The Department Of Foreign Affairs

All independent countries need to promote good international relations. Such relations are important to obtain benefits for their citizens through international co-operation.

Every nations usually has an office for the conduct of foreign affairs. This office is called the Department of Foreign Affairs. This office is responsible, for the government’s foreign relations through its agencies and staff in other countries. This office assigns diplomats to other countries and sends representatives called consuls to foreign cities.

An ambassador, the officer assigns highest / personal in rank in a foreign country, is the personal representative of a country’s Head of State at the capital of another country. The ambassador heads the embassy and represents his government in diplomacy or diplomatic affairs.

Other diplomats lower in rank than the ambassador are consuls, envoys, charge d’affaires , attaches, and legations.

The ambassador together with other diplomats carry on day to day relations between their government and the government of the country in which they serve. These diplomats work to gain political or economic advantages for their country and to promote international co-operation.

The ambassador carries on negotiations with the foreign government. His task concerns political, economic and cultural relations between the two countries. He maintains contacts with the Head of the State, the foreign minister, and other officials. A charge d’affairs is a diplomat who takes the place of an ambassador when the latter is absent from hi place of duty. A consuls is appointed to stay in the capital or another main city of the foreign country. His work is to promote and protect the economic interest of his government and his fellow citizens who are abroad.

An attaché is an officer of the diplomatic staff in an embassy. An attaché is usually an officer of the army, navy, or air force, and is called a military, naval, or air attaché. Some countries send officers from the Department of commerce, agriculture, or labour attaché.

Cultural and social-welfare officers have the status of an attaché. Attaché usually accompany ambassadors or other high officials on missions of state.
To maintain its national interests and international co-operations, a country may join a world organizations such as UNO which was founded in 1945.