Federal Foreign Office (Germany)

Infobox Government agency
agency_name = Federal Foreign Office
nativename = Auswärtiges Amt
logo =
logo_width = 200 px
headquarters = Werderscher Markt 1 10117 Berlin
formed = 1879
jurisdiction = Government of Germany
budget = €1.313 billion (2005)
minister1_name = Frank-Walter Steinmeier
minister1_pfo = Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs
chief1_name = Gernot Erler
chief1_position = Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office
chief2_name = Günter Gloser
chief2_position = Minister of State for Europe
website = http://www.auswaertiges-amt.deThe German Foreign Office (in German, "Auswärtiges Amt", or "AA") is the foreign ministry of Germany, and is responsible for both its foreign politics and its relationship with the European Union. Since 2005, the ministry has been led by Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The seat of the ministry is at the "Werderscher Market", in the historical center of Berlin, not too far from the former Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).

History

The "Foreign Office" ("Auswärtiges Amt") was established in 1870, as the foreign ministry of the North German Confederation, and from 1871 of the unified Germany. In the first years of the German nation-state under Bismarck, the Foreign Office had two departments, a political and an economic, legal and consular. During the times of the Weimar Republic, the Foreign Office was reorganized and a modern structure was established. Following the second world war the Office was reestablished in Bonn on March 15, 1951. In 1999 it moved back to Berlin.

German representation overseas

In addition to the ministry's headquarters in Berlin, Germany has established embassies and consulates around the world.Like other German ministries, the Foreign Office still has an outpost in Bonn, former seat of government of West-Germany.

List of Foreign Secretaries and Foreign Ministers since 1871

See List of German foreign ministers, Foreign Minister of the GDR

ee also

* Cabinet of Germany
* Foreign relations of Germany

External links

* [http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de Official website]
* [http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en/Startseite.html Official website (in English)]