Editing Guido Westerwelle (section)

==Foreign Minister and Vice-Chancellor of Germany==
In the [[2009 German federal election|federal elections of 2009]], Westerwelle committed his party to a coalition with Merkel's [[CDU/CSU]], ruling out a coalition with [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democrats]] and Greens, and led his party to an unprecedented 14.6% share of the vote.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Übersicht |url=http://www.bundeswahlleiter.de/en/bundestagswahlen/BTW_BUND_09/ergebnisse/bundesergebnisse/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011002434/http://www.bundeswahlleiter.de/en/bundestagswahlen/BTW_BUND_09/ergebnisse/bundesergebnisse/index.html |archive-date=11 October 2009 |access-date=25 April 2010 |publisher=Bundeswahlleiter.de}}</ref> In accordance with earlier announcements, he formed a [[coalition government]] with the CDU/CSU.<ref name="dw.de">Bettina Marx (16 August 2013), [http://www.dw.de/the-difficult-path-of-foreign-minister-guido-westerwelle/a-17012480 The difficult path of Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle] ''[[Deutsche Welle]]''.</ref>

On 28 October, Westerwelle was sworn in as [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany)|Foreign Minister]] and [[Vice-Chancellor of Germany|Vice-Chancellor]], becoming the head of the [[Federal Foreign Office|Foreign Office]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Handelsblatt |date=16 October 2009 |title=Der schwarz-gelbe Showdown beginnt – Politik – Deutschland |trans-title=The black-yellow showdown begins – Politics – Germany |url=https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/der-schwarz-gelbe-showdown-beginnt;2469840 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029161840/http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/der-schwarz-gelbe-showdown-beginnt;2469840 |archive-date=29 October 2009 |access-date=25 April 2010 |publisher=Handelsblatt.com |publication-place=Düsseldorf, Germany}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=27 September 2009 |title=German elections seen triggering brief stocks rally |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE58Q27P20090927 |access-date=25 April 2010 |website=Reuters}}</ref><ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6848166.ece] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110901223718/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6848166.ece|date=1 September 2011}}</ref> His deputies at the Foreign Office were his close political ally [[Cornelia Pieper]] and foreign policy expert [[Werner Hoyer]] as Ministers of State. Hoyer had previously held the same office in the [[fifth Kohl cabinet]]. In a much-discussed move, Westerwelle travelled to Poland, the Netherlands and Belgium before visiting France.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-01-06 |title=Charismatic outsider |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/charismatic-outsider/ |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=POLITICO |language=en-GB}}</ref>
[[File:Westerwelle hamm 2009.jpg|thumb|Westerwelle speaking at an election rally in Hamm, 2009]]
On 19 November 2009, Westerwelle joined around 800 dignitaries from around the world – including US Secretary of State [[Hillary Clinton]], French Foreign Minister [[Bernard Kouchner]] and British Foreign Secretary [[David Miliband]] – to witness Afghan president [[Hamid Karzai]]’s swearing in for a second term in office.<ref>[http://www.dw.de/westerwelle-welcomes-karzai-speech-during-afghanistan-visit/a-4907997 Westerwelle welcomes Karzai speech during Afghanistan visit] ''[[Deutsche Welle]]'', 19 November 2009.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2009-11-20 |title=The World From Berlin: Afghanistan 'Cannot Advance on Words Alone' |url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-world-from-berlin-afghanistan-cannot-advance-on-words-alone-a-662458.html |access-date=2025-05-10 |work=Der Spiegel |language=en |issn=2195-1349}}</ref>

