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East Germany France
East Germany has demonstrated a pronounced interest in
expanding its relations with France. Long-term historical
reasons, as well as practical considerations, motivate that
interest. In addition, several members of the SED Politburo as
well as government officials had spent some of their exile years
during World War II in France. In 1967 a major diplomatic success
was achieved by East Berlin when the "Friendship Group, FranceGDR " was formed by a group of deputies in the French legislature.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were begun on
February 9, 1973. In the mid-1980s, the two countries
strengthened their ties. In January 1984, cultural centers were
opened in East Berlin and Paris, and in June 1985 French premier
Laurent Fabius visited East Germany. France's share of East
Germany's foreign trade has climbed from 0.6 percent in 1960 to
1.5 percent in 1985
(see Foreign Trade
, ch. 3).
Data as of July 1987
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