Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations

The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations is one of the main international treaties in the field of diplomatic law . It was adopted at an international conference in Vienna , which took place from March 2 to April 14, 1961 . ^[1] 81 states took part in the conference (the USSR was also represented by the BSSR and the USSR ), about 40 of them signed the convention. The Convention regulates all the main issues of diplomatic law: the types and functions of diplomatic missions , the procedure for appointing the head of a diplomatic mission, the classes of the heads of such missions are regulated, the concept of diplomatic immunity is disclosed.

Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
The title page of the UN publication
Type of contract	International treaty
date of signing	April 18, 1961
• a place	Vein
Entry into force	April 24, 1964
Status	Acting

According to Art. 51 of the Convention, it entered into force on the thirtieth day after the deposit of the twenty-second instrument of ratification or accession with the Secretary-General of the United Nations . This happened on April 24, 1964 .

The Convention consists of 53 articles and also includes two optional protocols: on the acquisition of citizenship by employees of diplomatic missions and family members of these employees living with them, and on the mandatory settlement of disputes regarding the interpretation or application of the Convention by the International Court of Justice .

For 2014, 190 states participate in it, ^[2] 51 states participate in the optional protocol on acquiring citizenship, and 66 states participate in the mandatory settlement of disputes ^[3] . ^[four]

The Russian Federation , being the successor of the USSR , which ratified the convention on February 11, 1964 , also participates in this Convention. Moreover, upon ratification by the USSR, a reservation was made under article 11 (paragraph 1) of the Convention, which relates to the number of staff of diplomatic missions: this issue should be decided by agreement between the accrediting state and the state of accreditation. In addition, the Soviet Union made a statement under Art. 48 and 50, which refer to restrictions on a number of countries to be parties to the Convention, noting their discriminatory nature. ^[5] According to Article 48 of the Convention, only member states of the United Nations or specialized agencies, states parties to the Statute of the International Court of Justice , as well as other states that have been invited by the UN General Assembly to become parties to the Convention, can be its parties. As a result, a number of socialist countries — the GDR , the MPR , the DPRK, and the DRV — were barred from participating in the conference at which the Convention was developed. ^[6]