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#REDIRECT [[Foreign relations of East Germany]]
[[File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F088809-0038, Berlin, East Side Gallery (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Socialist fraternal kiss]] between [[Leonid Brezhnev]] (USSR) and [[Erich Honecker]] (East Germany)]]
The '''Foreign policy of East Germany''' was characterized by the close ties of [[East Germany]] (''German Democratic Republic'', GDR) to the [[Eastern Bloc]]. During its existence, the most important partner was the [[Soviet Union]] (USSR), which acted as a [[protecting power]] and most important trade and economic partner, which is why the GDR was called a [[satellite state]]. The GDR remained closely linked to the other socialist states through organizations such as the [[Warsaw Pact]] and [[Comecon|Camecon]]. While the GDR was relatively isolated outside the communist world in the first two decades of its existence due to the [[Hallstein Doctrine|Hallstein Doctrin]]<nowiki/>e of [[West Germany]] (''Federal Republic of Germany'', FRG), a change took place in the 1970s with the rapprochement with West Germany under Chancellor [[Willy Brandt|Willy Brandt's]] new [[Ostpolitik]]. As a result, the GDR was able to gain international status and establish diplomatic relations with almost 130 countries. While the [[Marxism–Leninism|Marxist-Leninist]] state ideology played a major role in the foreign policy of the [[East German government]] (which was reflected in the close alignment with the socialist partner states and the support of anti-Western rebel movements in the [[Third World]]), it was however also influenced by their own economic and political interests. From the 1970s onwards, the GDR increasingly emancipated itself from the Soviet Union and pursued an independent policy towards West Germany, as loans from the West became had become vital for the GDR's survival. In the 1980s, [[Erich Honecker]] refused to liberalizing implement reforms, which alienated the GDR from the USSR under [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]. After the [[revolutions of 1989]], the Eastern Bloc collapsed and Germany was [[German reunification|reunified]], ending the period of an independent East German foreign policy.


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== Orientation of East German foreign policy ==
{{R from move}}
Due to its great dependence on the Soviet Union, the GDR's [[sovereignty]] was limited. As part of the [[Brezhnev Doctrine]], the Soviet Union reserved the right to intervene in its [[sphere of influence]] if the line it had set was deviated too much. It intervened militarily in [[Hungarian People's Republic|Hungary]] in 1956 and [[Czechoslovakia]] in 1968 when it saw its interests threatened. This doctrine was only abandoned under Gorbachev in the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bildung |first=Bundeszentrale für politische |date=2018-11-12 |title=Vor 50 Jahren: "Breschnew-Doktrin" von der eingeschränkten Souveränität sozialistischer Bruderstaaten |url=https://www.bpb.de/kurz-knapp/hintergrund-aktuell/279720/vor-50-jahren-breschnew-doktrin-von-der-eingeschraenkten-souveraenitaet-sozialistischer-bruderstaaten/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=bpb.de |language=de}}</ref>
}}

The GDR foreign policy was based on the principles of Marxism-Leninism. The highest ideological primacy was international solidarity with other socialist states and movements. Accordingly, a political distinction was made between relations with other socialist states, those with the western capitalist states and with the [[Non-Aligned Movement|non-aligned states]] (“Third World”). According to the state ideology, foreign policy had to serve the worldwide realization of socialism (''Aufbau des Sozialismus'') and the [[world revolution]]. To implement these goals, there was close cooperation with the friendly states of the “[[World-systems theory|socialist world system]]”. Peaceful and subversive methods were used to establish a global “[[classless society]].” Peaceful methods included financing communist parties abroad and providing technical and economic support to friendly states. The subversive methods included political and military support for armed movements and the espionage activities of the [[Main Directorate for Reconnaissance]] of the [[Stasi|Ministry of State Security]] (Stasi).<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Fraude |first=Andreas |title=Die Außenpolitik der DDR. |publisher=Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Thüringen. |year=2001 |isbn=978-3-937967-03-5 |location=Augsburg |language=de}}</ref> Since the possible outbreak of a [[Third World War]] was an existential threat for the GDR, which was located directly on the border between East and West, it tried to play a constructive role in international negotiations about disarmament and the preservation of world peace. The GDR launched disarmament initiatives for zones free of chemical and nuclear weapons in its immediate surroundings.<ref>{{Citation |last=Bruns |first=Wilhelm |title=Die Außenpolitik der DDR |date=1989 |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-97187-6_9 |work=Netzwerk Weltpolitik: Großmächte, Mittelmächte und Regionen und ihre Außenpolitik nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg |pages=249–272 |editor-last=Woyke |editor-first=Wichard |access-date=2023-12-29 |place=Wiesbaden |publisher=VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften |language=de |doi=10.1007/978-3-322-97187-6_9 |isbn=978-3-322-97187-6}}</ref>

There was a certain tension between the basic ideological goals and the pursuit of one's own interests. In particular, relations with West Germany were perceived as a question of prestige for the GDR leadership, which is why they tried to bring their own initiatives into [[Inner German relations|German-German relations]]. But there were also tangible economic interests of our own in the relationship with the Federal Republic.<ref name=":0" /> That is why the GDR was prepared to neglect relations with the socialist camp in the 1970s and 1980s when it signed bilateral agreements with the Federal Republic against the will of the Soviets.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Bildung |first=Bundeszentrale für politische |date=2014-02-28 |title=Die DDR in den 1970er und 1980er Jahren: Suche nach einer eigenen Außenpolitik im Schatten Moskaus |url=https://www.bpb.de/themen/deutschlandarchiv/179837/die-ddr-in-den-1970er-und-1980er-jahren-suche-nach-einer-eigenen-aussenpolitik-im-schatten-moskaus/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=bpb.de |language=de}}</ref>

== Primary institutions and actors ==
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L0927-0305, Berlin, Aussenministerium.jpg|thumb|Headquarter of the East German foreign ministry (1972)]]
In its early days, GDR foreign policy, to the extent that it existed at all, was dominated by the Soviet Union. The [[Soviet Control Commission in East Germany|Soviet Control Commission]] existed as a control body until 1955. With the GDR gaining sovereignty, the Soviet embassy remained in East Berlin, which monitored GDR policy through the [[KGB]] and reported back to Moscow.<ref name=":3">{{Citation |title=V. Zwischen Kontinuität und Wandel: Der außenpolitische Apparat in den sechziger Jahren |date=2012-10-31 |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1524/9783486707380.191/html |work=V. Zwischen Kontinuität und Wandel: Der außenpolitische Apparat in den sechziger Jahren |pages=191–210 |access-date=2023-12-29 |publisher=Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag |language=de |doi=10.1524/9783486707380.191/html |isbn=978-3-486-70738-0}}</ref>

