[7] Fischer replaced Otto Winzer in the post, who had been removed from office due to ill health.

[6] Fischer was the first member of the East German cabinet to visit Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in 1978.

[8] In September 1980 he signed a treaty of cooperation with the Palestine Liberation Organization in East Berlin.

[9] Fischer also officially visited a number of European states, including Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands.

[3] Following the fall of communism, Fischer led a private life from 1990 and declined all interview requests.