Foreign Relations of Germany - Europe - Central & Eastern Europe

Central & Eastern Europe

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
Albania		See Albania–Germany relations Albanian Kingdom (1943–1944) Albanians in Germany Albania has an embassy in Berlin. Germany has an embassy in Tirana.
Armenia		See Armenia–Germany relations Armenian-German relations have always been stable and solid; they continue to work together and advance through the years in cooperation. Their leaders have discussed bilateral relations and noted that they have considerably improved over the last few years.
Austria		See Austria–Germany relations Relations between them are close because as countries have strong historical and cultural ties.
Belarus	1999	Belarus has an embassy in Berlin and a Branch office in Bonn. Germany has an embassy in Minsk. German Federal Foreign Office about relations with Belarus
Belgium		See Foreign relations of Belgium
Bulgaria		See Bulgaria–Germany relations Bulgaria has an embassy in Berlin, a general-consulate in Munich and an office in Bonn. Germany has an embassy in Sofia. German Foreign Ministry about relations with Bulgaria German embassy in Sofia (in German and Bulgarian only)
Croatia	1992-01-15	See Croatia–Germany relations Croatia has an embassy in Berlin and 5 general consulates (in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, and Stuttgart). Germany has an embassy in Zagreb and an honorary consulate in Split. There are more than 200,000 Croats who live in Germany. Historically Germany has had a close collaboration with Croatia. Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration: list of bilateral treaties signed with Germany German Federal Foreign Office about relations with Croatia
Cyprus	1960	See Germany-Cyprus relations Cyprus has an embassy in Berlin and a consulate-general in Hamburg. Germany has an embassy in Nicosia. Both countries are members of the European Union. In 2004, an agreement on mutual recognition of university degrees was signed, designed to facilitate Cypriot and German students' admission to German and Cypriot universities. There is a close and trustful cooperation at a government level. Minister of State Hoyer visited Cyprus on 11 and 12 February 2010. Federal Foreign Minister Westerwelle met with his Cypriot counterpart Marcos Kyprianou in Berlin on 2 March Cyprus Foreign Ministry: list of bilateral treaties between Cyprus and Germany German Foreign Ministry about relations with Cyprus
Czech Republic		See Czech Republic–Germany 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.
Denmark		See Denmark–Germany relations Denmark has an embassy in Berlin and three General consulates in Flensburg, Hamburg and Munich. They border each other.
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.
Greece	1834 (Prussia)	The first Greek Embassy in Berlin was established in 1834, when Berlin was the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia. Greece has an embassy in Berlin and eight General Consulates in (Hamburg, Hannover, Cologne, Leipzig, Munich, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, and Frankfurt). Germany has an embassy in Athens and a General Consulate in Thessaloniki. German Ministry of Foreign Affairs about relations with Greece Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs about relations with Germany
Hungary	1973-12-21	See Germany–Hungary relations Germany has an embassy in Budapest. Hungary has an embassy in Berlin, 2 general consulates (in Düsseldorf and Münich) and 9 honorary consulates (in Bremerhaven, Erfurt, Hamburg, Nuremberg, Schwerin, Dresden, Essen, Frankfurt and Stuttgart). Both countries are full members of NATO and of the European Union. German Federal Foreign Office about relations with Hungary Germany embassy in Budapest (in German and Hungarian only)
Iceland		Germany has an embassy in Reykjavik. Iceland has an embassy in Berlin and 10 honorary consulates in Bremerhaven, Cuxhaven, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Köln, München, Rostock, Stuttgart, and Wissen. German-Icelandic cultural relations go back more than a thousand years; they share a Germanic cultural background. Both countries are NATO members. Germany Federal Foreign Office about relations with Iceland
Ireland	1922	Germany has an embassy in Dublin and 2 honorary consulates (in Cork and Galway). Ireland has an embassy in Berlin and 4 honorary consulates (in Bergisch-Gladbach, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg and Munich). Both countries are full members of the European Union. German Ministry of Foreign Affairs about relations with Ireland
Italy		See Germany–Italy relations Relations were established after the Unification of Italy. They enjoy friendly relations and were members of the Axis during World War II, formed an alliance during the Cold War (West Germany), and are full members of the European Union. Italy also has embassies in the following cities, Berlin, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Nuremberg, Saarbrücken, and Stuttgart. Germany has embassies in Rome, Milan and Naples.
Kosovo		See Germany–Kosovo relations Germany recognized Kosovo on 20 February 2008. Germany has an embassy in Pristina since 27 February 2008. Kosovo will open an embassy in Berlin. Germany is the second-largest donor to Kosovo, behind the United States.