The [[Ministry for Foreign Affairs (East Germany)|Ministry for Foreign Affairs]] was responsible for carrying out foreign relations. The [[Ministry for Internal German Trade, Foreign Trade and Material Supply]] and the [[Ministry of National Defence (East Germany)|Ministry for National Defense]] also played a role in the state's foreign policy. The [[State Council of East Germany|State Council]] was responsible for signing [[international treaties]] until the [[Constitution of East Germany|GDR constitution]] of 1974 transferred most of its foreign policy powers to the [[Council of Ministers of East Germany|Council of Ministers]]. As with domestic policy, decisions on all foreign policy issues were made by the [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany]] (SED), which dominated the political system as a [[bloc party]] without [[separation of powers]]. Due to the high importance of the governing parties in the socialist states, the SED's relations with other socialist governing parties also played an important role on the informal level, in addition to the "official" bilateral state relations. This has also been referred to as a “substitute foreign policy.”<ref name=":0" />

Under the rule of Erich Honecker, there was also a strong concentration of foreign policy decision-making authority on his own person.<ref>{{Citation |title=I. Der außenpolitische Apparat der DDR in den siebziger und achtziger Jahren |date=2012-10-31 |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1524/9783486707380.367/html |work=I. Der außenpolitische Apparat der DDR in den siebziger und achtziger Jahren |pages=367–390 |access-date=2023-12-29 |publisher=Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag |language=de |doi=10.1524/9783486707380.367/html |isbn=978-3-486-70738-0}}</ref>

In East Germany, there were numerous “friendship societies” to maintain relations with individual states, which were merged in 1961 to form an umbrella organization, the [[League for Friendship of Nations]]. These organizations played a major role, especially before the GDR was internationally widely recognized. The GDR also carried out extensive foreign [[propaganda]], which was entrusted to the [[Central committee|Central Committee]] for Foreign Information, Propaganda and Agitation at the party level and the Foreign ministry at the state level. Through the [[Peace Council|GDR Peace Council]], the GDR also exercised influence on the communist-infiltrated [[World Peace Council]] and the [[Peace movement|global peace movement]].<ref name=":0" /> Through inter-societal organizations and its secret service, the GDR maintained contacts with the [[Communist Party of Germany]] (KPD) until the KPD was banned in 1956 in West Germany and also with the [[West German student movement]]. The GDR also tried to infiltrate West German government; the exposure of the East German spy [[Günter Guillaume]] in the [[Guillaume affair]] led to the fall of the [[Second Brandt cabinet|Brandt government]] in 1974.

== History ==
{{See also|History of East Germany}}

=== Soviet Occupation zone and founding of East Germany (1945–1949) ===
The GDR emerged from the [[Soviet occupation zone in Germany]] as a legacy of the [[division of Germany]] after the [[Second World War]], when the Soviet Union began to build its establish its own system on the occupied territories of Germany. [[Joseph Stalin|Josef Stalin]] commissioned the German exiled communist [[Walter Ulbricht]] and his [[Ulbricht Group|Ulbricht group]] to build new state structures. As a result, the Soviets also oversaw the merger of the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|SPD]] with the KPD in 1946 to form the new [[Socialism|socialist]] unity party SED. After this was completed, Ulbricht carried out internal party purges against the existing remnants of [[social democracy]] on behalf of Stalin, whereby he was rewarded by the Soviets with the role of leading politician in the German Democratic Republic, which was proclaimed in 1949 after an East-West agreement over the future of Germany had failed to materialize and the [[Cold War]] had begun.

=== Early years (1949–1961) ===
[[File:Mao, Bulganin, Stalin, Ulbricht Tsedenbal.jpeg|thumb|[[Mao Zedong|Mao]], [[Nikolai Bulganin|Bulganin]], [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]], [[Walter Ulbricht|Ulbricht]] and [[Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal|Tsedenbal]] 1949]]
After its founding, the GDR remained closely linked to the Soviet Union by joining the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Comecon) and initially functioned as a bargaining chip for the possible neutrality of a united Germany. In 1952, West German [[Chancellor of Germany|Chancellor]] [[Konrad Adenauer]] and the [[Western powers]] rejected the offers of German reunification made in the [[Stalin Note]] because the West distrusted Stalin. As a result, the GDR strengthened its socialist character and the [[East German uprising of 1953|East German uprising of June 1953]] was suppressed by Soviet forces. On March 25, 1954, the Soviet government declared the recognition of the sovereignty of the GDR, which from now on was to decide “at its own discretion about its internal and external affairs”, but remained closely tied to the Eastern Bloc via the Warsaw Pact founded in 1955.<ref name=":0" /> In the same year, West Germany adopted the [[Hallstein Doctrine]], which classified diplomatic relations of third countries with the GDR as an “unfriendly act” and sanctioned it with breaking off all diplomatic contacts. West Germany wanted to avoid international recognition of two German states with this policy. As a result, the GDR's diplomatic contacts remained limited to the socialist states and some third world countries, as most countries gave priority to relations with West Germany. Successes for the GDR were the establishment of diplomatic relations with Yugoslavia (1957), which led to West Germany breaking off relations with Yugoslavia in response, and increased economic cooperation with third world states.<ref name=":0" /> The GDR's subordinate role vis-à-vis the Soviets during the [[Berlin Crisis of 1958–1959|Berlin Crisis]] (1958) and in the [[Berlin Crisis of 1961|closure of the inner-German border]] ordered by [[Nikita Khrushchev]] (1961)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wettig |first=Gerhard |date=2011-06-10 |title=DA 6/2011 – Wettig: Die UdSSR und die Berliner Mauer |url=https://www.bpb.de/themen/deutschlandarchiv/53708/die-udssr-und-die-berliner-mauer/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=bpb.de |language=de}}</ref> demonstrated the Soviet Union's continued dominance over GDR foreign relations at this time.

