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The Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) is a Central European country and member of the European Union, Group of 8, the G20, the OECD and NATO. It maintains a network of 229 diplomatic missions abroad and holds relations with more than 190 countries. As one of the world's leading industrialized countries it is recognized as a major power in European and global affairs.
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Since 1951, Germany has been at the heart of European Integration and after German reunification in 1990 further promoted peaceful integration with its neighbors. Strong ties with the United States remain central to German foreign policy.
Within the framework of NATO and an integrated European Union Military Staff, the Federal Republic has resumed the deployment of military units to mediate in conflict regions worldwide.
Germany is one of the world's strongest supporters for ecological awareness in response to climate change and global warming.
"Bindung" is the German word for fixation or bond; "Westbindung" is Germany's implant into Western Europe and the Western World.
In particular during the Cold War - but continuous into the 21st century - (West-) German foreign policy pursues the country's integration into NATO and a strong co-operation and collective security with its Western partners.
As a free democracy and market economy, the world's largest exporting nation and the world's third-richest economy (nominal GDP) (behind the U.S. and Japan), Germany shares the interest and institutions of a free and secure world trade.
Under the Hallstein Doctrine, the FRG did not have any diplomatic relations with countries in Eastern Europe until the early 1970s, when Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik led to increased dialogue and treaties like the Treaty of Warsaw, where West Germany accepted the Oder-Neisse line as German-Polish border, and the Basic Treaty, where West and East Germany accepted each other as sovereign entities. Both Germany states were admitted to the United Nations on 18 September 1973.
After the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany, German reunification took effect on 3 October 1990.
On 14 November 1990, Germany and Poland signed a treaty confirming the Oder-Neisse line. They also concluded a cooperation treaty on 17 June 1991. Germany concluded four treaties with the Soviet Union covering the overall bilateral relationship, economic relations, the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the territory of the former GDR, and German support for those troops.
Russia accepted obligations under these treaties as successor to the Soviet Union.
In 2001, the discovery that the terrorist cell which carried out the attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, was based in Hamburg, sent shock waves through the country.
The government of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder backed the following U.S. military actions, sending Bundeswehr troops to Afghanistan to lead a joint NATO program to provide security in the country after the ousting of the Taliban.
Nearly all of the public was strongly against America's 2003 invasion of Iraq, and any deployment of troops. This position was shared by the SPD/Green government, which led to some friction with the United States.
In August 2006, the German government disclosed a botched plot to bomb two German trains. The attack was to occur in July 2006 and involved a 21-year-old Lebanese man, identified only as Youssef Mohammed E. H. Prosecutors said Youssef and another man left suitcases stuffed with crude propane-gas bombs on the trains.
As of February 2007, Germany had about 3,000 NATO-led International Security Assistance Force force in Afghanistan as part of the War on Terrorism, the third largest contingent after the United States (14,000) and the United Kingdom (5,200).[1] German forces are mostly in the more secure north of the country.
However, Germany, along with some other larger European countries (with the exception of the UK and the Netherlands), have been criticised by the British and Canadians for not sharing the burden of the more intensive combat operations in southern Afghanistan.[2][3]
Germany is one of the largest net contributors of the United Nations and has several development agencies working in Africa and the Middle East. The development policy of the Federal Republic of Germany is an independent area of German foreign policy. It is formulated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and carried out by the implementing organisations. The German government sees development policy as a joint responsibility of the international community.[4] It is the world's third biggest aid donor after the United States and France.[5] Germany spent 0.37 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on development, which is below the government's target of increasing aid to 0.51 per cent of GDP by 2010. The international target of 0.7% of GNP would have not been reached either.
Germany is a member of the Council of Europe, European Union, European Space Agency, G4, G8, International Monetary Fund, NATO, OECD, OSCE, UNO, World Bank Group and the WTO.
European integration has gone a long way since the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the Elysée Treaty. Peaceful collaborations with its neighbors remain one of Germany's biggest political objectives, and Germany has been on the forefront of most achievements made in European integration:
Most of the social issues facing European countries in general: immigration, aging populations, straining social-welfare and pension systems - are all important in Germany. Germany seeks to maintain peace through the "deepening" of integration among current members of the European Union member states
Germany has been the largest net contributor to EU budgets for decades (in absolute terms - given Germany's comparatively large population - not per capita) and seeks to limit the growth of these net payments in the enlarged union.
Under the doctrine introduced by the 2003 Defense Policy Guidelines, Germany continues to give priority to the transatlantic partnership with the United States through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. However, Germany is giving increasing attention to coordinating its policies with the European Union through the Common Foreign and Security Policy.