===WikiLeaks controversy and election defeats===
In late November 2010, [[United States diplomatic cables leak|leaked U.S. diplomatic cables]] revealed that [[US State Department|American diplomats]] considered Westerwelle an obstacle to deeper [[Germany–United States relations|transatlantic relations]] and were sceptical of his abilities, with one cable comparing him unfavorably to former German foreign minister [[Hans-Dietrich Genscher]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 November 2010 |title=How America Views the Germans |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,731645-2,00.html |access-date=30 November 2010 |website=[[Der Spiegel]]}}</ref> On 3 December 2010, Westerwelle dismissed his personal assistant Helmut Metzner following a [[WikiLeaks]] diplomatic cables release which led to Metzner admitting that he regularly spied for the U.S.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 December 2010 |title=Heads start rolling in WikiLeaks affair |url=http://euobserver.com/9/31416 |access-date=3 December 2010 |website=[[EU Observer]]}}</ref> By May 2011, opinion polls ranked Westerwelle as one of the most unpopular and ineffective foreign ministers since the late 1940s.<ref>Judy Dempsey (9 May 2011), [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/world/europe/10iht-letter10.html A Fine Time for Germany to Speak Up] ''[[International Herald Tribune]]'', 10 May 2011.</ref> At the time, his party had collapsed in several states, including [[Rhineland-Palatinate]] and [[Bremen]] where they failed to secure the [[Election threshold|5% threshold]] necessary for a seat in parliament.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/may/25/germany-liberal-collapse-free-democrats "Germany's liberal collapse parallels Clegg's fate"], Hans Kundnani. ''The Guardian''. 25 May 2011. Accessed 13 June 2011.</ref> Analysts said one of the main reasons Westerwelle had become so unpopular was that he had been unable to fulfill the expectations of his voters, the majority of whom were middle-class professionals or entrepreneurs.<ref>Judy Dempsey (6 January 2011), [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/world/europe/07germany.html German Foreign Minister Defends Governing Coalition] ''[[New York Times]]'', 7 January 2011.</ref> Westerwelle subsequently stepped down as party leader. By July the party was only receiving 3% support in opinion polls, a record low,<ref>[http://www.agi.it/english-version/world/elenco-notizie/201107271553-pol-ren1058-german_liberals_collapse_to_3_percent "GERMAN LIBERALS COLLAPSE TO 3 PERCENT"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111132739/http://www.agi.it/english-version/world/elenco-notizie/201107271553-pol-ren1058-german_liberals_collapse_to_3_percent |date=11 November 2013}}, AGI. 27 July 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.</ref> reflecting what political insiders had called his "last stand" in January, comparing Westerwelle and his party to [[Ahab (Moby-Dick)|Captain Ahab]] and the [[Pequod (Moby-Dick)|''Pequod'']].<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,738173,00.html "Guido Westerwelle's Last Stand"], Rolland Nelles. ''Der Spiegel''. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.</ref>

===International crisis===
During his tenure as foreign minister, Westerwelle prevailed over lawmakers in his party who opposed bailing out [[Greece]] during the [[European debt crisis]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guido Westerwelle, Merkel's Former Deputy Chancellor, Dies |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-18/guido-westerwelle-former-german-foreign-minister-dies-at-54 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20160826045336/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-18/guido-westerwelle-former-german-foreign-minister-dies-at-54 |archive-date=2016-08-26 |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=Bloomberg.com}}</ref> Amid efforts by the United States and European nations to isolate Iran's then-president, [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]], Westerwelle traveled to Tehran in February 2011 to bring home two journalists for the weekly newspaper ''[[Bild am Sonntag]]'' who were released after being arrested in October 2010. After weeks of negotiations, the Iranians reached out to discuss the release of the pair, the reporter [[Marcus Hellwig]] and the photographer Jens Koch. The two reporters had been arrested while interviewing the son of [[Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani]], a woman sentenced to death for adultery.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Germany urges release of reporters jailed in Iran |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-ashtiani-germany-idUSTRE7010EO20110102 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20220412021735/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-ashtiani-germany-idUSTRE7010EO20110102 |archive-date=2022-04-12 |access-date=2025-05-10 |work=U.S. |language=en-US}}</ref> A condition of their release was that Westerwelle meet with Ahmadinejad, causing Iranian exile groups in Europe to condemn the visit and to argue that Germany was bowing to the Tehran government at a time when security forces were cracking down on pro-democracy demonstrators.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dempsey |first=Judy |date=2011-02-22 |title=Germany Says Iran Meeting Necessary to Free Journalists |url=https://suneng.uk.com |access-date=2025-05-10 |work=suneng.uk.com |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> When Iran briefly refused to allow a plane carrying German Chancellor [[Angela Merkel]] to India to cross its air space in May 2013, Westerwelle summoned Iran's ambassador to Germany, [[Alireza Sheikhattar]], complaining about "a disrespect for Germany that we will not accept."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-03-06 |title=Merkel lands in India after Iran blocks plane {{!}} Reuters |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306040957/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-india-merkel-iran-idUKTRE74U4FJ20110531 |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=web.archive.org}}</ref> He later temporarily recalled Germany's ambassador to Iran for consultation after an [[2011 attack on the British Embassy in Iran|attack on the British Embassy in Tehran]] in November 2013.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Germany recalls ambassador from Iran: German media |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-iran-ambassador-idUSTRE7AT1OT20111130 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20220412003441/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-iran-ambassador-idUSTRE7AT1OT20111130 |archive-date=2022-04-12 |access-date=2025-05-10 |work=U.S. |language=en-US}}</ref> In November 2010, Westerwelle became the first German minister to visit [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]] since the territory was sealed off by the Israeli army at the end of 2007.<ref>{{Cite news |title=German FM calls on Israel to lift Gaza siege |url=http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/german-fm-calls-on-israel-to-lift-gaza-siege-1.323605 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20170916225511/http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/german-fm-calls-on-israel-to-lift-gaza-siege-1.323605 |archive-date=2017-09-16 |access-date=2025-05-10 |work=haaretz.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2010-11-09 |title=The World From Berlin: 'Westerwelle Was Right to Urge Israel to Lift Gaza Blockade' |url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-world-from-berlin-westerwelle-was-right-to-urge-israel-to-lift-gaza-blockade-a-728093.html |access-date=2025-05-10 |work=Der Spiegel |language=en |issn=2195-1349}}</ref>