=== Professionalization of foreign policy and efforts for international recognition (1962–1968) ===
[[File:GDR recognition 1970.png|thumb|Recognition of the GDR in 1970]]
In the 1960s, the GDR's foreign policy apparatus began to expand and foreign policy became more professional, as foreign policy became more important for the young state from the second half of the 1950s onwards. More commercial representations were set up abroad instead of official foreign embassies, the establishment of which was hindered by the Hallstein Doctrine.<ref>{{Citation |title=V. Zwischen Kontinuität und Wandel: Der außenpolitische Apparat in den sechziger Jahren |date=2012-10-31 |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1524/9783486707380.191/html |work=V. Zwischen Kontinuität und Wandel: Der außenpolitische Apparat in den sechziger Jahren |pages=191–210 |access-date=2023-12-29 |publisher=Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag |language=de |doi=10.1524/9783486707380.191/html |isbn=978-3-486-70738-0}}</ref> The GDR's allegiance to the Soviets was reaffirmed in 1964 with the conclusion of a [[Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance|treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance]]. The GDR tried to promote its international recognition through friendship societies, which acted as a lobby for diplomatic recognition of the GDR in numerous countries. In 1967, the establishment of diplomatic relations with the West Germany by the [[Socialist Republic of Romania|People's Republic of Romania]] led to disputes between the East German and Romanian party leadership. In response, the Warsaw Pact states adopted the [[Ulbricht Doctrine]], which only allowed the Warsaw Pact states to normalize relations with West Germany if the latter in turn recognized “the existing borders and the existence of two German states”.

The attempts in the [[Prague Spring|Prague Spring of 1968]] to establish reform communism or “[[socialism with a human face]]” were dogmatically condemned by the GDR leadership and perceived as a threat. The GDR indirectly supported the military suppression of the Czechoslovak reform movement by securing supplies for the Warsaw Pact intervention troops. The GDR supported the [[Brezhnev Doctrine]] announced after [[Leonid Brezhnev]]'s intervention.<ref name=":0" />

=== Détente with the West and international recognition (1969–1974) ===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-M0925-406, New York, Fahnen vor dem UNO-Gebäude.jpg|thumb|The flags of both German states in front of the [[Headquarters of the United Nations|UN headquarters]] in [[New York City|New York]] in 1973]]
West German Chancellor [[Willy Brandt]], who was elected into office in 1969, announced a new Eastern policy for West Germany, which was intended to improve relations with the GDR and the other Warsaw Pact states. A diplomatic breakthrough came with the conclusion of the [[Treaty of Moscow (1970)|Treaty of Moscow]] in 1970 between West Germany and the USSR, which marked the start of a series of treaties. During the negotiations that began in 1969, East Berlin found itself caught between the fronts of both powers, with Moscow rejecting any excessive rapprochement between the GDR and the FRG. The Soviets also disliked Ulbricht's attempt to take an independent position here and his ambitions to challenge the Soviets on economic policy within the socialist camp. This was also one of the reasons why Brezhnev supported the dismissal of Ulbricht and his replacement by Erich Honecker in 1971.<ref>{{Citation |title=VII. Eingeengt zwischen Moskau und Bonn: Die DDR und die „Neue Ostpolitik“ (1969-1972) |date=2012-10-31 |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1524/9783486707380.319/html |work=VII. Eingeengt zwischen Moskau und Bonn: Die DDR und die „Neue Ostpolitik“ (1969-1972) |pages=319–364 |access-date=2023-12-29 |publisher=Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag |language=de |doi=10.1524/9783486707380.319/html |isbn=978-3-486-70738-0}}</ref> Brezhnev warned the new head of state Honecker with the words “without us there is no GDR.”<ref name=":0" /> After the [[Four Power Agreement on Berlin|four-power agreement on Berlin]] on September 3, 1971 on the legal status of the [[city of Berlin]] and an [[Transit Agreement (1972)|inter-German transit agreement]] of December 17, 1971, the [[Basic Treaty, 1972|basic treaty]] between East and West Germany came into force on June 21, 1973. With the treaty, West Germany recognized East Germany de facto as an independent German state. The Hallstein doctrine had already been abandoned before then. The treaty represented a breakthrough for the GDR's international position and, in addition to third world states, Western countries also established relations with the GDR. In 1973 alone, diplomatic relations were established with 46 countries, which enabled the GDR to send numerous new ambassadors and conclude more international treaties. On September 18, 1973, the East and West finally joined the [[United Nations]] (UN) together. As part of the policy of détente between East and West, the GDR and the FRG also cooperated together in the [[Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe]] from 1973 onwards. A year later in 1974, the western superpower, the [[United States]], also established diplomatic relations with the GDR.<ref name=":0" />

=== Rising independence from the Soviet Union (1975–1984) ===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-U1007-0005, Berlin, 30. Jahrestag DDR-Gründung, Parade.jpg|thumb|[[Leonid Brezhnev]] with [[Erich Honecker]] on the 30th anniversary of the founding of the GDR (1979)]]
The GDR used the new international recognition in the second half of the 1970s to deepen economic and political contacts with numerous developing countries in [[Africa]], [[Asia]] and the [[Americas]]. The GDR courted numerous non-aligned states and provided technical and economic assistance. The GDR trained security and police forces in countries such as [[Angola]] and [[Mozambique]]. From 1977 onwards, “[[Anti-imperialism|anti-imperialist]] solidarity” was coordinated by a separate commission of the [[Politburo of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany|SED Politburo]].<ref name=":0" /> The increased international cooperation ensured an increasing number of foreigners in the GDR, as more and more foreign workers were trained or worked here or studied as students at GDR universities.

Relations with the states of the Eastern Bloc remained intensive. Agreements with [[Hungary]], [[Polish People's Republic|Poland]], [[Bulgaria]] and [[Czechoslovakia]] on “friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance” were renewed in 1977. Two years earlier, the GDR and the USSR had sworn to “eternal friendship” with an “irrevocable alliance” in a bilateral treaty. Honecker followed the Soviet model closely and was a loyal ally. Nevertheless, the Soviets' influence on the GDR declined with time. The GDR's deepened relations with West Germany were driven by economic necessity, as the GDR's ailing [[planned economy]] was increasingly dependent on loans from the West. With the intensified confrontation with the West after the [[Soviet–Afghan War|Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]] at the end of the 1970s, the Soviets wanted to force an end to the GDR's rapprochement with West Germany. However, the GDR refused and, despite the displeasure of the Soviets, signed a new German-German transport agreement in 1978. In 1981, the Soviets reduced their oil deliveries, whereupon West Germany offered aid payments in return for an agreement on easier travel for GDR citizens. Due to the poor economic situation, the GDR was forced to accept the offer, which Moscow once again didn't like.<ref name=":1" /> Under the aging Brezhnev, Honecker increasingly tried to take on a leading role among the socialist heads of state.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Baldus |first=Katrin |url=https://www.grin.com/document/124598 |title=Die Beziehungen der DDR unter Honecker zu Gorbatschow im Zuge der sowjetischen Reformen |date=2009-03-18 |isbn=978-3-640-29791-7 |language=de}}</ref>

