In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's

foreign policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support, including consular services, for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entity is usually headed by a foreign minister or minister of foreign affairs (the title may vary, such as secretary of state who has the same functions). The foreign minister typically reports to the head of government (such as prime minister or president).

Difference in titles

In some nations, such as

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, the foreign minister is referred to as the minister for external affairs; or others, such as

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and the states created from the former

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, call the position the minister of external relations. In the United States, the secretary of state is the member of the Cabinet who handles foreign relations. Other common titles may include minister of foreign relations. In many countries of Latin America, the foreign minister is colloquially called " chancellor" (''canciller'' in the Spanish-speaking countries and ''chanceler'' in the Portuguese-speaking Brazil). Diplomats, themselves, and historians often refer to the foreign ministry by its local address, for example, the Ballhausplatz in Vienna housed the Foreign Ministry of Austria-Hungary; the Quai d'Orsay in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

for France's Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs; the South Block in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

for India's Ministry of External Affairs; the Necessidades Palace in Lisbon for Portugal's

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

; the Wilhelmstraße, in Berlin, was the location of the German Foreign Office; and Foggy Bottom, a neighborhood of Washington, D.C., houses the Department of State. The Ministry of External Relations of Brazil is often referred as the "Itamaraty" due to the two homonymous palaces that served as its headquarters, the original one in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

(1899–1970) and the present Itamaraty Palace (since 1970) in Brasília. Indonesians also often refer to their

as "Pejambon", since the ministry's main headquarters is located at Pejambon Street, Central Jakarta. During the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, which lasted until 1917, the term used was the Choristers' Bridge in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. In contrast, the Italian ministry was called the Consulta.David Stevenson, "The Diplomats" in Jay Winter, ed. ''The Cambridge History of the First World War: Volume II: The State'' (2014) vol 2 p 68.

Powers of position

A foreign minister's powers vary from government to government. In a classic parliamentary system, a foreign minister can potentially exert significant influence in forming

but when the government is dominated by a strong prime minister, the foreign minister may be limited to playing a more marginal or subsidiary role in determining policy. Similarly, the political powers invested in the foreign minister are often more limited in presidential governments with a strong executive branch. Since the end of World War II, it has been common for both the foreign minister and defense minister to be part of an inner cabinet (commonly known as a

national security council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a n ...

) in order to coordinate defense and diplomatic policy. Although the 19th and early 20th centuries saw many heads of government assume the foreign ministry, this practice has since become uncommon in most developed nations. In some countries, the foreign minister is typically among the highest profiles of cabinet positions. For instance, in the US, its foreign minister is the first member of cabinet in line for the presidential line of succession (with the vice president, speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and president pro-tempore of the United States Senate ahead of the foreign minister). The UK's foreign secretary belongs to the four Great Offices of State (along with the prime minister, chancellor of the exchequer, and home secretary).

Responsibilities

Along with their political roles, foreign ministers are also traditionally responsible for many diplomatic duties, such as hosting foreign world leaders and going on state visits to other countries. The foreign minister is generally the most well-traveled member of any cabinet. * In the United Kingdom, the minister responsible for foreign policy (as well as the British Overseas Territories) is the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development affairs (Foreign Secretary). Before 1968, the secretary of state for foreign affairs only handled relations with foreign (non- Commonwealth) countries, while relations with Commonwealth countries and colonies were handled by the secretary of state for Commonwealth affairs. For the same reason, in Commonwealth countries other than the United Kingdom, the ministers responsible for handling relations with both Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth countries were formerly usually designated ministers for external affairs. * In the United States, the secretary of state handles foreign policy and is the senior Cabinet officer. The name of the post comes from several domestic duties. Under the Articles of Confederation, the title was "Secretary of Foreign Affairs". Although it is very rare for there to be any sub-national foreign minister post, sometimes there is a minor external relations position. The

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

has dealt with external relations in certain areas since its inception (see EU Trade Commissioner) and has a high representative as its chief diplomat. However, his or her duties are primarily to implement EU foreign policy, rather than formulate it.

Lists of current ministries of foreign affairs

Named "ministry"

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Montenegro) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro () is the foreign-affairs ministry in the Government of Montenegro. Ministers of Foreign Affairs since 1879 Montenegrin monarchy Principality of Montenegro Kingdom of Montenegro Monten ...

Equivalents named "department"

* Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia) * Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Ireland) * Department of External Relations (Monaco) * Department of Foreign Affairs (Philippines) * Department of International Relations and Cooperation (South Africa) * Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (Switzerland) *

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

Other names

* Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs (Belgium) * Global Affairs Canada * European External Action Service (European Union) * Federal Foreign Office (Germany) * Secretariat of State (Holy See) * Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (Honduras) * Office of the Commissioner (Hong Kong) * Office of the Commissioner (Macau) * Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (Mexico) *

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the ministry of foreign affairs and a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. The office was created on 2 ...

(United Kingdom)

Historical

Named "ministry"

* Foreign Ministry of Austria-Hungary * Ministry of External Affairs and Defence (Ceylon) * Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Czechoslovakia) * Foreign Ministry of the Independent State of Croatia * Ministry for Foreign Affairs (East Germany) * Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Hawaii) * Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ottoman Empire) * Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Prussia) * Prussian Ministry of the Interior * Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Imperial Russia) * Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Soviet Union) *

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Yugoslavia) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Yugoslavia was the ministry responsible for representing the Kingdom of Yugoslavia internationally from 1918 to 1941 and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1992. It may also refer to the ...

Lists

* List of current foreign ministers * List of female foreign ministers

By year

* 1950 * 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

* 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

* 2010,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 * 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

References

External links

eDiplomat.com: Foreign Affairs Ministries
{{Authority control Foreign Diplomacy

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...