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Apostolic nunciature

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A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes an embassy or high commission , which is the main office of a country's diplomatic representatives to another country; it is usually, but not necessarily, based in the receiving state's capital city. Consulates , on the other hand, are smaller diplomatic missions that are normally located in major cities of the receiving state (but can be located in the capital, typically when the sending country has no embassy in the receiving state). As well as being a diplomatic mission to the country in which it is situated, an embassy may also be a nonresident permanent mission to one or more other countries.

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28-449: An apostolic nunciature is a top-level diplomatic mission of the Holy See that is equivalent to an embassy . However, it neither issues visas nor has consulates . The head of the apostolic nunciature is called a nuncio , an ecclesiastical diplomatic title. A papal nuncio (officially known as an apostolic nuncio) is a permanent diplomatic representative (head of diplomatic mission) of

56-497: A chargé d'affaires (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. Contrary to popular belief, diplomatic missions sometimes do not enjoy full extraterritorial status and are generally not sovereign territory of the represented state. The sending state can give embassies sovereign status but this only happens with

84-543: A Vatican mission is headed by a nuncio ( Latin for "envoy") and consequently known as an apostolic nunciature . Under the rule of Muammar Gaddafi , Libya's missions used the name people's bureau , headed by a secretary. Missions between Commonwealth countries are known as high commissions , and their heads are high commissioners. Generally speaking, ambassadors and high commissioners are regarded as equivalent in status and function, and embassies and high commissions are both deemed to be diplomatic missions. In

112-455: 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 normally 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

140-533: A minority of countries. Rather, the premises of an embassy remain under the jurisdiction of the host state while being afforded special privileges (such as immunity from most local laws) by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations . Diplomats themselves still retain full diplomatic immunity , and (as an adherent to the Vienna Convention) the authorities of the host country may not enter the premises of

168-596: A separate mission to the UN agencies , led by its own ambassador , but is located in the compound that houses its embassies to Italy and the Holy See. Several cities host both embassies/consulates and permanent representatives to international organizations, such as New York City ( United Nations ), Washington, D.C. ( Organization of American States ), Jakarta ( ASEAN ) and Brussels ( European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization ). In some cases, an embassy or consulate

196-494: Is also followed multilaterally by the member states of the European Union (EU). European citizens in need of consular help in a country without diplomatic or consular representation of their own country may turn to any consular or diplomatic mission of another EU member state (art. 23 TFEU ). Some cities may host more than one mission from the same country. In Rome , many states maintain separate missions to both Italy and

224-412: Is carried out, but strictly speaking, it is the diplomatic delegation itself that is the embassy, while the office space and the diplomatic work done is called the chancery . Therefore, the embassy operates in the chancery. The members of a diplomatic mission can reside within or outside the building that holds the mission's chancery, and their private residences enjoy the same rights as the premises of

252-571: Is divided between multiple locations in the same city. For example, the Bangladeshi Deputy High Commission in Kolkata , has two locations: one at Park Circus and another, opened later, at Mirza Ghalib Street, to reduce overcrowding. Governments of states not recognized by the receiving state and of territories that make no claim to be sovereign states may set up offices abroad that do not have official diplomatic status as defined by

280-559: Is generally expected that an embassy of a Commonwealth country in a non-Commonwealth country will do its best to provide diplomatic services to citizens from other Commonwealth countries if the citizen's country does not have an embassy in that country. Canadian and Australian nationals enjoy even greater cooperation between their respective consular services, as outlined in the Canada-Australia Consular Services Sharing Agreement . The same kind of procedure

308-582: The Holy See . It is not customary for these missions to share premises nor personnel. At present, only the Iraqi and United States embassies to Italy and the Holy See share premises; however, separate ambassadors are appointed, one to each country. In the case of the UN's Food Agencies , the sending country's ambassador to the Italian Republic is usually accredited as permanent representative . The United States maintains

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336-520: 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 Philippines has its embassy to the United States in the latter's capital, Washington, D.C., but also maintains seven consulates-general in major US cities. The person in charge of a consulate or consulate-general is known as

364-741: The British Embassy in Beijing (1967), the hostage crisis at the American embassy in Tehran, Iran (1979–1981), and the hostage crisis at the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima , Peru (1996–1997). The basic role of a diplomatic mission is to represent and safeguard the interests of the home country and its citizens in the host country. According to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations , which establishes

392-479: The Catholic Church and a country with which the Holy See has no diplomatic ties, though not accredited to the government of the country. Apostolic delegates have no formal diplomatic status, though in some countries they have some diplomatic privileges. Diplomatic mission The term embassy is sometimes used interchangeably with chancery , the physical office or site of a diplomatic mission. Consequently,

420-418: The Holy See to a state or to one of two international intergovernmental organizations, the European Union or ASEAN , having the rank of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, and the ecclesiastical rank of titular archbishop . Papal representatives to other intergovernmental organizations are known as "permanent observers" or "delegates". In several countries that have diplomatic relations with

