Legal status of diplomatic representatives, privileges and immunities

Diplomatic representatives are the most important tools to maintain and develop international relations, so that the legal status of diplomatic representitives and specifying the priviliges and immunities which constitue the most important aspect of this status have been necessary. International codification work on these issues has finally resulted with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 18 April 1961. This Convention has made matters related with the diplomatic representatives and representative offices clear. However, in the progres of time, the problem whether some of the provisions are duly implemented or not has arisen. This issue has been examined in three main parts in our master thesis titled "The Legal Status of Diplomatic Representatives, Privileges and Immunities'' . Firstly, the general historical development of diplomatic relations is examined and contributions of different civilizations to this process have been mentioned. In the second part, diplomatic representatives and officials are defined and their tasks with the boundaries of these duties have been examined within the framework of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. At the last part of the study, the privileges and immunities of diplomatic representatives and officials are examined, and the importance of implementing the rules are displayed examining some famous case studies and trials on this issue. Keywords: Diplomatic Representatives, Diplomatic Relations, Privileges and Immunities, Diplomacy.