=== Final phase of the GDR (1985–1990) ===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1986-0421-009, Berlin, XI. SED-Parteitag, Gorbatschow, Honecker.jpg|thumb|Mikhail Gorbachev with Erich Honecker in 1986]]
In the 1980s, the crisis of communist economies became increasingly apparent. In 1985, [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] came to power in Moscow and adopted an ambitious reform program ([[Glasnost]] and [[Perestroika]]). The dynamic reformer's rise to power was initially welcomed in [[East Berlin]], even though Gorbachev and Honecker had had a strained relationship since 1984.<ref name=":2" /> A year after coming to power, Gorbachev abolished the Brezhnev Doctrine and gave the socialist states the freedom to chart their own course ([[Sinatra Doctrine]]), which initiated the collapse of the Warsaw Pact. Honecker saw the danger and increasingly distanced himself from the Soviet reform projects, while Gorbachev, in return, criticized the GDR leadership's unwillingness to reform. In contrast to the Soviets, Honecker announced his own form of socialism for the GDR at the end of 1988, distancing himself. However, the GDR had no concept to combat the beginning dissolution of the Soviet bloc. The opening of Hungary's border with Austria in May 1989 led to a mass exodus of GDR citizens and initiated the downfall of the GDR. After the first free [[1990 East German general election|Volkskammer elections]] in 1990, the new [[Christian Democratic Union of Germany|CDU]]-led government distanced itself from the foreign policy legacy of the SED era. With the [[Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany|Two Plus Four Treaty]] of September 12, 1990, both German states laid the foundation for [[German reunification]] in negotiations, which led to East Germany joining the Federal Republic of Germany on October 3, 1990.<ref name=":0" />

== Significant bilateral relations ==

=== West Germany ===
{{Main articles|Inner German relations}}
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1987-0907-13, Bonn, Besuch Erich Honecker.jpg|thumb|[[Helmut Kohl]] with [[Erich Honecker]] (1987)]]
The German-German relationship was of great importance for both sides. After the founding of two German states, West Germany claimed exclusive representation for the divided Germany, while East Germany pursued the goal of being internationally recognized as the second German state. With the Hallstein Doctrine, West Germany tried to isolate the East internationally and until 1966 all government contacts with East Berlin were categorically rejected, even if trade contacts existed. Contact was finally made for the first time under [[Kurt Georg Kiesinger]] in 1967, after the construction of the [[Berlin Wall]] in the early 1960s had created facts. Under Chancellor Willy Brandt, the old German policy positions were abandoned and the basic treaty of 1972 laid the basis for cooperation between the two states. As a result, numerous agreements concerning trade, transport, freedom of travel, culture and other areas were concluded between the two states.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Innerdeutsche Beziehungen – Staatslexikon |url=https://www.staatslexikon-online.de/Lexikon/Innerdeutsche_Beziehungen |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.staatslexikon-online.de}}</ref> Even the Soviets' distrust of the inner-German rapprochement after the intensified bloc confrontation from 1979 and the assumption of office of the conservative Chancellor [[Helmut Kohl]] in 1982 could no longer stop the rapprochement. During the Soviet-American tensions of the early 1980s, the two German states tried to mediate between the blocs in order to defuse the situation. The GDR received loans from the Federal Republic and trade with the West became vital for its survival, which led to the GDR becoming increasingly economically dependent, which West Germany used to achieve political goals, e.g. making travel easier for GDR citizens.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Deutschland |first=Stiftung Deutsches Historisches Museum, Stiftung Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik |title=Gerade auf LeMO gesehen: LeMO Kapitel: Vernetzung der Weltwirtschaft |url=https://www.hdg.de/lemo/kapitel/geteiltes-deutschland-krisenmanagement/bundesrepublik-im-umbruch/vernetzung-der-weltwirtschaft.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.hdg.de |language=de}}</ref> In 1987, Erich Honecker made a [[Erich Honecker's 1987 visit to West Germany|historic visit]] to West Germany, the first and only state visit by a head of state from the East to West Germany. The GDR saw this as the long-sought recognition of the GDR as an independent German state by the FRG. Soon afterwards, however, the [[Fall of the Berlin Wall|Berlin Wall came down]] and, after the SED was ousted from power, Germany was reunified.

=== Relations with friendly states of the socialist world ===

==== Soviet Union ====
{{Main article|East Germany–Soviet Union relations}}
[[File:Gesellschaft für Deutsch-Sowjetische Freundschaft Logo.svg|thumb|Logo of the Society for German-Soviet Friendship (DSF)]]
As the most important state in the Eastern Bloc, relations with the Soviet Union were of paramount importance. The GDR emerged under the influence of the Soviet Union and remained tied to it throughout its existence. The influence of the USSR as a role model and socialist brother state was not only limited to politics and economics, but also to culture. Erich Honecker summed this up when he announced in 1974 that “there is practically no crucial area of everyday life in which friendship with the Soviet Union is not reflected.”<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stabilität und Krise in der DDR 1971-1980 - Das war die DDR |url=https://d-d-r.de/ddr-geschichte-stabilitaet-und-krise-1971-1980.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=d-d-r.de}}</ref> [[Russian language|Russian]] was taught as the first foreign language in school and the [[Society for German–Soviet Friendship|Society for German-Soviet Friendship]] was the second largest mass organization in the GDR with six million members. Soviet-Russian culture, music, cuisine and media products were widespread in the GDR.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adam-Tkalec |first=Maritta |date=2022-05-08 |title=Millionen Freunde sollt ihr sein: Leben in deutsch-sowjetischer Freundschaft |url=https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/politik-gesellschaft/millionen-freunde-sollt-ihr-sein-leben-in-deutsch-sowjetischer-freundschaft-li.226157 |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=Berliner Zeitung |language=de}}</ref> As part of the “socialist brotherhood of arms,” between 300,000 and 500,000 soldiers from the Soviet Union were permanently stationed in the GDR, more than in any other country outside the USSR.<ref>{{Cite web |last=mdr.de |title=Alltag der Sowjetsoldaten in der DDR {{!}} MDR.DE |url=https://www.mdr.de/geschichte/ddr/kalter-krieg/alltag-sowjetsoldaten-rote-armee-100.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.mdr.de |language=de}}</ref> The Soviets were also the most important trade and economic partner, with which almost 38 percent of the GDR's foreign trade was transacted in 1981.<ref name=":4" /> The Soviets supplied petroleum and other raw materials to the GDR, while [[uranium]] from the GDR was very important for the Soviet nuclear industry.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=mdr.de |title=Uranbergbau in der DDR: Das war die Wismut {{!}} MDR.DE |url=https://www.mdr.de/geschichte/ddr/wirtschaft/wismut/fragen-uran-bergbau-sowjetunion-atomindustrie-100.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.mdr.de |language=de}}</ref>

Despite the ongoing official assurances of mutual friendship, there was also an underlying mistrust on both sides, which was based on the difficult shared legacy of the Second World War and the GDR's great dependence. The Soviets repeatedly intervened in the GDR's internal affairs. As the “ruling” ambassador, the Soviet ambassador [[Pyotr Abrasimov]] (1962–1971 and 1975–1983 ambassador to the GDR) liked to give direct instructions to GDR politicians. He later described the GDR as the Soviets' "[[homunculus]]," and said "without us it would not have survived a year."<ref name=":3" /> With an independent foreign policy towards the Federal Republic of Germany, the GDR finally began to emancipate itself more strongly from the Soviets in the 1970s. Glasnost and perestroika were rejected by the GDR in the 1980s. In the final phase of the GDR, the government even had Soviet media such as [[Sputnik (news agency)|Sputnik]] censored because they began to report critically as part of Gorbachev's reforms.

