Diplomats and Diplomatic Missions

Diplomats and diplomatic missions
The collective term for a group of diplomats from a single country who reside in
another country is a diplomatic mission. Ambassador is the most senior diplomatic
rank; a diplomatic mission headed by an ambassador is known as an embassy, with
the exception of permanent missions at the United Nations, the Organization of
American States, or other multilateral organizations, which are also headed by
ambassadors. The collective body of all diplomats of a particular country is called that
country's diplomatic service. The collective body of all diplomats assigned to a
particular country is the diplomatic corps.
Basic functions of diplomatic missions include:
1 .Represent the home country in the host country.
2 .Protect the interests of the home country and its citizens in the host country.
3 .Negotiate with the government of the host country.
4. Monitor and report on conditions and developments in the commercial,
economic, cultural, and scientific life of the host country.
5. Promote friendly relations between the host country and the home country.
6 .Develop commercial, economic, cultural, and scientific relations between the
host country and the home country.
7 .Issue passports, travel documents, and visas.
A country may have several different types of diplomatic missions in another
country:
Embassy: A diplomatic mission located in the capital city of another country
which generally offer a full range of services ,including consular services.
High Commission: An embassy of Commonwealth country located in another
Commonwealth country.
Permanent Mission: A diplomatic mission to a major international organization.
Consulate General: A diplomatic mission located in a major city, other than the
capital city, which provides a full range of services, including consular services.
Consulate: A diplomatic mission that is similar to a consulate general, but which
does not provide a full range of services.
A permanent diplomatic mission is typically known as an embassy or chancery,
and the person in charge of the mission is known as an ambassador. The
ambassadorial residence is generally called the embassy. Some ambassadors will live
outside of the chancery. For example, the American ambassador to Russia lives in a
mansion known as Spaso House outside of the chancery.
All missions to the United Nations are known simply as permanent missions,
while missions to the European Union are known as permanent representations and
the head of such a mission is typically both a permanent representative and an
ambassador. European Union missions abroad are known as delegations. Some
countries have more particular naming for their missions and staff: a Vatican mission
is headed by a nuncio (Latin "envoy") and consequently known as an apostolic
nunciature. Libya's missions were for a long time known as people's bureaux and the
head of the mission was a secretary.
In the past a diplomatic mission headed by a lower-ranking official (an envoy or
minister resident) was known as a legation. Since the ranks of envoy and minister
resident are effectively obsolete, the designation of legation is no longer used today.
Missions between Commonwealth countries are known as high commissions
and their heads are high commissioners. This is due to the fact that an ambassador is a
representative that a head of state sends to another head of state with an letter of
credence (an accreditation letter); since the Commonwealth realms share the same
head of state, Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, it would be strange for the
Monarch to accredit people to herself.
A consulate is similar to (but not the same as) a diplomatic office, but with focus
on dealing with individual persons and businesses, as defined by the Vienna
Convention on Consular Relations. A consulate or consulate general is generally a
representative of the embassy in locales outside of the capital city. For instance, the
United Kingdom has its Embassy of the United Kingdom in Washington, D.C., but
also maintains seven consulate-generals and four consulates. The person in charge of
a consulate or consulate-general is known as a consul or consul-general, respectively.
Similar services may also be provided at the embassy (to serve the region of the
capital) in what is sometimes called a consular section.
In cases of dispute, it is common for a country to recall its head of mission as a
sign of its displeasure. This is less drastic than cutting diplomatic relations
completely, and the mission will still continue operating more or less normally, but it
will now be headed by a chargé d'affairs (usually the deputy chief of mission) who
may have limited powers. (A chargé d'affaires ad interim also heads the mission
during the interim between the end of one chief of mission's term and the beginning of
another).
The term "embassy" is often used to refer to the building or compound housing
an ambassador's offices and staff. Technically, "embassy" refers to the diplomatic
delegation itself, while the office building in which they work is known as a chancery,
but this distinction is rarely used in practice. Ambassadors reside in ambassadorial
residences, which enjoy the same rights as missions.
LEARN THE FOLLOWING DEFINITIONS:

diplomacy
Noun
1. the conduct of the relations between nations by peaceful means
2. skill in the management of international relations
3. tact or skill in dealing with people
diplomacy - negotiation between nations

diplomatic negotiations
convention- (diplomacy) an international agreement
negotiation, talks, dialogue - a discussion intended to produce an agreement;
"the buyout negotiation lasted several days"; "they disagreed but kept an open
dialogue"; "talks between Israelis and Palestinians"
dollar diplomacy - diplomacy influenced by economic considerations
gunboat diplomacy, power politics - diplomacy in which the nations threaten to
use force in order to obtain their objectives
recognition - the explicit and formal acknowledgement of a government or of the
national independence of a country; "territorial disputes were resolved in Guatemala's
recognition of Belize in 1991"
shuttle diplomacy - international negotiations conducted by a mediator who
frequently flies back and forth between the negotiating parties; "Kissinger's shuttle
diplomacy in the Middle East"

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LEARN THE FOLLOWING DEFINITIONS:

diplomacy - negotiation between nations

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