In April 2011, Westerwelle summoned China's ambassador to Germany, [[Wu Hongbo]],  for a meeting about detained Chinese artist-activist [[Ai Weiwei]], calling for his release and denouncing China's growing use of extrajudicial detentions against dissidents.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-12-03 |title=Germany summons China ambassador on detained artist {{!}} Reuters |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203155337/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-china-dissident-artist-germany-idUKTRE7354EP20110406 |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=web.archive.org}}</ref>

In September 2012, Westerwelle joined his Jordanian counterpart [[Nasser Judeh]] in visiting the [[Zaatari refugee camp]] to learn more about the plight of [[Refugees of the Syrian civil war|Syrians]] fleeing the violence in the ongoing [[Syrian civil war]] that erupted in 2011.<ref>[http://www.amman.diplo.de/Vertretung/amman/de/00-start/hochr_20besucher/archiv_20bis_202013/bm_20sept_202012.html Bundesaußenminister Westerwelle besucht Jordanien und sagt weitere 2 Mio. Euro Unterstützung zu]{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} press release of 8 September 2012, German Embassy to Jordan, Amman.</ref>

After the offices of both the [[Konrad Adenauer Foundation]] in [[St Petersburg]] and the [[Friedrich Ebert Foundation]] in Moscow were investigated by prosecutors and tax inspectors in March 2013, Westerwelle summoned the [[Envoy (title)|envoy]] at the Russian embassy in Berlin to relay his "concern over the concerted action".<ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-03-27 |title=Fears for NGOs in Russia as tax raids multiply |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-21952416 |access-date=2025-05-10 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

On 4 December 2013, Westerwelle walked with opposition leaders through an encampment on Kiev's [[Maidan Nezalezhnosti]], the focus of protests over the [[Viktor Yanukovych|Yanukovych government]]'s U-turn away from the European Union and toward Russia; Russian Prime Minister [[Dmitry Medvedev]] subsequently called any participation by foreign officials in the political events unfolding in Ukraine "interference in internal affairs."<ref>Steve Gutterman (6 December 2013), [http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-ukraine-russia-medvedev-idUKBRE9B507G20131206 Russia rebukes German minister for visit to Kiev protest camp]{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} ''[[Reuters]]''.</ref>