==== Poland ====
[[File:DDR-Briefmarke Oder-Neisse 1951 50.JPG|thumb|GDR post stamp celebrating the [[Treaty of Zgorzelec]]]]
Towards the end of the Second World War, Stalin pushed through [[Territorial changes of Poland immediately after World War II|Poland's westward shift]] and in 1945 handed over large parts of the [[Former eastern territories of Germany|German eastern territories]] to the [[Polish People's Republic|People's Republic of Poland]], which, like the GDR, was also a Soviet satellite state. The GDR and the People's Republic of Poland established diplomatic relations in 1949 and Poland demanded that the GDR recognize the [[Oder–Neisse line|Oder-Neisse line]] as the border between the two states. Under pressure from the Soviets, the GDR had to give in and in July 1950 the [[Treaty of Zgorzelec]] was signed, in which the GDR recognized the border, which West Germany in turn rejected. In 1954, Poland waived reparations to the GDR for damage from the Second World War, also under pressure from the Soviets. The relationship between the two states can be characterized as a "forced friendship". Economically, however, the relations were close due to deliveries of coal and food from Poland to the GDR.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ereignis: 1955, Die DDR und Polen - Deutsche und Polen (rbb) Geschichte, Biografien, Zeitzeugen, Orte, Karten |url=https://www.deutscheundpolen.de/ereignisse/ereignis_jsp/key=die_ddr_und_polen_1955.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.deutscheundpolen.de}}</ref> For a long time, contacts between the two societies remained primarily state-based, personal contacts were restricted and the border between the two states was only opened in 1972.<ref>{{Cite web |last=mdr.de |title=DDR und Polen 1968: Liebe kennt keine Grenzen {{!}} MDR.DE |url=https://www.mdr.de/geschichte/ddr/alltag/familie/valentinstag-deutsch-polnische-liebe-grenze-frankfurt-oder-100.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.mdr.de |language=de}}</ref> The East German leadership watched the emergence of the anti-communist [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity movement]] with concern and in 1980 the GDR stopped free travel with Poland as a “[[Cordon sanitaire (politics)|cordon sanitaire]]” against the “Polish fever”. Honecker also repeatedly spoke out in favor of an invasion of Poland by the Warsaw Pact in order to crush the “[[Counter-revolutionary|counter-revolution]]” militarily. After martial law was [[Martial law in Poland|declared]] in Poland in 1981, Honecker offered support from the [[National People's Army]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=mdr.de |title=Vom Umgang mit der Solidarność-Bewegung in der DDR {{!}} MDR.DE |url=https://www.mdr.de/geschichte/zeitgeschichte-gegenwart/politik-gesellschaft/polen-ddr-solidarnosc-honecker-102.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.mdr.de |language=de}}</ref>

==== Czechoslovakia ====
{{Main article|Czechoslovakia–East Germany relations}}
The [[Czechoslovak Socialist Republic]] diplomatically recognized the GDR in 1949 and both states subsequently concluded several agreements on economic, cultural and military cooperation. In the [[Treaty of Prague (1950)|Treaty of Prague]] of July 1950, both states renounced mutual territorial claims, declared the [[Munich Agreement]] of 1938 invalid and the resettlement or [[Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia|expulsion of the German population]] of the [[Sudetenland]] as “final” and “just”. Both states were subsequently able to establish cooperative relationships and in 1964 the [[Travel visa|visa]] requirement between the two states was lifted, meaning Czechoslovakia could become a popular travel destination for East German tourists. However, the GDR was suspicious of Prague reform communism and Walter Ulbricht supported the [[Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia]] in 1968, although the GDR did not participate directly. After the installation of a loyal regime in Prague, both states jointly rejected Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms in the 1980s until the [[Velvet Revolution]] occurred in 1989.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Segert |first=Jaroslav Kucera / Dieter |date=2002-11-08 |title=Beziehungen zu Deutschland |url=https://www.bpb.de/shop/zeitschriften/izpb/tschechien-276/9666/beziehungen-zu-deutschland/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=bpb.de |language=de}}</ref>

==== Hungary ====
The [[Hungarian People's Republic]] and the GDR established diplomatic relations in 1949. Both supported each other in [[Industrialisation|industrialization]], [[collectivization]] of agriculture and ideological education of the population in the spirit of "building socialism". The GDR supported the Soviets' suppression of the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956|Hungarian uprising]] in 1956 diplomatically, as the SED cadres feared for their own power in the event of a successful revolution. It was possible for East German citizens to travel to Hungary, which is why the Stasi established cooperation with the Hungarian security authorities in order to prevent flights to the West and to monitor overly close East-West contacts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bildung |first=Bundeszentrale für politische |date=2017-01-17 |title=Ungarn: Skandalisierung statt Aufarbeitung |url=https://www.bpb.de/themen/deutsche-teilung/stasi/223581/ungarn-skandalisierung-statt-aufarbeitung/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=bpb.de |language=de}}</ref> From the 1970s onwards, Hungary pursued a so-called [[Goulash Communism|goulash communism]], which allowed more economic and social freedoms than the orthodox line of the GDR. The GDR saw Hungary as a potential deviant from the socialist camp and put pressure on the Hungarian leadership to adhere to Soviet guidelines. The break came when Hungary opened the border with Austria in 1989, allowing many GDR citizens to escape to the West, which the East German leadership decried as "betrayal of socialism".<ref name=":0" />

