The foreign relations of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania have, since 1960, been dominated by the issues of the

Spanish Sahara Spanish Sahara (; ), officially the Spanish Possessions in the Sahara from 1884 to 1958, then Province of the Sahara between 1958 and 1976, was the name used for the modern territory of Western Sahara when it was occupied and ruled by Spain bet ...

(now

Western Sahara Western Sahara is a territorial dispute, disputed territory in Maghreb, North-western Africa. It has a surface area of . Approximately 30% of the territory () is controlled by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); the remaining 70% is ...

Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), also known as the Sahrawi Republic and Western Sahara, is a partially recognized state in the western Maghreb, which claims the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara, but controls only ...

) and the recognition of its independence by its neighbours, particularly

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. Mauritania's foreign relations are handled by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, who is currently Mohamed Salem Ould Merzoug.

History

Previously a colony of France, Mauritania gained Independence in 1960, although this was disapproved of by the

Arab League The Arab League (, ' ), officially the League of Arab States (, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945, initially with seven members: Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, ...

due to

's claims on the Western Sahara. Mauritania applied to join the United Nations in 1960 but was vetoed by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, who voted the next year for Mauritania's admission in exchange for the admission of

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

. Initially, Mauritania continued good relations with France to counterbalance Morocco's ambitions, but by 1962 the country turned away from wholesale support of France and began normalizing relations with its neighbours, eventually establishing diplomatic relations with

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

in 1963 through the Treaty of Kayes, and with

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

and the

United Arab Republic The United Arab Republic (UAR; ) was a sovereign state in the Middle East from 1958 to 1971. It was initially a short-lived political union between Republic of Egypt (1953–1958), Egypt (including Occupation of the Gaza Strip by the United Ara ...

in 1964. In 1963, Mauritania joined the

Organization of African Unity The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; , OUA) was an African intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 33 signatory governments. Some of the key aims of the OAU were to encourage political and ec ...

(OAU), which led to Morocco's resignation (Morocco did not recognize Mauritania until 1969). With the OAU's and Arab League's encouragement, Mauritania did not seek diplomatic relations with

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, Israel or

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

South Africa; today, following the downfall of the Apartheid system and the

decolonization Decolonization is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby Imperialism, imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. The meanings and applications of the term are disputed. Some scholar ...

of Portugal's empire, relations with these countries have been normalized.

Claims to Western Sahara territory

In 1976, Mauritania officially annexed a third of the then

following Spain's withdrawal from the region.

and

responded by withdrawing their ambassadors from Mauritania; additionally, the rebel Polisario group began a guerilla war against both Mauritania and Morocco. Mauritania withdrew its claims and recognized the

(SADR) as the territory's sovereign government in 1980, although this allowed Morocco to take control of the SADR. Mauritania has since declared neutrality in the dispute, seeking a peaceful and expedient end to the conflict, while its diplomatic relations with Algeria and Morocco have resumed.

African Union membership

Mauritania joined the African Union (AU) in 1963. Following a military coup d'état in 2005, Mauritania's membership was suspended "until the restoration of constitutional order in the country". This left

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

diplomatically isolated within Africa, as it became the only country on the continent except Morocco without full membership in the AU. In March 2007 democratic rule was restored in Mauritania, with

presidential elections A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The ...

declared "free and fair" by international observers. However, its membership was suspended again following the 2008 coup.

History

Claims to Western Sahara territory

African Union membership

Diplomatic relations

Bilateral relations

See also

References