===Arab Spring===
When the insurgency against [[Libya]]'s dictator [[Muammar Gaddafi]] broke out in early 2011, Westerwelle promptly stated his support for the repressed opposition. Earlier, he had initially been cautious before making any pronouncements about Tunisia and Egypt, but in the case of Libya, he quickly called out Gaddafi as a dictator, and argued in favor of EU-level sanctions against the regime in [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-03-05 |title=Germany wants tougher sanctions on Libya's Gaddafi {{!}} Reuters |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305154854/http://uk.reuters.com/article/libya-germany-sanctions-idUKLDE7250FS20110306 |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=web.archive.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Nelles |first=Roland |date=2011-03-18 |title=Germany has marginalised itself over Libya |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/mar/18/libya-germany-un-security-council |access-date=2025-05-10 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Strongly motivated by a widespread aversion in Germany to the use of military force, he shared with Chancellor Merkel a deep scepticism about a no-fly zone as it was suggested by France and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |last=X |date=2011-04-01 |title=Some in Germany critical of decision to sit out Libya operation |url=https://www.latimes.com/world/la-xpm-2011-apr-01-la-fg-germany-libya-20110402-story.html |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> At a [[UN Security Council]] meeting in March 2011, Westerwelle abstained in the vote on [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973]] to establish a no-fly zone, along with veto powers Russia and China as well as Brazil and India.<ref name="dw.de" /> Shortly after, he expelled five Libyan diplomats for intimidating Libyan citizens living in Germany.<ref>Sabine Siebold (13 April 2011), [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-libya-idUSTRE73C22420110413 Germany expels five Libyan diplomats] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924152416/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/13/us-germany-libya-idUSTRE73C22420110413 |date=24 September 2015 }} ''[[Reuters]]''.</ref> During a visit to [[Benghazi]] in June 2011, Westerwelle announced that Germany would recognize the rebel [[National Transitional Council]] as the legitimate representative of Libyans.<ref>Maria Golovnina (13 June 2011), [https://web.archive.org/web/20160411232138/http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-libya-idUKTRE7270JP20110613 Germany recognizes Libya's rebel leadership] ''[[Reuters]]''.</ref>

Amid the [[Egyptian Revolution of 2011]], Westerwelle visited the country six times between February 2011 and November 2012.<ref>[http://www.kairo.diplo.de/Vertretung/kairo/de/14/Bilaterale_20Beziehungen.html Germany and Egypt: Bilateral Relations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518080343/http://www.kairo.diplo.de/Vertretung/kairo/de/14/Bilaterale_20Beziehungen.html |date=18 May 2015 }} German Embassy in Kairo.</ref> In December 2011, he summoned [[Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy]], the Egyptian ambassador in Berlin, to protest over what he called an "unacceptable" raid on the Cairo office of the [[Konrad Adenauer Foundation]] among those searched during a crackdown on pro-democracy and human rights organizations. In February 2012, he harshly criticized Egypt for trying 44 people, including German citizens, over the alleged illegal funding of aid groups.<ref>[http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/02/201225183511739497.html Egypt to put NGO workers on trial] ''[[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al Jazeera]]'', 5 February 2012.</ref> When the Konrad Adenauer Foundation was ordered to close in Abu Dhabi later that year,  Westerwelle personally pressed his UAE counterpart [[Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan]] to rethink the decision.<ref>[http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/04/2012415259223454.html Concerns as UAE shuts down rights groups] ''[[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al Jazeera]]'', 1 April 2012.</ref>

===Crisis in Sudan===
In June 2011, Westerwelle became the first German foreign minister to travel to [[Darfur]], where he visited the United Nations/[[African Union]] operation [[UNAMID]] toward which Germany had contributed military, police and civilian personnel. He was also the first to visit [[South Sudan]] shortly before its independence, where he met the country's [[List of Presidents of South Sudan|founding President]] [[Salva Kiir Mayardit]]; as the rotating chair of the [[UN Security Council]] at the time, Germany was responsible for accepting the newly independent country into the United Nations.<ref>[http://www.dw.de/germanys-foreign-minister-calls-for-lasting-cooperation-in-divided-sudan/a-15184919 Germany's foreign minister calls for lasting cooperation in divided Sudan] ''[[Deutsche Welle]]'', 23 June 2011.</ref> During his trip, however, he made no appointment to meet Sudanese [[List of heads of state of Sudan|President]] [[Omar al-Bashir]] who is wanted by the [[International Criminal Court]] on charges of [[war crimes]], [[crimes against humanity]] and [[genocide]] allegedly committed in Darfur.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chelsom-Pill |first=Charlotte |date=23 June 2011 |title=Germany's foreign minister calls for lasting cooperation in divided Sudan |url=http://www.dw.com/en/germanys-foreign-minister-calls-for-lasting-cooperation-in-divided-sudan/a-15184919 |access-date=18 March 2016 |publisher=Deutsche Welle}}</ref>

