Palau gained its independence October 1, 1994, with the entry into force of the
Compact of Free Association with the
United States. Palau was the last
Trust Territory
United Nations trust territories were the successors of the remaining League of Nations mandates and came into being when the League of Nations ceased to exist in 1946. All of the trust territories were administered through the United Natio ...
of the
Pacific Islands
Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...
territories to gain its independence. Under the Compact, the U.S. remains responsible for Palau's defense for 50 years.
Palau is a sovereign nation and conducts its own foreign relations. From its independence until July 2019, Palau had established diplomatic relations with over 80 sovereign countries.
Palau was admitted to the
United Nations on December 15, 1994, and has since joined several other international organizations. In 2004,
Stuart Beck
Stuart Jay Beck (December 23, 1946 – February 29, 2016) was an American law practitioner and a diplomat for Palau. As a lawyer he helped negotiate the Compact of Free Association, which established Palau as an independent nation in free asso ...
was appointed to serve as Palau's first permanent representative to the United Nations. Along with the other former Trust Territories, Palau is one of a handful of countries that regularly votes with
Israel in the
United Nations General Assembly.
Diplomatic relations
List of countries which Palau has diplomatic relations with:
Bilateral relations
Military relations
The Palau government has agreed to host a large
United States Air Force high-frequency radar station in Palau, a
Tactical Multi-Mission Over the Horizon Radar
Over-the-horizon radar (OTH), sometimes called beyond the horizon radar (BTH), is a type of radar system with the ability to detect targets at very long ranges, typically hundreds to thousands of kilometres, beyond the radar horizon, which i ...
(TACMOR) system costing well over $100 million, which is expected to be operational in 2026.
Palau has participated in various U.S. military exercises over the years including
Exercise Valiant Shield
Exercise Valiant Shield is one of the largest United States military war games held in the Pacific Ocean. Nine Valiant Shield exercises were conducted between 2006 and 2022. According to the Navy, Valiant Shield focuses on cooperation between m ...
. The first-launch in Palau of a
Patriot surface-to-air missile by the U.S. took place in 2022 Valiant Shiel, which also had the experimental deployment of
A-10 Warthogs at
Roman Tmetuchl International Airport
Roman Tmetuchl International Airport , also known as Palau International Airport is the main airport of Palau. It is located near the former capital Koror, just north of Ngetkib, Airai on Babeldaob island. The airport is 4 miles (6 km) from ...
.
See also
* Compact of Free Association
* List of diplomatic missions in Palau
This is a list of diplomatic missions in Palau. The former capital, Koror, hosts three embassies whilst Airai hosts only one embassy. The capital, Ngerulmud, hosts no embassies.
Embassies Koror
*
*
*
Airai
*
Non-Resident Embassies
Resident in ...
* List of diplomatic missions of Palau
This is a list of diplomatic missions of Palau, and it also includes a list of the Palauan Consulates.
The Republic of Palau, a small Pacific island state in a Compact of Free Association with the United States, only has a small number of diplomat ...
* Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
References
External links
Republic of Palau Mission to the United NationsRepublic of Palau Honorary Consulate-General to the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern IrelandRepublic of Palau Honorary Consulate-General to Belgium
Representations of Palau to other nations
Republic of Palau Honorary Consulate-General to the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern IrelandRepublic of Palau Honorary Consulate-General to Belgium
Representations of other nations to Palau
Australian Embassy in Palau
Note:Handles relations with Palau
Consular links with Israel:
* http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2008/January/01-04-11.htm
{{Pacific Islands Forum