==== Yugoslavia ====
{{Main article|East Germany–Yugoslavia relations}}
Under [[Josip Broz Tito|Josip Tito]], [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] was a member of the [[Non-Aligned Movement]] and maintained good diplomatic contacts with the West, although it was nominally socialist. This independent line of Yugoslavia complicated relations with the GDR. In 1948, Tito criticized the “[[democratic centralism]]” of the GDR and in 1951 the SED came to the conclusion that “the Tito regime had become a fascist agency and a loyal tool of the dollar empire.” With [[de-Stalinization]], relations improved and in 1957 both countries finally established diplomatic relations. After the GDR agreed to pay compensation for forced laborers during the Second World War in 1963, Tito made a state visit to the GDR in 1965, where he was awarded the [[Star of People's Friendship]] by Walter Ulbricht. After Yugoslavia criticized the suppression of the Prague Spring in 1968, relations soured again. Under Erich Honecker, both states maintained cooperative relations from 1971 and emphasized their “friendship” in 1977. However, due to its independent line, Yugoslavia remained largely taboo as a holiday destination for East German citizens until the fall of the Berlin Wall.<ref>{{Cite web |last=mdr.de |title=Jugoslawien: der "fremde Freund" der DDR {{!}} MDR.DE |url=https://www.mdr.de/geschichte/ddr/politik-gesellschaft/ddr-jugoslawien-beziehungen-100.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.mdr.de |language=de}}</ref>

==== Romania ====
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1985-0530-026, Berlin, Ceausescu-Besuch.jpg|thumb|[[Nicolae Ceaușescu]] in [[East Berlin]] (1985)]]
The GDR and [[Socialist Republic of Romania]] were allies within the Warsaw Pact. The Stasi and the [[Securitate]] worked closely together to monitor opponents of the regime. Both services were responsible for the kidnapping of the Romanian dissident [[Theodor Bucur]] in 1953, who was arrested in East Berlin and taken to Romania. However, when Romanian President [[Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej]] took a course independent of the Soviet Union in the 1960s ([[national communism]]), relations became more distant as the GDR continued to align itself closely with the USSR. As a result, the close cooperation between the secret services was stopped.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-01-05 |title=Stasi: Als der DDR-Geheimdienst mit der rumänischen Securitate brach - WELT |url=https://www.welt.de/geschichte/article159437269/Stasi-Als-der-DDR-Geheimdienst-mit-der-rumaenischen-Securitate-brach.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=DIE WELT |language=de}}</ref> The GDR disliked the fact that Romania continued to pursue its independent policy under [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]]. The two states finally came closer together in the 1980s, when both opposed the reform policies of the USSR and censored critical media from the Soviet Union. As a result of this rapprochement, Honecker awarded Ceaușescu the [[Order of Karl Marx]] in November 1988.<ref>{{Cite web |title=„Das ist real existierender Sozialismus“ – Karl-Marx-Orden für Ceauşescu |url=https://www.archiv-buergerbewegung.de/100-power-to-the-people/themenbloecke-rumaenien/369-orden |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.archiv-buergerbewegung.de}}</ref>

==== China ====
The [[People's Republic of China]] was proclaimed by [[Mao Zedong]] in 1949, the same year that East Germany was founded. Due to their shared socialist orientation, both states established diplomatic relations in the first year of their existence. Both states subsequently established trade relations. Until 1971, the GDR remained the only German state with diplomatic relations with the People's Republic. However, the [[Sino-Soviet split|Chinese rift with the Soviet Union]] in the 1960s also strained relations with the GDR, which, like most socialist states, sided with the Soviets. Erich Honecker saw the danger of a split in the socialist camp and tried to mediate between the Soviet Union and the People's Republic during a state visit in 1986, but the latter had long since turned towards the West as part of its [[reform and opening]] policy.<ref name=":5">{{Citation |title=Front Matter |date=2009-01-01 |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1524/9783050048048.fm/pdf |work=Front Matter |pages=1–61 |access-date=2023-12-29 |publisher=Akademie Verlag |language=de |doi=10.1524/9783050048048.fm/pdf |isbn=978-3-05-004804-8}}</ref> When the [[Tiananmen massacre|Tiananmen square massacre]] occurred in 1989, the GDR approved the violence against the demonstrators in Beijing. The [[Volkskammer]] passed a resolution in which the GDR announced its support for the suppression of the “counter-revolutionary unrest”.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chronik der Deutschen Einheit: 08.06.1989 {{!}} Bundesregierung |url=https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/deutsche-einheit/ddr-regime-rechtfertigt-massaker-in-peking-389976 |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=Die Bundesregierung informiert {{!}} Startseite |language=de}}</ref> The first freely elected Volkskammer reversed this in 1990 and condemned the violence.<ref name=":5" />

==== North Korea ====
The GDR and [[North Korea]] maintained excellent relations. Diplomatic contacts were established as early as 1949 and an ambassador was sent to [[Pyongyang]] in 1954. North Korea remained the only country that maintained diplomatic relations only with this German state during the existence of the GDR. Both countries intensified trade relations and technical cooperation in the 1950s.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=mdr.de |title=DDR und Nordkorea {{!}} MDR.DE |url=https://www.mdr.de/geschichte/ddr/kalter-krieg/deutsche-botschaft-nordkorea-102.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.mdr.de |language=de}}</ref> In the 1960s, the future North Korean dictator [[Kim Jong Il|Kim Jong-il]] has received training in the GDR, according to some reports.<ref>{{Cite news |last=AFP |last2=dpa |date=2011-12-19 |title=Kim Jong Il, der ferne Unbekannte |language=de-DE |work=Die Zeit |url=https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2011-12/kim-jong-nordkorea/seite-2 |access-date=2023-12-29 |issn=0044-2070}}</ref> Erich Honecker visited North Korea in 1977 and 1986 and expressed his “complete agreement on all issues discussed” with the totalitarian North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, with whom he developed a good personal relationship. As late as 1989, both countries supported the suppression of the democracy movement in China and North Korea later offered asylum to “old friend” Honecker.<ref name=":6" />

==== Vietnam ====
The GDR established diplomatic contacts with socialist [[North Vietnam]] and supported them with humanitarian and financial aid during the [[Vietnam War]], meanwhile West Germany supported [[South Vietnam]]. Numerous East German citizens provided help under the slogan “Solidarity with Vietnam” against the “imperialist aggressor” (the USA). In 1968, 50,000 trade unionists donated blood during a relief campaign. The Stasi also provided support in establishing the North Vietnamese secret service. After the [[Reunification Day|reunification of Vietnam]], close relations continued.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deutschlands Rolle in Vietnam nach Abzug der USA – DW – 27.01.2023 |url=https://www.dw.com/de/pariser-abkommen-wendepunkt-f%C3%BCr-deutschlands-rolle-im-vietnamkrieg/a-64508300 |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=dw.com |language=de}}</ref> Due to an acute labor shortage, the GDR and Vietnam signed a contract for the deployment of contract workers in April 1980.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mai |first=Marina |date=2020-04-11 |title=Vietnamesische Vertragsarbeiter in DDR: Sie blieben |language=de |work=Die Tageszeitung: taz |url=https://taz.de/!5677599/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |issn=0931-9085}}</ref> In return for development aid totaling one billion [[East German mark|East German marks]], Vietnam subsequently sent 200,000 guest workers to the GDR. The GDR was also able to import scarce goods such as coffee, tea, rubber and pepper from Vietnam.<ref>{{Cite web |last=WDR |date=2020-04-21 |title=Vietnam: Gastarbeiter in der DDR |url=https://www.planet-wissen.de/kultur/asien/vietnam/vietnam-gastarbeiter-ddr-100.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.planet-wissen.de |language=de}}</ref> In the year of change in 1989, the 60,000 Vietnamese in the country were the largest group of foreigners in the GDR.<ref name=":6" />

