Diplomatic Laws- A History Of Diplomatic Relations

Diplomatic relations between the countries can be traced back to centuries. No state can fulfill its needs alone, so for this it has to have diplomatic relations with other countries. To develop diplomatic ties on various aspects with each other states appoints its representatives in other countries, who look after the interests of his country. According to Western experts, the appointment as well as diplomatic life started from Europe, no doubt European nations did a lot in this regard but in Asia the diplomatic history is too old. The deployment of ambassadors to other friendly countries in China and Middle East started in the ancient ages. Ambassadors had to be present in the "Darbars" (a gathering of elites and ministers before the kings) of emperors, who used to take care of the interests of their respective states. Special envoys had to be sent from one king to another for delivering some special message. From the olden ages the ambassadors had been given many privileges and facilities. As the civilization progressed the diplomatic relation were extended too. The tradition of Regular and permanent appointment of ambassadors were started during the 17th century. The rights and privileges that diplomats had been given in 17th, 18th and 19th century were based on International Law. The rights and special immunity status of diplomats was recognized by the Great Britain for the first time during the beginning of 18th century. The reason was the harassment of a Russian diplomat by a British Court official Count Andrey Matveyev in London. This incident led to the recognition of Special Immunity Status of the Diplomats by the British Parliament on April 21, 1709 through passing an act namely " Preserving the Privileges of Ambassadors"