foreign minister
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foreign minister
The member of a government who is responsible for foreign policy and relations with other countries.
Der deutsche Außenminister traf seinen französischen Amtskollegen in Paris.
The German foreign minister met his French counterpart in Paris.
The word is made up of 'Außen-' (external/foreign) and 'Minister' (minister). 'Außen' refers to everything outside one's own country. So it is the minister for foreign affairs.
Die Außenpolitik wird vom Außenminister vertreten.
Foreign policy is represented by the foreign minister.
The prefix 'Außen-' (external/foreign) is used in many political terms, for example 'Außenpolitik' (foreign policy), 'Außenhandel' (foreign trade), or 'Außenamt' (foreign office).
Gute Beziehungen zu anderen Ländern sind wichtig für den Außenhandel.
Good relations with other countries are important for foreign trade.
A foreign minister 'trifft' (meets) other politicians, 'reist' (travels) to other countries, 'verhandelt' (negotiates) treaties, or 'gibt eine Erklärung ab' (makes a statement).
Der Außenminister reist morgen nach Brüssel, um an einer Konferenz teilzunehmen.
The foreign minister is traveling to Brussels tomorrow to take part in a conference.
ambassador
'der Botschafter' and 'der Außenminister' both belong to politics between countries. For that reason, they can easily be confused. A 'Botschafter' represents his country in another country, usually in an embassy. So he works abroad on a long-term basis. The 'Außenminister' is a member of the government in his own country and leads foreign policy. He has more influence over the political direction. Put simply: the 'Außenminister' makes foreign policy for the government, while the 'Botschafter' represents the country abroad.
Am Montag reist der Außenminister zu Gesprächen nach Paris.
On Monday, the foreign minister travels to Paris for talks.
Der Botschafter spricht in Berlin mit Vertretern der deutschen Regierung.
The ambassador speaks with representatives of the German government in Berlin.