Diplomatic Action

in international law, the totality of actions directed toward the achievement of a certain diplomatic goal and the attainment of a concrete diplomatic task. Diplomatic action is an official statement of action undertaken by the head of state, the government, the department of foreign affairs, diplomatic representatives, or other state organs of foreign relations with respect to some questions of international relations or international law. Diplomatic actions are distinguished by form and by content: in form, they may be expressed in a particular kind of diplomatic document; in content, the action may be a protest, warning, or the like. According to the UN Charter, the content of a diplomatic action may not include the use or threat of force.

Diplomatic etiquette—that is, the observance of different accepted formalities or conventions in manners, the use of a particular language, etc.—plays a large role in the execution of a diplomatic action. Thus, for example, one of the diplomatic languages—considered to be French, English, Russian, Spanish, and Chinese—is employed in a diplomatic action. At the same time, it is customary that one state’s organs of foreign relations accredited in another state use the language of the host state, while the representatives of a foreign state use the language of the state they represent. The system of relations between diplomatic organs and the organs of foreign relations of a host state is very important for diplomatic action. It is established both by the laws of the host state and by international agreements.