==== Cuba ====
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L0619-026, Castro, Landkarte Kubas überreicht.jpg|thumb|[[Fidel Castro]] with [[Erich Honecker]] (1972)]]
After [[Fidel Castro]] took power in [[Cuba]] in 1959, East Germany established close ties with [[Latin America|Latin America's]] only socialist regime. [[Che Guevara]] visited [[Leipzig]] in 1962 to establish trade relations and Cuban students came to the GDR, while engineers and scientists from the GDR in Cuba began to support the development of the tropical island. Some ideological differences arose in the 1960s, before the GDR leadership praised Cuba's orientation towards the Soviet planned economy in 1968 as a “maturation process”. Castro's erratic foreign policy and his involvement in the Non-Aligned Movement also caused some frustration. The GDR developed close economic ties with Cuba and imported citrus fruits such as [[Orange (fruit)|oranges]] and [[Lemon|lemons]] at inflated prices and in return donated machinery and engines and also helped to set up the [[Education in Cuba|education system]]. From the 1970s onwards, 30,000 contract workers from Cuba came to the GDR.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zwei ungleiche Brüder – DW – 08.11.2009 |url=https://www.dw.com/de/ddr-und-kuba-zwei-ungleiche-br%C3%BCder/a-4789640 |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=dw.com |language=de}}</ref> In 1972, during a state visit by Erich Honecker, a small Cuban island was renamed [[Ernst Thälmann Island|Ernst Thälmann island]] as a sign of friendship.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kringiel |first=Danny |date=2012-06-19 |title=Ernst-Thälmann-Insel: Fidel Castros symbolisches Geschenk an die DDR |language=de |work=Der Spiegel |url=https://www.spiegel.de/geschichte/ernst-thaelmann-insel-fidel-castros-symbolisches-geschenk-an-die-ddr-a-947615.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |issn=2195-1349}}</ref>

==== Syria ====
Although Syria was not nominally socialist, it followed closely the Eastern Bloc in its fight against [[Israel]]. Unofficial cooperation was established as early as the 1960s before official diplomatic relations were established in 1969 after Syria broke off relations with West Germany in 1965. The GDR had already provided extensive economic aid to Syria, which was ruled by the [[Baath Party (Syria)|Baath Party]]. For example, East German advisors helped establish a centrally managed economy in Syria and Syrian security forces were trained by the Stasi and their Syrian equivalents were modelled on the GDR, which has influenced the structure of the Syrian state into the 21st century.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |last=Trentin |first=Massimiliano |date=November 2021 |title=State-led Development: The Privileged Linkage between East Germany and Ba'athist Syria, 1965–1972 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/contemporary-european-history/article/stateled-development-the-privileged-linkage-between-east-germany-and-baathist-syria-19651972/46F962CD169CB19D13541765FE17DC1D |journal=Contemporary European History |language=en |volume=30 |issue=4 |pages=581–596 |doi=10.1017/S0960777321000369 |issn=0960-7773}}</ref> Numerous Syrians also studied in the GDR.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spurensuche in Syrien – DW – 26.10.2009 |url=https://www.dw.com/de/deutsch-deutsche-spuren-in-syrien/a-4710555 |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=dw.com |language=de}}</ref> When the less socialist Syrian nationalist [[Hafiz al-Assad]] came to power in 1970, relations with the GDR were scaled back and in 1974 relations with the West Germany were resumed.<ref name=":7" />

==== Mozambique ====
The GDR recognized the FRELIMO (Mozambican Liberation Front) as the legitimate representative of the [[Mozambican people]] and supported them in the armed struggle against [[Portuguese Mozambique|Portuguese colonial rule]] since the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grajek |first=Rainer |date=2018-12-25 |title=Die staatlichen Beziehungen zwischen der DDR und Afrika. Das Beispiel Mosambik. |url=https://www.rainergrajek.de/die-staatlichen-beziehungen-zwischen-der-ddr-und-afrika-das-beispiel-mosambik/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=rainergrajek.de |language=de-DE}}</ref> The socialist [[People's Republic of Mozambique]] was recognized by the GDR in 1975 and became a priority area for East German development aid in Africa. The GDR also sent thousands of experts, teachers, doctors and technicians to Mozambique to help with reconstruction.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=mdr.de |title=Die Außenhändler der DDR: "Afrika war für die DDR-Außenpolitik wichtig" {{!}} MDR.DE |url=https://www.mdr.de/geschichte/ddr/politik-gesellschaft/aussenhandel-afrika-fdj-freundschaftsbrigaden-100.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.mdr.de |language=de}}</ref> Mozambique acted as a frontline state against the [[Apartheid|apartheid regime]] in [[South Africa]], with East Germany providing military training to the [[African National Congress]] (ANC).<ref name=":8" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=mdr.de |title=Nelson Mandela: Freiheitskämpfer bekam Solidarität aus der DDR {{!}} MDR.DE |url=https://www.mdr.de/geschichte/zeitgeschichte-gegenwart/politik-gesellschaft/nelson-mandela-suedafrika-apartheid-100.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.mdr.de |language=de}}</ref> However, the [[Mozambican Civil War|civil war in Mozambique]] hindered the continuation of relations and East German development workers were killed in the Unango attack, after which the GDR withdrew almost 1,000 development workers. Mozambique also sent 21,000 contract workers to East Germany, some of whose wages went to the Mozambican government and were withheld from the workers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mai |first=Marina |date=2019-03-03 |title=Vertragsarbeiter aus Mosambik: „Moderne Sklaverei“ in der DDR |language=de |work=Die Tageszeitung: taz |url=https://taz.de/!5576988/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |issn=0931-9085}}</ref>

