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External affairs (Comoros), External affairs

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Title
External affairs (Comoros)

Section
External affairs

Appearing in
Sentinel Security Assessment - Central Africa

Publication date
Jun 10, 2008

Foreign Policy Overview
Comoros has extremely limited diplomatic resources and engagement with the rest of the world. It has posted only four embassies abroad: to former colonial power France; to the European Union in Brussels; to Egypt and the Arab League in Cairo; and to South Africa, the main sponsor of its peace process. China, France, Libya and South Africa are the only states to maintain diplomatic representations in Moroni. Relations with the US have to be conducted through the US mission in Mauritius.Comoros' international relations are dominated by three main axes - the traditional link to France, cultural and diplomatic ties with the Arab world and, finally, co-operation ties with other Indian Ocean island states. Mainland Africa has traditionally not been a major factor in policy, in spite of close cultural and family links to Zanzibar (part of Tanzania) and the Swahili coast. However, the important role played by nearby African Union states in the post-1997 reconciliation process has increased contacts considerably. This has principally involved South Africa, as well as Mozambique and Tanzania. The cornerstone alliance underpinning Comoros' external security arrangements has been its defence pact with France. French troops intervened twice (in 1989 and 1995) to prevent foreign mercenaries taking formal control of the islands. A further agreement of 1996 was supposed to see French troops established permanently on the islands but France's 1997 disengagement from Africa and the 1999 coup in Comoros ended this close arrangement. Since 2001, South Africa has taken on some of France's traditional influence over

Multilateral Relations
Although Comoros is a member of numerous international organisations, it is largely the object of their attentions rather than an active participant in addressing international issues. As such, it tends to relate to dominant states within institutions rather than the institution per se. Thus, relations with the African Union are actually more a forum for relations with South Africa. France (via Réunion and Mayotte) similarly dominates relations within the Indian Ocean Commission. Unlike all surrounding states, Comoros is not a member of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). Given its instability and poverty it is unlikely to be allowed to join in the short-term but membership would make sense in the longer term given the increased links with South Africa and the new and renewed SADC membership of Madagascar and Seychelles respectively.

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