Andorra since 1278 is an associated state with Spain and France . These countries have the responsibility to protect Andorra [1] . Andorra is one of the few states in which there are no armed forces.
Double subordination to the bishop of Urhelsky in Spain and Count of Foix , and later to the kings and presidents of France, allowed the country to constantly maneuver and maintain independence (for example, during the French Revolution, Paris renounced feudal rights to Andorra. they asked Napoleon to take the country again under his sovereignty).
After the adoption of the Constitution and liberation from feudal relics in 1993, the country joined the UN and opened a number of embassies and representative offices abroad.
The main goal of Andorra’s foreign policy is to ensure the country's economic interests (primarily the promotion of tourism ), to prevent its absorption by neighbors.
Andorra is not a member of the EU , which is why it enjoys the fame of “tax haven. Moreover, Andorra is not formally included in the Schengen Agreement or in the euro area; both are applied de facto, and there are customs controls at the borders with France and Spain. Foreign Minister Gilbert Saboya Sounier said in 2016 that Andorra did not want to become a member of the EU, because there was “no need for that.”
On June 8, 2011, Andorra recognized the independence of the Republic of Kosovo . On September 14, 2011, the countries established diplomatic relations.
The Russian ambassador in Madrid is simultaneously accredited in Andorra.
Notes
- ↑ CIA. Andorra on the page of the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States . - Information about the country in the CIA World Fact Book . - "... the flag combines the blue and red French colors with the red and yellow of Spain to show Franco-Spanish protection." Date of treatment January 8, 2012.