Latvia	1920 and again 1991-08-28	Diplomatic relations were first established following Latvia's independence from Russian rule, under agreement signed in Berlin on July 15, 1920. These relation lasted until the Soviet take over of Latvia in 1940. Relations were reestablished in 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Germany has an embassy in Riga. Latvia has an embassy in Berlin, a general consulate in Bonn and 7 honorary consulates (in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Köln, Künzelsau, Lübeck and München). Both countries are full members of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, of NATO and of the European Union. German Federal Foreign Office about relations with Latvia
Lithuania		Germany has an embassy in Vilnius. Lithuania has an embassy in Berlin, an office in Bonn and 7 honorary consulates (in Dresden, Düsseldorf, Erfurt, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Künzelsau and München). Both countries are full members of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, of NATO and of the European Union. German Federal Foreign Office about relations with Lithuania
Malta	1965	The German embassy opened in Valletta in 1965. Malta has an embassy in Berlin. Both countries are members of the European Union. German Foreign Ministry about relations with Malta
Moldova	1992-04-30	See Germany–Moldova relations The Federal Republic of Germany recognised independence of Moldova on 14 December 1991. Germany opened its embassy in Chişinău on 2 November 1992. Moldovan Embassy, Berlin; Moldova opened its own embassy in Bonn on 28 March 1995.
Netherlands		Relations were established following the unification of Germany in 1871. During the First World War, the German army refrained from attacking the Netherlands, and thus relations between the two states were preserved. At war's end in 1918, the former Kaiser Wilhelm II fled to the Netherlands, where he lived till his death in 1941. The German army occupied the Netherlands during the Second World War and kept the country under occupation in 1940-1945.
Poland		See Germany–Poland 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.
Romania	1872	Both countries have - due to a formerly significant number of Germans of Romania - also cultural relations. Germany has an embassy in Bucharest and 2 consulates (in Sibiu and Timişoara). Romania has an embassy in Berlin and 2 consulates-general (in Bonn and Munich). German Federal Foreign Office about relation with Romania Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs about relations with Germany
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.
Serbia	1951	See Germany–Serbia relations Germany has an embassy in Belgrade. Serbia has an embassy in Berlin and 5 general consulates (in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and Düsseldorf). There are around 505,000 people of Serbian descent living in Germany. (See also Germans of Serbia, Serbs in Germany) German Federal Foreign Office about relations with Serbie German embassy Belgrade(in German and Serbian only) Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs about relations with Germany
Slovakia	1993	Germany has an embassy in Bratislava. Slovakia has an embassy in Berlin, an embassy branch in Bonn, a general consulate in Munich and 6 honorary consulates (in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Hamburg, Langenhagen, Leipzig, Stuttgart and Wuppertal). Both countries are full members of NATO and of the European Union. There are around 20,000 people of Slovak descent living in Germany. German Foreign Office about the relation with Slovakia
Slovenia	1992	See Germany–Slovenia relations Germany has an embassy in Ljubljana Slovenia has an embassy in Berlin, and a general consulate in Munich
Sweden		Relations have been strong with cultural and economic cooperation. Germany has an embassy in Stockholm. Sweden has an embassy in Berlin. Sweden also has 12 honorary consulates in Germany.
Switzerland		See Germany–Switzerland relations
Turkey		See Germany–Turkey 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, making it the largest Turkish community outside of Turkey.
Ukraine		See Germany–Ukraine relations Germany has an embassy in Kiev. Ukraine has an embassy in Berlin and 3 Consulates-General (in Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich).
United Kingdom		See Germany–United Kingdom relations The United Kingdom has an embassy in Berlin and Consulate Generals in Düsseldorf and Munich. The United Kingdom also has Honorary Consulates in Bremen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hannover, Kiel, Nürnberg and Stuttgart. Germany has an embassy in London and a Consulate General in Edinburgh. German also has Honorary Consulates in Aberdeen, Barrow on Humber, Belfast, Coventry, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover, Glasgow, Guernsey, Jersey, Kirkwall, Leeds, Lerwick, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle upon Tyne, Plymouth and Southampton. Both countries are members of the EU and NATO.
Vatican City		See Germany–Holy See relations

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