By Antonia Barthel.
On Wednesday the 14th of September 2016, H.E Kaire Mbuende, Ambassador of the Republic of Namibia to the Benelux countries, presented his Letters of Credence to His Majesty Willem-Alexander King of the Netherlands.
Mrs. Latungika Loide Shikwambi, First Secretary of the Namibian Embassy in Brussels, accompanied the Ambassador on this occasion.
During this ceremony, Ambassador Mbuende conveyed the best wishes of the President of the Republic of Namibia, H.E. Dr. Hage Geingob, to His Royal Highness the King of the Netherlands.
The presentation of his credentials also highlights the long-standing relations between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Namibia. The two countries established diplomatic relations on 23 April 1990 after the Republic of the Netherlands attained independence on 21st March 1990.
Ambassador Mbuende characterized the relationship between Namibia and the Netherlands in four ways. Firstly, His Excellency highlighted the bilateral relations between both governments. Secondly, he explained the people to people diplomacy for example in the form of twinning programs.
Additionally, he mentioned the multilateral institutions such as through the ACP and the EU. Lastly, the cooperation of trade and investment was identified as especially important as a good example of the long-standing relationship between both countries.
In addition to this, H.E. Ambassador Mbuende presented his Letters of Credence to Grand Duke Henry of Luxembourg on the 19th of October 2016. Similarly to the ceremony in the Netherlands, Ambassador Mbuende utilized this occasion to convey the best wishes of the President of the Republic of Namibia to His Highness the Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
On this occasion Miss Sarti Sisko Lupato, First Secretary at the Embassy of the Republic of Namibia in Brussels, accompanied H.E. Ambassador Mbuende.
The presentation of the Letters of Credence to both heads of state enables him to begin official engagements with Dutch and Luxembourgish government officials in his capacity as representative of the Namibian government.
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Pictures by Hester Dijisktra.
