El Salvador is a member of the United Nations and several of its specialized agencies, the Organization of American States (OAS), the Central American Common Market (CACM), the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), and the Central American Integration System (SICA). It actively participates in the Central American Security Commission (CASC), which seeks to promote regional arms control.
El Salvador also is a member of the World Trade Organization and is pursuing regional free trade agreements. An active participant in the Summit of the Americas process, El Salvador chairs a working group on market access under the Free Trade Area of the Americas initiative.
El Salvador has joined its six Central American neighbors in signing the Alliance for Sustainable Development, known as the Conjunta Centroamerica-USA or CONCAUSA to promote sustainable economic development in the region.
Bilateral relations
Republic of China (Taiwan)
El Salvador maintains diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) instead of the People’s Republic of China.
Cuba
Cuba and El Salvador have resumed diplomatic relations on June 1, 2009. El Salvador previously suspended diplomatic relations with Cuba 50 years ago due to the Cuban Revolution.[1] The diplomatic ties have started after El Salvador’s new president Mauricio Funes has been sworn into office, and pledged to re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba. El Salvador is also the very last Latin American nation to do so.
Honduras
In July 1969, El Salvador and Honduras fought the 100-hour Football War over disputed border areas and friction resulting from the 300,000 Salvadorans who had emigrated to Honduras in search of land and employment. The catalyst was nationalistic feelings aroused by a series of soccer matches between the two countries. The two countries formally signed a peace treaty on October 30, 1980, which put the border dispute before the International Court of Justice.
In September 1992, the court issued a 400-page ruling, awarding much of the disputed land to Honduras. Although there have been tensions between citizens on both sides of the border, the two countries have worked to maintain stability and signed an agreement in November 1996 to establish a framework for negotiating the final disposition of citizens and property in the affected areas. El Salvador and Honduras share normal diplomatic and trade relations.
The Honduras-El Salvador Border Protocol ratified by Honduras in May 1999 established a framework for a long-delayed border demarcation, which is currently underway; with respect to the maritime boundary in the Golfo de Fonseca, the ICJ referred to the line determined by the 1900 Honduras-Nicaragua Mixed Boundary Commission and advised that some tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua likely would be required.
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
El Salvador recognized the SADR on July 31, 1989. On April 1997, El Salvador cancelled relations with the SADR. On June 2009, and during a visit of SADR’s president, Mohamed Abdelaziz, relations were restored. On November 30, 2010, the SADR and El Salvador upgrade their relations to ambassadorial level.
United States
U.S. policy towards the country promotes the strengthening of El Salvador’s democratic institutions, rule of law, judicial reform, and civilian police; national reconciliation and reconstruction; and economic opportunity and growth. El Salvador has been a committed member of the coalition of nations fighting against terrorism and has sent 10 rotations of troops to Iraq to support Operation Iraqi Freedom.