France–Togo relations are the diplomatic relations between the

French Republic France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and the

Togolese Republic Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its ca ...

. Both nations are members of the

Organisation internationale de la Francophonie The (OIF; sometimes shortened to the Francophonie, french: La Francophonie , but also called International Organisation of in English-language context) is an international organization representing countries and regions where French is a ...

and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

History

French colonization

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, French and British troops invaded the German colony of

Togoland Togoland was a German Empire protectorate in West Africa from 1884 to 1914, encompassing what is now the nation of Togo and most of what is now the Volta Region of Ghana, approximately 90,400 km2 (29,867 sq mi) in size. During the period kno ...

as part of the '' Togoland campaign''. As part of a

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

mandate, the British and French partitioned Togoland among themselves and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

acquired the eastern-part of the territory which makes-up present-day Togo.Togo profile - Timeline
/ref> In 1955, French Togoland became an autonomous republic within the French Union.

Independence

In May 1956, British Togoland held a

plebiscite A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

and a majority of residents voted to integrate their territory into soon-to-be-independent

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

. In 1958,

Sylvanus Olympio Sylvanus Épiphanio Olympio (; 6 September 1902 – 13 January 1963) was a Togolese politician who served as prime minister, and then president, of Togo from 1958 until his assassination in 1963. He came from the important Olympio family, wh ...

became Prime Minister of Togo and led the nation towards its independence. In October 1958 the French government announced that full independence would be granted. On 27 April 1960, Togo became an independent nation and France and Togo soon established diplomatic relations. Olympio became the first President of Togo.

Post Independence

Immediately after obtaining independence, Togo came under the French sphere of influence known as '' Françafrique''. In January 1963, Olympio was assassinated in a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

. That same year, France and Togo signed a mutual defense agreement. Under the pact French military intervention is authorized in the event of aggression from another country. In November 1963, Togolese President

Nicolas Grunitzky Nicolas Grunitzky (; 5 April 1913 – 27 September 1969) was the second president of Togo and its third head of state. He was President from 1963 to 1967. Grunitzky was Prime Minister of Togo from 1956 to 1958 under the French Colonial ''loi ...

paid a state visit to France and met with President

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

.Nicolas Grunitzky, president of Togo
/ref> In September 1986, Togolese President

Gnassingbé Eyadéma Gnassingbé Eyadéma (; born Étienne Gnassingbé, 26 December 1935 – 5 February 2005) was the president of Togo from 1967 until his death in 2005, after which he was immediately succeeded by his son, Faure Gnassingbé. Eyadéma participated i ...

appealed for help from the French government due to an impending coup d'état when some 50 armed men tried to take over his government. France sent 150 French parachutists which were flown in from a French military base in

Bangui Bangui () (or Bangî in Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. It was established as a French outpost in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Ubangi ...

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

. A French mine sweeper and four jet fighters were also sent to Togo. Togo had charged that the raiders came from neighboring Ghana. President Gnassingbé Eyadéma remained in power until February 2005. In 1993, France, along with

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

suspend aid to press for democratic reforms in Togo. In July 1999, French President

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...

paid a visit to Togo. During his visit, he met with President Eyadéma and promoted trade, development and democracy in the country. In May 2005, Faure Gnassingbé succeeded his father as President of Togo. In October 2016, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls paid a visit to Togo to support democratic change and strengthen trade ties between both nations. In April 2021, Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé paid a visit to France and met with President

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...

Transportation

There are direct flights between Lomé and

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

with

Air France Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global air ...

Trade

In 2017, trade between France and Togo totaled €305 million Euros.Economic relations between France and Togo
/ref> France's main exports to Togo include: food and drink, medicine, fertilizers, perfumes, vehicles and hi-tech products. Togo's main exports to France include: refined petroleum, engine parts and soybeans. French multi-national companies such as Bolloré,

Électricité de France Électricité de France S.A. (literally ''Electricity of France''), commonly known as EDF, is a French multinational electric utility company, largely owned by the French state. Headquartered in Paris, with €71.2 billion in revenues in 2 ...

and

TotalEnergies TotalEnergies SE is a French Multinational corporation, multinational integrated energy and List of oil exploration and production companies, petroleum company founded in 1924 and one of the seven Big Oil, supermajor oil companies. Its businesses ...

operate in Togo. French subsidiaries in Togo employ over 2,200 people.

Resident diplomatic missions

* France has an embassy in Lomé. * Togo has an embassy in

.Embassy of Togo in Paris (in French)
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:France-Togo

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

History

French colonization

Independence

Post Independence

Transportation

Trade

Resident diplomatic missions

See also

References