The German Federal Government began an initiative to obtain a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council, as part of the Reform of the United Nations. This would require approval of a two-thirds majority of the member states and approval of all five Security Council veto powers.
This aspiration could be successful due to Germany's good relations with the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation. Germany is a stable and democratic republic and a G7 country which are also favourable attributes. The United Kingdom and France support German ascension to the supreme body.[6] The U.S. is sending mixed signals.
Being the historic core of Europe and the "twin engine for European integration", the cooperation with France is one of the most central elements of German foreign policy. The Elysée Treaty from 1963 set the foundation for a collaboration that - next to the European project - also repeatedly called for a "Core Union" with maximum integration 1.
The German government was a strong supporter of the enlargement of NATO.
Germany was one of the first nations to recognize Croatia and Slovenia as independent nations, rejecting the concept of Yugoslavia as the only legitimate political order in the Balkans (unlike other European powers, who first proposed a pro-Belgrade policy). This is why Serb authorities sometimes referred to "new German imperialism" as one of the main reasons for Yugoslavia's collapse. German troops participate in the multinational efforts to bring "peace and stability" to the Balkans.
Weimar triangle; Germany continues to be active economically in the states of central and eastern Europe, and to actively support the development of democratic institutions. In the 2000s, Germany has been arguably the centerpiece of the European Union (though the importance of France cannot be overlooked in this connection).
| Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
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| Austria | See Austria–Germany relations
Relations between them are close because both countries speak German. |
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| Belarus | 1999 | |
| Belgium | See Foreign relations of Belgium | |
| Bulgaria | See Bulgarian-German relations
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| Croatia | 1992-01-15 | See Croatian-German relations
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| Cyprus | See Foreign relations of Cyprus | |
| Czech Republic | See Czech–German relations
Today, they share 815 km of common borders. The Czech Republic has an embassy in Berlin, three general consulates (in Bonn, Dresden and Munich), and 6 honorary consulates (in Dortmund, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Nuremberg, Rostock and Stuttgart). Germany has an embassy in Prague. |
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| Denmark | See Danish-German relations
Denmark has an embassy in Berlin and three General consulates in Flensburg, Hamburg and Munich. They border each other. |
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| UK | See Anglo-German relations
The two countries fought against each other in World War I and World War II. But since then, relations have improved and now Germany has an embassy in London, and the UK has an embassy in Berlin and a consulate in Munich and Düsseldorf. Both countries are members of the EU and NATO. |
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| France | See France – Germany relations
In recent times, France and Germany are among the most enthusiastic proponents of the further integration of the EU. They are sometimes described as the "twin engine" or "core countries" pushing for moves. The two countries were arch enemies for centuries and fought against each other in World War I and World War II. |
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| Greece | 1834 (Prussia) |
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| Hungary | 1973-12-21 | See Germany-Hungary relations
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| Iceland |
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| Ireland | 1922 |
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| Italy |
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| Netherlands |
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| Kosovo | See German–Kosovan relations
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| Latvia | 1920 and again 1991-08-28 |
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| Malta | 1965 |
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| Moldova | 1992-04-30 | See Germany–Moldova relations
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| Lithuania |
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| Poland | See German–Polish relations
During the Cold War, communist Poland had good relations with East Germany, but had strained relations with West Germany. After the fall of communism, Poland and the reunited Germany have had a mostly positive but occasionally strained relationship due to some political issues. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Germany has been a proponent of Poland's participation in NATO and the European Union. The Polish-German border is 467 km long.[32] |
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| Romania | 1872 |
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| Russia | See Germany–Russia relations
Germany tries to keep Russia engaged with the Western world. The future aim is to promote a stable market-economy liberal democracy in Russia, which is part of the Western world. |
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| Serbia | 1951 |
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| Slovakia | 1993 |
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| Slovenia | 1992 | |
| Sweden | ||
| Switzerland | See Switzerland – Germany relations | |
| Turkey | See German–Turkish relations
Based on good Turkish-German relations from the 19th century onwards, Germany promoted a Turkish immigration to Germany. However, large scale didn't occur until the 20th century. Germany suffered an acute labor shortage after World War II and, in 1961, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) officially invited Turkish workers to Germany to fill in this void, particularly to work in the factories that helped fuel Germany's economic miracle. The German authorities named these people Gastarbeiter (German for guest workers). Most Turks in Germany trace their ancestry to Central and Eastern Anatolia. Today, Turks are Germany's largest ethnic minority and form most of Germany's Muslim minority. Berlin is home to about 250,000 Turks,[37] making it the largest Turkish community outside of Turkey. |
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| Ukraine | See Germany–Ukraine relations |
Following German history during the Holocaust, one of Postwar Germany's aims were to establish and maintain relations of Wiedergutmachung with the State of Israel. Starting with the Reparations Agreement in 1952, support for the national security of the State of Israel is central to German foreign policy.