In September 2012, Westerwelle summoned the Sudanese ambassador in Berlin after violent attacks on Germany's embassy in [[Khartoum]], and called on the Sudanese government to guarantee the security of the embassy; thousands of protesters had previously vandalized the embassies of Germany and Britain, outraged by ''[[Innocence of Muslims]]'', a film which has been described as denigrating to the Islamic prophet, [[Muhammad]].<ref>[http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/protesters-angry-at-muhammad-film-store-german-embassy-in-suda-a-855890.html Muhammad Video Protests: Protesters Set Fire to German Embassy in Sudan] ''[[Spiegel Online]]'', 14 September 2012.</ref>

===Role in the United Nations===
During July 2011, Westerwelle was the [[President of the United Nations Security Council]] as he headed the German delegation to the United Nations.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 July 2011 |title=Security Council Press Statement on Attacks in Mumbai, India |url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2011/sc10325.doc.htm |access-date=15 August 2012 |publisher=Un.org}}</ref> In an attempt to continue to play an important role within the United Nations, he led the German government's successful campaign for a three-year seat on the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]] in late 2012.<ref>Mirjam Gehrke (11 November 2012), [http://www.dw.de/germany-eyes-seat-on-human-rights-council/a-16369512 Germany eyes seat on Human Rights Council] ''[[Deutsche Welle]]''.</ref><ref>[http://www.dw.de/germany-wins-seat-on-un-human-rights-council/a-16373724 Germany wins seat on UN Human Rights Council] ''[[Deutsche Welle]]'', 12 November 2011.</ref>

In October 2013, Israeli daily ''[[Haaretz]]'' published the text of a letter sent by Westerwelle to Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]], saying that failure to appear at a [[Universal Periodic Review|periodical hearing regarding human rights]] at the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]] would cause severe diplomatic damage to Israel, and that its allies around the world would be hard-pressed to help it. Shortly after, Israel renewed its cooperation with the Human Rights Council after a year and a half of boycott.<ref>Barak Ravid (27 October 2013), [http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.554711 Israel resuming cooperation with UN Human Rights Council] ''[[Haaretz]]''.</ref>

===Nonproliferation===
During his time in office, Westerwelle campaigned for the removal of [[B61 nuclear bomb]]s at [[United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa|US air bases in Europe]], arguing that a planned missile shield protecting Europe against ballistic rocket attack also meant that the tactical nuclear bombs are not needed. Against resistance from France, Westerwelle and German defense minister [[Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg]] demanded greater [[NATO]] commitment to nuclear disarmament at a meeting of the organization's foreign and defense ministers in October 2010.<ref name="dw.de" /> After the [[2010 United States elections|U.S. midterm elections in 2010]], Westerwelle called on newly empowered Republicans in the U.S. Congress to stand by President [[Barack Obama]]’s goals of non- proliferation and the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons.<ref>Patrich Donahue (3 November 2010), [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-03/westerwelle-urges-republicans-to-back-obama-s-nuclear-disarmament-policy.html Westerwelle Urges Republicans to Back Obama's Nuclear Disarmament Policy] ''[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]''.</ref>

In coordination with his foundation and [[The ATOM Project]], Westerwelle continued to advocate for the elimination of nuclear weapons testing.<ref name="berlin">{{Cite news |title=Berlin Conference Seeks Ways to Move Nuclear Disarmament Forward |agency=The Astana Times |url=http://astanatimes.com/2015/11/berlin-conference-seeks-ways-to-move-nuclear-disarmament-forward/}}</ref>

