With its transparent glass façade and the large atrium at its main entrance, the centre of German foreign policy radiates openness. The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin sees itself as a centre of international encounter and of foreign policy dialogue. The historical building of 1934, the former seat of the Reichsbank, and a new building dating from 1999 give the headquarters of German diplomacy ample space. Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s ministry is the place where the threads of Germany’s multifaceted international contacts come together, where foreign policy interests are concentrated and represented at international negotiations and German assistance coordinated in the event of crises worldwide. It is where the members of the diplomatic service have successfully set the course for major foreign policy duties such as Germany’s EU Presidency during the first half of 2007 in cooperation with the Federal Chancellery.
Today Germany maintains diplomatic relations with more than 190 countries. In 228 German missions abroad – embassies, consulates general, consulates and missions to international organizations – some 3,000 Federal Foreign Office employees are engaged in developing foreign relations in the fields of politics, business and culture and enhancing Germany’s reputation as a global partner. Some 2,900 employees work in the service of German foreign policy at the headquarters of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin.
The embassies of 147 countries also belong to the world of diplomacy in Berlin. Some of these missions are today still located in Tiergarten, the traditional “diplomatic quarter”. This was also where the Nordic countries of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland established a joint embassy complex in 1999 – something that has not been repeated anywhere in the world. The embassies of France and Great Britain are not very far from the Brandenburg Gate. The USA plans to move into a new building in the same area
during 2008. Russia’s embassy is also able to present an equally splendid address on Unter den Linden. There are historical reasons for the exclusive location of the Swiss embassy. The ambassador resides at the heart of the government quarter with a prominent neighbour – Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel.
