The purpose of the Berlin Memorandum was for the three imperial powers of Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Germany to address the state of relations between the Islamic Ottoman Empire and with the Christian peoples of the Balkans, with whom these imperial powers had international relationships and interests, and to correct the "Andrássy Note", a document that preceded the Berlin Memorandum and had similar intentions in creating an armistice and plan of reforms for the Balkans and the Ottoman Empire.
[2] Initially, the three great powers, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia formed the League of the Three Emperors in 1872 and met to discuss the state of relations in the Near East.
[4] In May 1876, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia met in Berlin to discuss the response and plan of action to take in regards to the state of affairs in the Ottoman Empire and the Balkans.
The Berlin Memorandum demanded that the Ottoman Empire end military response to the Slavic rebels for two months in order to give enough time for reforms to be put in place in the Balkans.
[5] The memorandum also requested that an international committee be formed and instituted in the Balkans in order to protect the Christians, and see that the changes proposed in the Andrássy Note of 1875 could be administered in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
While France's role in the outcome of the Eastern Question seemed inconsequential, the tragic murder of a French consul in Salonika shocked and appalled French officials, and thus the memorandum earned support from France on the grounds that peace would be achieved in the Balkans and that the demands of the Berlin Memorandum would include the input of the three outside western powers in order to bring about the desired change.
[11] While France and Italy quickly gave their support to the Berlin Memorandum, British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli rejected the document altogether on May 16, 1876.