Diplomatic illness is the practice amongst diplomat

Diplomat

A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...

s and government minister

Minister (government)

A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....

s of feigning illness

Illness

Illness is a state of poor health. Illness is sometimes considered another word for disease. Others maintain that fine distinctions exist...

, or another debilitating condition, to avoid engaging in diplomatic or social engagements. The euphemism is designed to avoid formally offending the host or other parties. The term also refers to the period during which the diplomat illness is employed.

For example, Lech Kaczyński

Lech Kaczynski

Lech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość...

 cited diplomatic illness to avoid a Weimar Triangle

Weimar Triangle

350px|thumb|Political map of the "Weimar Triangle"The term "Weimar Triangle" refers to a loose grouping of Poland, Germany, and France. The group is intended to promote co-operation between the three countries. It exists mostly in the form of summit meetings between the leaders of these three...

 meeting in the wake of a diplomatic dispute with Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

in 2006.