Foreign relations of Niger

Niger maintains a special relationship with France and enjoys close relations with its West African neighbours.

The first president of Niger, Hamani Diori, maintained close relations with the West and became internationally prominent in his diplomatic work, seeking to broker resolutions to conflicts in Africa and beyond.

French Uranium mines in Arlit, which produce Niger's largest exports by value, travel through this port to France or the world market.

[56] Both countries established diplomatic relations on 4 August 1960[7] Niger has maintained close ties with France, its former colonial power.

In the 1960s, the Military of Niger was drawn entirely from Nigerien former members of the French Colonial Forces: officered by Frenchmen who agreed to take joint French-Nigerien citizenship.

[131] As well, the French had maintained until 1974 around 1,000 troops of the 4th Régiment Interarmes d'Outre-Mer [132] (Troupes de Marine) with bases at Niamey, Zinder, Bilma and Agadez.

[14] In December 2017, Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni announced that 470 Italian soldiers would be deployed to Niger in an effort to mitigate the European migrant crisis.

Both countries established diplomatic relations on 8 June 1961 when M. Elhad Camatte Hammodon Maiga, ambassador of Niger to Nigeria presented his letters of credentials to the Governor General Azikiwe[10] Nigeria maintains close relations with the Republic of Niger, in part because both nations share a large Hausa minority on each side of their 1,500 km (930 mi) border.

[143] The two nations formed the Nigeria-Niger Joint Commission for Cooperation (NNJC), established in March, 1971 with its Permanent Secretariat in Niamey, Niger.

[144] Both countries established diplomatic relations on 15 October 1965[34] Pakistan supports Niger's territorial and sovereign integrity and rejects Libya's advances as aggression.

Australia, for instance, only signed the instruments of formal diplomatic relations with Niamey on 7 May 2009, through their respective consular officials at the UN.

[147] Niger has ongoing processes delimiting sections of their borders with Burkina Faso and Mali, disputes which date back to the colonial period.