448-557: The Holy See to the State of Tunisia and as the point-of-contact between the Catholic hierarchy in Tunisia and the pope. The Vatican established the position of Delegate to Northern Africa in 1965; John Gordon held that post until 19 August 1967. Sante Portalupi succeeded him on 27 September 1967. The delegate's responsibilities were modified as the Holy See developed relationships with countries in

476-403: The Holy See, the apostolic nuncio is ipso facto the dean of the diplomatic corps . The nuncio is, in such a country, first in the order of precedence among all the diplomats accredited to the country, and he speaks for the diplomatic corps in matters of diplomatic privilege and protocol. Most countries that concede priority to the nuncio are officially Catholic, but some are not. In addition,

504-515: The Netherlands , Nordic Countries , Poland , Portugal , Romania, Russia , San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain , Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine Australia , the Cook Islands, Fiji, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu. An apostolic delegate may be sent to liaison between

532-1008: The Vienna Convention. Examples are the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Offices that represent the government of the Republic of China; Somaliland's Representative Offices in London, Addis Ababa , Rome, Taipei , and Washington, D.C. ; the Hong Kong and Macau economic and trade offices that represent the governments of those two territories. Such offices assume some of the non-diplomatic functions of diplomatic posts, such as promoting trade interests and providing assistance to its citizens and residents. They are nevertheless not diplomatic missions, their personnel are not diplomats and do not have diplomatic visas, although there may be legislation providing for personal immunities and tax privileges, as in

560-560: The case of the Hong Kong offices in London and Toronto or the Macau office in Lisbon, for example. Apostolic Nunciature to Tunisia The Apostolic Nunciature to Tunisia is the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to Tunisia . The Apostolic Nuncio to Tunisia is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in Tunisia, with the rank of an ambassador. The nuncio serves both as the ambassador of

588-484: The framework of diplomacy among sovereign states: The functions of a diplomatic mission consist, inter alia , in representing the sending State in the receiving State; protecting in the receiving State the interests of the sending State and of its nationals, within the limits permitted by international law; negotiating with the Government of the receiving State; ascertaining by all lawful means conditions and developments in

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616-551: The host country or a third country. For example, North Korean nationals, who would be arrested and deported from China upon discovery, have sought sanctuary at various third-country embassies in China. Once inside the embassy, diplomatic channels can be used to solve the issue and send the refugees to another country. See the list of people who took refuge in a diplomatic mission for a list of some notable cases. Notable violations of embassy extraterritoriality include repeated invasions of

644-509: The mission (which means the head of mission's residence) without permission of the represented country, even to put out a fire. International rules designate an attack on an embassy as an attack on the country it represents. The term 'extraterritoriality' is often applied to diplomatic missions, but normally only in this broader sense. As the host country's authorities may not enter the representing country's embassy without permission, embassies are sometimes used by refugees escaping from either

672-525: The mission as regards inviolability and protection. All missions to the United Nations are known simply as permanent missions , while EU member states ' 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 EU delegations. Some countries have more particular nomenclature for their missions and staff:

700-2136: The nuncio serves as the liaison between the Holy See and the Church in that particular nation. The nuncio has an important role in the selection of bishops. The pope accredits diplomats with the following states and other subjects of international law (list as per January 2010): Algeria , Angola , Benin , Burkina Faso , Burundi , Botswana , Cameroon , Cape Verde , Central African Republic , Chad , Congo (Republic of) , Congo (Democratic Republic of) , Côte d'Ivoire , Djibouti , Egypt , Equatorial Guinea , Eritrea , Ethiopia , Gabon , Gambia , Ghana , Guinea , Guinea-Bissau , Kenya , Lesotho , Liberia , Libya , Madagascar , Malawi , Mali , Mauritius , Morocco , Mozambique , Namibia , Niger , Nigeria , Rwanda , São Tomé and Príncipe , Sénégal , Seychelles , Sierra Leone , South Africa , Sudan , Swaziland , Tanzania , Togo , Tunisia , Uganda , Zambia , Zimbabwe Antigua and Barbuda , Argentina , Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia , Brazil , Canada , Chile , Colombia , Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic , Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, México , Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru , Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America , Uruguay, Venezuela Bahrain, Bangladesh , Cambodia, Republic of China (Taiwan) , East Timor, India , Indonesia , Iran , Iraq , Israel , Japan , Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan , Lebanon , Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal , Pakistan , Philippines , Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand , Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam (Resident), Yemen. Albania , Andorra, Armenia, Austria , Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium , Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, European Union, France , Georgia, Germany , Great Britain , Greece, Hungary, Ireland , Italy , Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro,

728-474: 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 among the diplomatic ranks used in diplomacy and international relations. 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

756-472: The receiving State, and reporting thereon to the Government of the sending State; promoting friendly relations between the sending State and the receiving State, and developing their economic, cultural and scientific relations. Diplomatic missions between members of the Commonwealth of Nations are not called embassies, but high commissions , for Commonwealth nations share a special diplomatic relationship. It

784-404: The terms "embassy residence" and "embassy office" are used to distinguish between the ambassador's residence and the chancery. A country may have several different types of diplomatic missions in another country. The head of an embassy is known as an ambassador or high commissioner . The term embassy is commonly used also as a section of a building in which the work of the diplomatic mission

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