At an improvised press conference with foreign journalists, the Soviet physicist Andrei D. Sakharov criticises political repression in the Soviet Union and warns the West not to be naïve in its policy of détente.
18 September
1973
East and West Germany are admitted to the United Nations as the 133rd and 134th member countries.
21 September
1973
Following the military putsch in Chile (11 September), the GDR breaks off its diplomatic relations with Chile. In the ensuing period, numerous Chilean refugees are offered refuge in the GDR. The daughter of Erich Honecker, Sonja, marries an exiled Chilean politician.
