Ivory Coast–Mexico relations

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Ivory Coast–Mexico relations

Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) and Mexico established diplomatic relations in 1975. Both countries are members of the United Nations and the Group of 24.

History and diplomacy
- Ivory Coast opened an embassy in Mexico City in 1981, but it was closed in 1990 for financial reasons. The embassy was reopened in 2004.
- In 1981, Ivory Coast Foreign Minister Simeon Aké visited Mexico for the North-South Summit in Cancún. In 2002, Ivory Coast Foreign Minister Aboudramane Sangaré visited Mexico for the Financing for Development Summit in Monterrey.
- Relations were limited during the Ivorian civil wars (2002–2004 and 2010–2011).
- In 2009, Mexico, serving on the UN Security Council, helped enforce Resolution 1572 on an arms embargo to the Ivory Coast.
- In May 2008, two Mexican senators visited Ivory Coast to meet with government leaders.
- In December 2013, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto paused in Ivory Coast on his way to Nelson Mandela’s funeral in South Africa. He was received by Ivorian officials and later met with more Ivory Coast leaders on the return trip.
- In 2016, Ivory Coast poet Bernard Binlin Dadié received the UNESCO-UNAM Jaime Torres Bodet International Award for his modern African literature, highlighting cultural ties with Mexico.
- In May 2019, Ivory Coast Foreign Minister Marcel Amon-Tanoh visited Mexico to discuss strengthening bilateral political dialogue.
- In 2023, Ivory Coast and Mexico celebrated 48 years of diplomatic relations.

Agreements and cooperation
- 1999: Memorandum of Understanding for a Mechanism of Consultation in Mutual Matters.
- 1999: Agreement on Educational and Cultural Cooperation.
- 2016: Memorandum of Understanding between ProMéxico and Côte d'Ivoire’s investment center.
- 2019: Memorandum of Understanding on Academic Collaboration between both countries’ Ministries of Foreign Affairs.

Trade and economy
- In 2023, trade between the two nations totaled about US$167 million.
- Ivory Coast exports to Mexico include cocoa paste, cocoa beans and powder, butter/oil from cocoa, rubber, wood, and aluminum products.
- Mexico exports to Ivory Coast include iron or steel tubes, malt extract, fish, meat, medicines, discs and tapes for sound recordings, as well as machinery, tractors, cars, and other vehicles.
- The Mexican company Sukarne operates in Ivory Coast.

Overall, the relationship combines diplomacy, limited but ongoing political dialogue, cultural exchange, and growing trade.