===Relations with Belarus===
In the belief that the European Union had to engage [[Belarus]] to prevent it from moving closer to Russia, Westerwelle – accompanied by his Polish counterpart [[Radek Sikorski]] – visited [[Minsk]] in November 2010, the first such visit in 15 years.<ref>Judy Dempsey (22 December 2010), [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/23/world/europe/23iht-letter23.html European Engagement With Belarus Takes a Blow] ''[[International Herald Tribune]]''.</ref> Shortly after, Westerwelle publicly condemned the judgments against President [[Alexander Lukashenko]]'s main political opponent [[Andrei Sannikov]] and other opposition supporters.<ref>[http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2011/05/2011514191719445811.html Lukashenko opponent jailed for five years] ''[[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al Jazeera]]'', 14 May 2011.</ref> As a consequence, Poland, France and Germany pressed their EU partners in to impose tougher sanctions against the Belarusian leadership following the crackdown and trials of opposition leaders in the country who held peaceful protests against the fraudulent [[2010 Belarusian presidential election|presidential elections]].<ref>Judy Dempsey (20 May 2011), [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/21/world/europe/21iht-poland21.html France Joins Poland and Germany on Wider Unity] ''[[International Herald Tribune]]''.</ref>

In March 2012, Lukashenko criticized EU politicians who threatened him with further sanctions over human rights abuses and in an apparent riposte to Westerwelle branding him "Europe's last dictator," said: "Better to be a dictator than gay."<ref>Lidia Kelly (4 March 2012), [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-belarus-dicator-idUSTRE8230T320120304 Belarus's Lukashenko: "Better a dictator than gay"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006194656/http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/04/us-belarus-dicator-idUSTRE8230T320120304 |date=6 October 2015 }} ''[[Reuters]]''.</ref> Westerwelle subsequently responded: "This statement condemns itself. I won't budge one millimeter from my commitment to human rights and democracy in Belarus after these comments."<ref>{{Cite news |date=2012-03-05 |title='Better To Be a Dictator than Gay' : Germany Slams Lukashenko Over Slur |url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/better-to-be-a-dictator-than-gay-germany-slams-lukashenko-over-slur-a-819458.html |access-date=2025-05-10 |work=Der Spiegel |language=en |issn=2195-1349}}</ref>

===Relations with Russia===
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2023}}
While being foreign minister, Westerwelle maintained a fairly low profile when it came to Germany's Russia-policy. He supported the policy of "change through trade" with Russia, but was widely criticized for not having a clear foreign policy doctrine. He called for more inclusion of Russia in the international community, but criticized Moscow, for example, for supporting President Assad's government in Syria.

===Views on WWII and its aftermath===
Upon taking office, Westerwelle opposed the appointment of [[Erika Steinbach]], a German politician and member of Chancellor Merkel's party, to a board overseeing the creation of the [[Centre Against Expulsions|Center against Expulsions]], a place documenting the expulsion of Germans from Eastern Europe after [[World War II]].<ref>Patrick McGroarty (17 December 2009), [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB126100402980394555 German Donation Launches Fund for Auschwitz Memorial] ''[[Wall Street Journal]]''.</ref> In November 2010, together with his Russian counterpart [[Sergey Lavrov]], he opened the [[Nuremberg trials|Nuremberg Trials Memorial]] permanent exhibition in the [[Palace of Justice, Nuremberg|Palace of Justice]] building in [[Nuremberg]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 November 2010 |title=Nuremberg trials explored in museum exhibit |publisher=CBC |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/nuremberg-trials-explored-in-museum-exhibit-1.875480 |access-date=19 March 2016}}</ref>

Under Westerwelle's leadership, the Foreign Office released a report in 2011 called "[[The Ministry and the Past]]", which alleged the ministry's collusion with the Nazis. Westerwelle said the report "shamed" the institution.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/german-fm-shamed-by-ministry-s-collaboration-with-hitler-1.321627 "German FM 'shamed' by ministry's collaboration with Hitler"], Haaretz. 28 May 2010. Accessed 13 June 2011.</ref> In February 2012, he signed an agreement granting 10 million euros (13 million dollars) to Israel's [[Yad Vashem|Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Center]] over the following 10 years.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/germany-donates-13-million-to-israel-s-yad-vashem-holocaust-memorial-1.410453 Germany donates $13 million to Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial] ''[[Haaretz]]'', 1 February 2012.</ref>

Following the controversial [[Gurlitt Collection|2012 Munich artworks discovery]], he called for greater transparency in dealing with the find, which he warned could have lasting damage to Germany's international friendships.<ref>Josie Le Blond and Damien McElroy (12 November 2013), [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/10442987/German-task-force-to-probe-lost-Nazi-art-find.html German task force to probe lost Nazi art find] ''[[Daily Telegraph]]''.</ref>