Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia

Kiribati–United Kingdom relations

Kiribati	United Kingdom

Kiribati and the United Kingdom established diplomatic relations on 12 July 1979.^{[1][failed verification]}

Both countries share common membership of the Commonwealth, the International Criminal Court and the United Nations. Bilaterally the two countries have a Double Taxation Agreement.^[2]

The UK governed Kiribati from 1892 until 1979, when Kiribati achieved full independence.

Britain has long-standing historic links with Kiribati. The first British visitor to Kiribati was reputed to be Commodore John Byron in 1765, the immediate predecessor of James Cook's more famous explorations of the Pacific between 1769 and 1779. With the growth of the British settlement in Australia's New South Wales, whaling became a key element of the regional economy, and up to the 1870s British whalers were regular visitors to the waters surrounding Kiribati. Through its network of sovereign posts in the region (Fiji, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia), the UK maintains bilateral programmes with Kiribati sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department for Environment and Department for International Development and other government departments. The UK Government's engagement in Kiribati is largely delivered through the Commonwealth, the European Union and The Asian Development Bank.^[3]

• Kiribati does not maintain a high commission in the United Kingdom.
• The United Kingdom is not accredited to Kiribati through a high commission; the UK develops relations through its high commission in Suva, Fiji.^[4]

• British Western Pacific Territories
• Operation Grapple
• Foreign relations of Kiribati
• Foreign relations of the United Kingdom