President Sheikh Mohamed received the credentials of 18 newly appointed ambassadors to the UAE on Thursday, welcoming envoys from across four continents.
The ceremony in Abu Dhabi was attended by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, as well as other senior Emirati officials.
Sheikh Mohamed welcomed the ambassadors and expressed his hope that they would succeed in strengthening diplomatic ties between their countries and the UAE. He assured the envoys that Emirati authorities would provide support to enable them to carry out their duties effectively.
The ambassadors represented Germany, France, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Ireland, Slovenia and Lithuania in Europe, as well as South Korea, Mauritania, Gabon, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, the Maldives, the Marshall Islands and Haiti.
The envoys conveyed the greetings of their respective heads of state to Sheikh Mohamed. They also expressed their wish for the continued prosperity of the UAE and its people.
Among those presenting credentials were Dr Tobias Tunkel of Germany, Marie Audouard of France and Geraldine McCafferty of the UK. Lee Won-ik of South Korea, Rik Van Droogenbroeck of Belgium and Soren Jacobsen of Denmark also presented their credentials.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad, Adviser to the UAE President; Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan, Minister of State; and Sheikh Nahyan bin Saif, Deputy Minister of State, also attended the ceremony.
The event is a formal diplomatic tradition through which newly appointed ambassadors are officially recognised by the host nation's head of state, marking the beginning of their diplomatic mission.
