Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, Government Councillor-Minister of Foreign Relations and Cooperation, presented her New Year wishes to the diplomatic and consular corps on January 13 at the Hôtel Hermitage, highlighting dialogue, partnership and international engagement as key priorities for the year ahead…
She praised the commitment of foreign representatives accredited in the Principality and underlined Monaco’s expanding international footprint, noting that diplomatic relations now extend to 165 countries following new agreements with Micronesia, Singapore and Trinidad and Tobago. Nearly thirty ambassadors were accredited by His Serene Highness Prince Albert II in 2025, while Monaco also appointed its first resident ambassador to the Gulf, based in the United Arab Emirates, marking a further step in strengthening ties with the region.
The Minister also pointed to Monaco’s visibility on the global stage, notably through its pavilion at the Osaka World Expo, which attracted close to 1.5 million visitors, and the Blue Economy and Finance Forum, which brought together 1,800 participants and generated financial commitments of €8.7 billion in support of sustainable ocean-based development.
Looking ahead, she described 2026 as a strategic year, with Monaco set to assume the presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe from May to November for the first time since joining the organisation in 2004. Priorities will include child protection, combating violence against women and tackling organised crime.
Against a backdrop of international instability, the Minister reaffirmed Monaco’s commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter and to humanitarian-based cooperation, with public development aid reaching €74 million between 2022 and 2024 and set to increase over the next three years, in support of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
Image: Stéphane Danna
