Mauritius has strong and friendly relations with the West, as well as with France and India and the countries of southern and eastern Africa. It is a member of the World Trade Organization, the Commonwealth of Nations, La Francophonie, the African Union, the Southern Africa Development Community, the Indian Ocean Commission, COMESA, and the recently formed Indian Ocean Rim Association. WTO Logo The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an international, multilateral organization, which sets the rules for the global trading system and resolves disputes between its member states, all of whom are signatories to its about 30 agreements. ... The Commonwealth of Nations, usually known as The Commonwealth, is an association of independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire. ... La Francophonie (occasionally in English Francophony, formally lOrganisation internationale de la Francophonie), a French language term coined in 1880 by French geographer Onésime Reclus to designate the community of people and countries using French, is an international organisation of French-speaking countries and governments. ... The Indian Ocean Commission (COI), known as the Commission de lOcéan Indien in French, is an intergovernmental organization that joins Reunion Island, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, the Seychelles and Mayotte together to encourage cooperation. ... COMESA, an acronym for Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, is a free trade area with twenty member states stretching from Egypt to Namibia. ... Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) Organisation Background The Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC), launched in Mauritius in March 1997, is a grouping of nineteen Indian Ocean-rim states, whose aims are to facilitate trade and investment in the region. ...

Trade, commitment to democracy, and the country's small size are driving forces behind Mauritian foreign policy. The country's political heritage and dependence on Western markets have led to close ties with the European Union and its member states, particularly the United Kingdom and France, which exercises sovereignty over neighboring Reunion Island.France has remained one of its biggest trading partners ,in addition the two countries share close cultural ties in langauge ,media and litreature. Mautitius is a member state of the La Francophonie ,an organization of French speaking countries. La Francophonie (occasionally in English Francophony, formally lOrganisation internationale de la Francophonie), a French language term coined in 1880 by French geographer Onésime Reclus to designate the community of people and countries using French, is an international organisation of French-speaking countries and governments. ...

Considered part of Africa geographically, Mauritius has friendly relations with other African states in the region, particularly South Africa, by far its largest continental trading partner. Mauritian investors are gradually entering African markets, notably Madagascar and Mozambique. Mauritius coordinates much of its foreign policy with the Southern Africa Development Community and the Organization of African Unity.

Relations with France and India are strong for both historical and commercial reasons. Foreign embassies in Mauritius include Australia, the United Kingdom, People's Republic of China, Egypt, France, India, Madagascar, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States.

Disputes - international: claims the entire Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean; claims the whole French-administered Tromelin Island, Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island Illicit drugs: minor consumer and transshipment point for heroin from South Asia; small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed locally Map of the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory) The Chagos Archipelago is a group of six atolls with more than 600 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean, that lies about 500 km (300 miles) due south of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, and 1600 km (1000 miles... Heroin or diacetylmorphine (INN) is a semi-synthetic opioid. ... See also: Asian and Eurasian World map showing Asia. ... Species Cannabis indica Cannabis ruderalis Cannabis sativa This is one of several related articles about cannabis. ...

See also : Mauritius