Germany has been actively involved in the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty in 1979, the Oslo Accords (1993) which led to the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty in 1994 and the continuous Peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which make Germany arguably (next to the United States) Israel's closest ally.
Germany also holds a special relationship with Turkey and is active in maintaining diplomatic relationships with Iran.
| Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
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| Barbados | 1967-03-14 | See Barbados–Germany relations
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| Canada | See Canada–Germany relations
Until 2005 Canada's embassy was in Bonn, but in April 2005 a new embassy opened in Berlin. Canada also operates consulates in Munich, Düsseldorf and Hamburg. The provinces of Ontario and Alberta have representatives in Germany, co-located in the consulates. Quebec runs a stand-alone bureau in Munich, with an “antenne culturelle” office in Berlin. In addition to its embassy in Ottawa, Germany maintains consulates in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Additional diplomats responsible for specialized files are also accredited from Washington. |
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| Paraguay | 1860-08-01 |
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| United States | See Germany – United States relations
Since 2006, the current chancellor Angela Merkel has sought warmer relations with the United States and to rebuild political ties on common values and beliefs. |
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| Uruguay | See Germany–Uruguay relations
Germany has an embassy in Montevideo. Uruguay has an embassy in Berlin, a general consulate in Hamburg and 6 honorary consulate (in Bremen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Potsdam and Stuttgart). Germany is the Uruguay's principal trading partner in the European Union.[42] |
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| Afghanistan | ~1919 | See Afghanistan–Germany relations
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| Armenia | See Armenia–Germany relations
Armenian-German relations have always been stable and solid; they continue to work together and advance through the years with in cooperation. Their leaders have discussed bilateral relations and noted that they have considerably improved over the last few years.[47] |
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| Azerbaijan |
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| Georgia | See Foreign relations of Georgia | |
| India | See Germany–India relations
Germany and India have great military and trade relations with each other. Germany being one of the first countries to agree with the Indo-US Nuclear deal. |
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| Iraq | See Germany–Iraq relations | |
| Israel | See Germany–Israel relations
Germany-Israel relations refers to the special relationship between Israel and Germany based on shared beliefs, Western values and a combination of historical perspectives.[50] Among the most important factors in their relations is Nazi Germany's role in the genocide of European Jews during the Holocaust.[51] |
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| Japan | See Germany–Japan relations
Regular meetings between the two countries have led to several cooperations. In 2004 German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi agreed upon cooperations in the assistance for reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan,[52][53] the promotion of economic exchange activities,[54] youth and sports exchanges[55] as well as exchanges and cooperation in science, technology and academic fields.[56] After China, Japan is Germany's principal trading partner in Asia in 2006:[57] |
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| Malaysia | See Germany–Malaysia relations
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| Pakistan | See Germany–Pakistan relations
Pakistan and Germany enjoy extremely close, warm and historical relations.[58][59] Germany is Pakistan's fourth largest trading partner and biggest trading partner in the EU. Germany has been a reliable partner in trade, development, military, scientific and cultural co-operation.the collaboration between Germany and Pakistan dates back to the creation of Pakistan. Germany has an embassy in Islamabad, a consulate-general in Karachi and an honorary consulate in Lahore, whereas Pakistan has an embassy in Berlin and a Consulate-General in Frankfurt. Germany is home to 53,668 Pakistani immigrants.
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| People's Republic of China | See People's Republic of China – Germany relations
Germany has traditionally good relationships with the People's Republic of China, even though Angela Merkel and large parts of Germany's political class have recently criticised the People's Republic for holding back reforms in the field of democracy and human rights. In recent years trade between them has reached high volumes, both in import and exports. |
| Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
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| Egypt | 1957-12 | See Egypt–Germany relations
Egypt has an embassy in Berlin, as well as consulates in Frankfurt and Hamburg. Germany has an embassy in Cairo. |
| Libya | See Germany–Libya relations
Germany is represented in Libya with an embassy in Tripoli, while Libya has an embassy in Berlin. The relationship between these countries was tense in the late 1980s following a bombing incident, but has improved since with increasingly close co-operation especially on economic matters.[60][61] |
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| Namibia | See Germany–Namibia relations
Peter Katjavivi, a founder of the University of Namibia and longtime South West Africa People's Organization member, has been the Namibian ambassador in Berlin since 2006.[62] |
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