==== Angola ====
The GDR supported the Marxist [[MPLA]] in Angola in the fight against the [[Portuguese Angola|Portuguese colonial power]] and during the [[Angolan Civil War]] with weapons and ammunition. Over 1,000 officers and non-commissioned officers from the GDR armed forces were sent to Angola as trainers and friendship brigades from the SED youth organization [[Free German Youth]] were active as development workers in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |last=mdr.de |title=Mit einer FDJ-Freundschaftsbrigade in Angola {{!}} MDR.DE |url=https://www.mdr.de/geschichte/ddr/alltag/reisen-freizeit/angola-fdj-freundschaftsbrigade-100.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.mdr.de |language=de}}</ref> The Angolan police were trained in the GDR.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1980-03-02 |title=»Wir haben euch Waffen und Brot geschickt« |language=de |work=Der Spiegel |url=https://www.spiegel.de/politik/wir-haben-euch-waffen-und-brot-geschickt-a-7a4435f6-0002-0001-0000-000014315215 |access-date=2023-12-29 |issn=2195-1349}}</ref> The GDR hoped to get its “coffee crisis” under control in the 1970s by importing coffee from Angola. A contract worker agreement was also concluded with the [[People's Republic of Angola]], as a result of which almost 6,000 Angolans were sent to the GDR as guest workers from 1985 onwards.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Angolanische Vertrags- arbeiter*innen in der DDR |url=https://www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de/amadeu-antonio/die-ausgebeuteten-brueder-angolanische-vertragsarbeiterinnen-in-der-ddr/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=Amadeu Antonio Stiftung |language=de-DE}}</ref>

==== Other socialist states ====
In the 1970s official cooperation was established with other socialist states, such as the [[Derg|Derg regime of Ethiopia]], [[People's Republic of the Congo]], [[South Yemen|People's Democratic Republic of Yemen]], [[Somali Democratic Republic]], [[History of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi|Libya]], and the [[People's Republic of Benin]].

=== Other states ===

====United States====
{{Main articles|East Germany–United States relations}}
As the Western superpower of the Cold War, the United States was viewed as an enemy of the party and state media. The GDR's official [[anti-Americanism]] condemned [[US foreign policy]] as [[Imperialism|imperialist]] and the Americans in turn saw the GDR as a mere puppet of the Soviet Union. The U.S. was the most important ally of West Germany. After rapprochement with West Germany in the 1970s, the GDR and the U.S. established diplomatic relations in December 1974 with [[Rolf Sieber]] became the first ambassador of the GDR to the U.S.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bortfeldt |first=Heinrich |date=2012-07-12 |title=Ostdeutsche Sichtweisen auf die USA |url=https://www.bpb.de/themen/nordamerika/usa/140472/ostdeutsche-sichtweisen-auf-die-usa/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=bpb.de |language=de}}</ref> From July 30 to August 1, 1975, President [[Gerald Ford]] met with Erich Honecker and had a brief conversation during a meeting in [[Helsinki]], which led to the adoption of the [[Helsinki Accords]]. This was the first high-level government contact between the two countries. On June 11, 1990, Prime Minister [[Lothar de Maizière]] was the first and only head of state of the GDR to visit the United States meeting President [[George H. W. Bush]] at the [[White House]]. The United States was a supporter of German reunification and played a key role in the relevant negotiations.

==== Israel/Palestine ====
{{Main article|East Germany–Israel relations}}
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1982-0310-027, Berlin, Yasser Arafat, Erich Honecker.jpg|thumb|[[Yasser Arafat]] with [[Erich Honecker]] (1982)]]
The GDR saw itself as an [[Anti-fascism|anti-fascist]] state and refused to take responsibility for German guilt in the [[The Holocaust|Holocaust]]. Reparation payments to Israel were therefore rejected, which is why diplomatic relations were not established. After initially taking a balanced position, the GDR and the Soviet Union ultimately clearly sided with the [[Arabs]] during the [[Arab–Israeli conflict]].<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Voigt |first=Sebastian |date=2008-03-28 |title=Das Verhältnis der DDR zu Israel |url=https://www.bpb.de/themen/naher-mittlerer-osten/israel/45014/das-verhaeltnis-der-ddr-zu-israel/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=bpb.de |language=de}}</ref> The GDR was one of the earliest supporters of the [[Palestinians]]. The GDR supported the [[Palestine Liberation Organization|PLO]] and later other armed groups financially and with weapons and also trained fighters who, in the GDR's interpretation, were anti-imperialist liberation fighters.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wentker |first=Hermann |date=2017-06-26 |title=DDR, PLO und RAF: Eher gefördert als bekämpft |language=de |work=FAZ.NET |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/politische-buecher/ddr-plo-und-raf-eher-gefoerdert-als-bekaempft-15067899.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |issn=0174-4909}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-02-01 |title=Nahostkonflikt: Wie die DDR Waffen an Jassir Arafats PLO lieferte - WELT |url=https://www.welt.de/kultur/history/article13842028/Wie-die-DDR-Waffen-an-Jassir-Arafats-PLO-lieferte.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=DIE WELT |language=de}}</ref> Honecker and Palestinian leader [[Yasser Arafat]] were friends and GDR propaganda regularly crossed the threshold into open [[Antisemitism|anti-Semitism]], for example, the accusation that Israel would plan a “[[Final Solution|final solution]] for the Palestinian question”. In 1975, East Germany supported [[UN General Assembly Resolution 3379]], which condemned [[Zionism]] as “a form of racism.”<ref name=":9" /> A change only occurred in the final phase of the GDR, when the first freely elected Volkskammer passed a declaration in June 1990 in which it "formally apologized for the anti-Israel and anti-Zionist policies that had been practiced in this country for decades."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-04-11 |title=Vor 30 Jahren: Warum sich die DDR-Volkskammer bei Israel entschuldigte |url=https://www.israelnetz.com/vor-30-jahren-warum-sich-die-ddr-volkskammer-bei-israel-entschuldigte/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=Israelnetz |language=de-DE}}</ref>

== List of foreign ministers ==
[[Foreign Minister of the GDR]] was the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the GDR. In terms of actual political influence, the Foreign Minister was behind the respective Central Committee Secretary for International Relations, [[Hermann Axen]] from 1966 to 1989. The foreign ministers of the GDR were:

* [[Georg Dertinger]] (1949–1953)
* [[Anton Ackermann]] (1953)
* [[Lothar Bolz]] (1953–1965)
* [[Otto Winzer]] (1965–1975)
* [[Oskar Fischer]] (1975–1990)
* [[Markus Meckel]] (1990)
* [[Lothar de Maizière]] (1990)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Foreign relations of East Germany}}
{{Foreign relations of Germany}}

[[Category:Foreign relations of East Germany| ]]

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