Editing Hallstein Doctrine (section)

===Problems of the doctrine===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-D0227-0053-004, Ägypten, Besuch Walter Ulbricht.jpg|thumb|GDR leader [[Walter Ulbricht]] in 1965 visiting [[Egypt]]]]
The doctrine seemed to succeed for a long time in isolating the GDR, at least from important Western or Third World states. But it also limited the federal government's politics, and in the 1960s it became more and more difficult to maintain.

In several cases, the doctrine was in fact not applied. When, in 1957, the GDR opened an office in Cairo to establish contact with the entire Arab world, the Federal Republic did not withdraw its ambassador from Egypt. Moreover, when in 1965 the Federal Republic established diplomatic relations with [[Israel]], many Arab states ceased theirs with the Federal Republic but did not recognise the GDR. This eventually happened after 1967, because the GDR had supported the Arab states in the [[Six-Day War]]. The doctrine was also not applied to [[Cambodia]] in 1969, although it had recognised the GDR.

The Federal Republic established diplomatic relations with [[Romania]] in 1967 and reestablished those with Yugoslavia in 1968. The government's argument was that the communist states had been in fact forced to recognise the GDR and should not be punished for that.