Lesotho has historically maintained generally close ties with the
Republic of Ireland (Lesotho's largest bilateral aid donor), the
United States, the
United Kingdom,
Germany, and other Western states. Although Lesotho decided in 1990 to break relations with the
People's Republic of China (P.R.C.) and re-establish relations with the
Republic of China (commonly known by its main island as Taiwan), it had restored ties with the P.R.C. in 1994.
Diplomatic relations
List of countries which Lesotho maintains diplomatic relations with:
Canada is represented in Lesotho via parallel accreditation of its high commission in
Pretoria,
South Africa[101] and has an honorary consulate in
Maseru.[102]
Since 2006, Lesotho has a high commission in
Ottawa[101]
Lesotho has significant relations with
Ireland. On 13 November 1997,
Liz O'Donnell (Irish Minister for State) spoke about the relationship between the two nations and Ireland's future commitment towards Lesotho. The Irish Prime Minister,
Bertie Ahern visited Lesotho in 2000.[113] This relationship was further strengthened by a visit from the then
President of IrelandMary McAleese between 14 and 16 June 2006 on her speech about the long-standing relationship with Lesotho and shared history between both nations.[114]
The Irish Government has donated aid to Lesotho since 1975. Donations to Lesotho is Ireland's longest running aid programme.[115] On 14 February 2005, Lesotho announced that Ireland is the largest bilateral donor with financial support in excess of M70 million in each of the past three years.[116] Ireland also supports Lesotho's Flying Doctor Service, education, sanitation, water and various health such as the Fight against AIDS with the
Clinton Foundation.[117]
Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of Korea and Lesotho is 7 December 1966 and in 2011 Bilateral Trade were Exports $27,330,000, Imports: $290,000.[120]
Lesotho was previously the British protectorate of
Basutoland prior to gaining independence in 1966. Since then Lesotho has been a member of the
Commonwealth of Nations and maintained strong relations with the United Kingdom, exchanging
High Commissioners between respective governments. The United Kingdom has maintained its status as one of Lesotho's major defence equipment suppliers as well as significant investment coming from the United Kingdom to help in the prevention and management of AIDS/HIV as well as other infrastructure projects.
The United States was one of the first four countries to establish an embassy in
Maseru after Lesotho gained its independence from Great Britain in 1966. Since this time, Lesotho and the United States have consistently maintained warm bilateral relations. In 1996, the United States closed its bilateral aid program in Lesotho. The Southern African regional office of the
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in
Gaborone,
Botswana now administers most of the U.S. assistance to Lesotho, which totalled approximately $2 million in
FY 2004. Total U.S. aid to Lesotho is over $69 million, including humanitarian food assistance. The
Peace Corps has operated in Lesotho since 1969.About 69 Peace Corps volunteers concentrate in the sectors of health, agriculture, education, rural community development, and the
environment. The Government of Lesotho encourages greater American participation in commercial life and welcomes interest from potential U.S. investors and suppliers. In 2007, the Government of Lesotho signed a compact with the
Millennium Challenge Corporation to provide $362.5 million in support to develop Lesotho's water sector, healthcare
infrastructure, and private sector.
^Jaarboek van het Departement van Buitenlandse Zaken Volumes 86-90 (in Dutch). Netherlands. Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken. 1967. p. 153.
^Southern African Political History: A Chronology of Key Political Events from Independence to Mid-1997. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999. p. 115.
^
abcAfrica Research Bulletin. Blackwell. 1968. p. 1205.
^Bulletin de l'Afrique noire, Issues 527-534. La Documentation africaine., 1968. p. 10633.
^Lesotho Report for the Year. Lesotho, Lesotho. Department of Information. 1968. p. 143. The High Commissioner for the Kingdom of Lesotho in the United Kingdom is accredited to the Federal Republic of Germany , France , the Vatican and Austria.
^Africa Research Bulletin. Blackwell. 1976. p. 4150. The Lesotho Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced in Maseru that Lesotho and Malawi have established diplomatic relations at High Commissioner level on a non-residential basis.
^Revue française d'études politiques africaines Issues 133-137 (in French). Société africaine d'édition. 1977. p. 11.
^Keesing's Contemporary Archives. Volume 29. 1983. p. 32482.
^Volume 1 of V mensaje al Congreso de la República: Caracas, 26 de enero de 1984, Venezuela. President (1979-1984 : Herrera Campíns). Ministerio de Información y Turismo, 1984. p. 615.
^Summary of World Broadcasts: Non-Arab Africa, Issues 7684-7709. British Broadcasting Corporation. Monitoring Service. 1984. p. 16.
^Revue de la communauté France-Eurafrique Issues 252-277 (in French). 1975. p. 24. Le Lesotho va établir des relations diplomatiques au niveau des ambassadeurs avec l'Etat des Emirats Arabes Unis , annonce le Ministère des Affaires étrangères à Maseru ...
^Foreign Affairs Malaysia, Volume 21, Issues 1-3. Ministry of Foreign Affairs., 1988. p. 80.
^
abGovernment of Canada, Foreign Affairs Trade and Development Canada (25 November 2008).
"Canada - Lesotho Relations". GAC. Retrieved 29 December 2018.