sep 22, 1955 - Hallstein Doctrine
Description:
It was named after Walter Hallstein, and was a key doctrine in the foreign policy of the Federal Republic of Germany. It stated that it would establish or maintain diplomatic relations with any state that recognized the German Democratic Republic (or East Germany). There was no public official text of the "doctrine", but it was explained publicly in a radio interview. Adenauer also explained the outlines of the policy in a statement to the German parliament on September 22nd 1955. He explained that the Federal German government would regard it as an unfriendly act if countries were to recognize the "German Democratic Republic" with the exception of the Soviet Union. As a response, German Democratic Republic aimed to establish a consulate general. This usually involved issuing an exequatur, a document that guarantees the consul's rights and privileges. This was regarded by the Federal Republic of Germany as equivalent to official diplomatic recognition and could be expected to be met with sanctions of some form. Countries such as Egypt attempted to avoid upsetting either side by issuing an exequatur but adding a note that it did not imply recognition of the German Democratic Republic.
Added to timeline:
West Germany (FRG)
Cold War Period
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