The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Russian: Министерство иностранных дел СССР) was founded on 6 July 1923.

The MER represented the country abroad and participated in talks with foreign delegations on behalf of the Soviet government.

Mikhail Gorbachev's "new political thinking" was made official in the Collegium in 1988, such as by setting goals for improving diplomatic relations and creating "decent, human, material and spiritual living conditions for all nations".

This joint gathering led to more participation from the union republics on foreign policy implementation, elaboration and coordination.

A separate administration body known as "embassy affairs" existed for servicing the Soviet diplomatic corps abroad.

These groups of countries are divided by regions.The reorganisation efforts that took place in 1986 and the beginning of 1987 led to the replacement of many senior diplomats.

A primary goal of the emphasis placed on coexistence and compromise was to “prevent the imperialist states from attacking the USSR while it was restoring the Russian economy following the Civil War and, later, while it was undertaking industrial development.

"The MER used much more of its human and financial resources for propaganda purposes and so-called "active measures" than other non-Soviet affiliated foreign ministries.

This included dissemination of views supported by the Soviet government, harassment, censorship, radio jamming, forgeries and general disinformation.

Shevardnadze claimed that the Soviet government used an estimate of 700 billion rubles alone on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (known as such until 1991) to support "ideological confrontations" with the First World.

[13] The People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) was established in 1917.

[16] As Soviet foreign minister, Andrei Gromyko noted in his memoirs that working with Nikita Khrushchev was not always an easy task.

[17] Leonid Brezhnev, according to Gromyko, was a man much easier to do business with because he compensated for his lack of skills by discussing subjects openly within the Politburo.

[18] While he was easier to do business with in some areas, Brezhnev's slowness and lack of knowledge in certain fields made him hard to discuss foreign policy with.

[23] The following persons headed the Commissariat/Ministry as commissars (narkoms) during the Soviet era: There are ten individuals are elected as the First Deputy Minister, Vasily Kuznetsov spent the longest time in office (22 years).