Vatican City member of International Telecommunication Union
Foreign relations
Vatican City State is a recognised national territory under international law, but it is the Holy See that conducts diplomatic relations on its behalf, in addition to the Holy See's own diplomacy, entering into international agreements in its regard. Vatican City thus has no diplomatic service of its own.
Because of space limitations, Vatican City is one of the few countries in the world that is unable to host embassies. Foreign embassies to the Holy See are located in the city of Rome; only during the Second World War were the staff of some embassies accredited to the Holy See given what hospitality was possible within the narrow confines of Vatican City—embassies such as that of the United Kingdom while Rome was held by the Axis Powers and Germany's when the Allies controlled Rome.
The size of Vatican City is thus unrelated to the large global reach exercised by the Holy See as an entity quite distinct from the state.However, Vatican City State itself participates in some international organizations whose functions relate to the state as a geographical entity, distinct from the non-territorial legal persona of the Holy See. These organizations are much less numerous than those in which the Holy See participates either as a member or with observer status. They include the following eight, in each of which Vatican City State holds membership:
European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT)
European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Eutelsat IGO)
International Grains Council (IGC)
International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO)
Interpol
Universal Postal Union (UPU)It also participates in:
World Medical Association
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
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