Foreign affairs

Foreign affairs names the government department in many states which conducts foreign relations, diplomacy and international representation.

In the United Kingdom the Foreign Office fills this role; in France, the Quai d'Orsay[?]; in the United States, the United States Department of State.

Separate or semi-separate organs may exist for dealing with special relationships (the United Kingdom's Commonwealth Office, for example), with foreign trade, with foreign aid, or with cultural relationships.