118	Template:Flag	18 October 2017<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
119	Template:Flag	19 February 2019<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
120	Template:Flag	19 February 2019<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
121	Template:Flag	22 September 2022<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
122	Template:Flag	24 September 2022<ref name="UNDL" />
123	Template:Flag	25 September 2022<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
124	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
125	Template:Flag	18 October 2022<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
126	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
127	Template:Flag	16 February 2023<ref name="UNDL" />
128	Template:Flag	2 August 2023<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
129	Template:Flag	1 November 2023<ref name="UNDL" />
130	Template:Flag	8 December 2023<ref name="UNDL" />
131	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
132	Template:Flag	23 September 2024<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
133	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
134	Template:Flag	Template:Dts<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
135	Template:Flag	Unknown
136	Template:Flag	Unknown
137	Template:Flag	Unknown

Bilateral Relations

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Template:Flag	1 July 1983	Australia is represented in Malawi by its embassy in Harare.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Both countries are full members of the Commonwealth of Nations.
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	Both countries established diplomatic relations on 12 February 1974<ref name=":4">Template:Cite book</ref> Both countries are full members of the Commonwealth of Nations.
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	Greece is represented in Malawi by its embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe.<ref name="mfa.gr">Template:Cite web</ref> Malawi is represented in Greece by its embassy in Brussels, Belgium.<ref name="mfa.gr" />
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	Malawi is accredited to Mexico from its embassy in Washington, D.C., United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Mexico is accredited to Malawi from its embassy in Pretoria, South Africa.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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	Embassy of Malawi in Berlin is accredited to Turkey.<ref name="auto68">Template:Cite web</ref> Turkish Embassy in Lusaka is accredited to Malawi.<ref name="auto68" /> Trade volume between the two countries was US$21 million in 2019 (Malawi's exports/imports: 16.4/4.67 million USD).<ref name="auto68" />
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 Malawi maintains a high commission in London.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The United Kingdom is accredited to Malawi through its high commission in Lilongwe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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

• List of diplomatic missions in Malawi
• List of diplomatic missions of Malawi