John Baimba Sesay
1 May 2012
Within forth-eight hours of his arrival in the People’s Republic of China, Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to China, Abubakarr Multi-Kamara has, on Thursday 26th April, presented copy of his Letters of Credence and recall to the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China, signaling the beginning of effective diplomatic activity in Beijing upon taking office.
Making his presentation to the Deputy Director-General of Protocol of the Ministry, Ms. Lin Nan, Ambassador Abubakarr Multi-Kamara, expressed his appreciation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the warm welcome and other courtesies extended to him and family since their arrival.
In particular, he conveyed heartfelt greetings and felicitations from His Excellency the President, Dr. Ernest Koroma, his Government and the people of Sierra Leone to his colleague His Excellency, Mr. Hu Jintao, his Government and the people of the Peoples Republic of China.
He further acknowledged the leading role that the Peoples Republic of China is playing in the delivery of Sierra Leone’s Agenda for Change, while also expressing, with great satisfaction, “the excellent bilateral relations existing between the two countries, spanning over forty years now; as have recently been reinforced at the political level by high –profile exchange visits: from the Minister of Agriculture, Zhang Tualin acting as Special Envoy of His Excellency the President Hu Jintao during Sierra Leones’s 50th Anniversary celebrations; and visits of President Ernest Bai Koroma to the Peoples Republic of China in 2009 and in 2010 at the Shangai Expo.”
The new Ambassador thanked the Government of the PRC for its continued support to the Government of Sierra Leone, citing Education and Training, Infrastructural Development, Medical and Health Care Services, the new Teaching Hospital, the new Foreign Ministry etc as key sectors that have benefited from existing cooperation ties between the two countries.
In keeping with the theme of the up-coming Fifth Ministerial Conference on the Forum on China-African Cooperation, the Ambassador expressed his fervent anticipation that coming years will “engender a new resolve between the two countries to build on past achievements and open up new prospects for much higher levels of strategic partnerships and engagement”
While reaffirming the Government of Sierra Leone’s continued commitment to up-hold the “One China Policy”- the Island Province of Taiwan being an integral part of the Peoples Republic of China, Ambassador Multi-Kamara reiterated President Ernest Bai Koroma’s profound appreciation to President Hu Jintao for the solidarity that has characterized the relationship between the two countries, even before the establishment of diplomatic ties in July 1971 and in support of membership of the Peoples Republic of China in the United Nations.
Ambassador Multi-Kamara further assured that his appointment, as Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, is a deliberate action on the part of President Ernest Bai Koroma, “to restore the confidence and goodwill that both countries have earned, nurtured and enjoyed over the years and to re-engage on the requirements to deepen Sino-Sierra Leone relations, at both strategic and practical levels”.
With his years of service and experience, as both a Government and International civil servant, he expressed his fervent desire to use his skills, expertise and exposure not just to strengthen existing bilateral ties but “to also play an active supportive role in promoting the wider Sino-ECOWAS-AU agenda for strengthened development cooperation framework”
Ms. Lin Nan, Deputy Director-General of Protocol at the Chinese Foreign Ministry in her remarks, heartily welcomed the new Ambassador to China and assured him of the Ministry’s support throughout his assignment.
She encouraged the Ambassador to make good use of his expertise and vast experience to “contribute to the growing bilateral relations between the two countries”.
Sierra Leone, Lin Nan said, is an important nation that has been playing an important role in both regional and international affairs; and that the Peoples Republic of China is committed to consistently reflect this in the growth and development of the two countries. She also thanked the Ambassador for Government’s continued support to the “One Chnia Policy”.
Ambassador Multi-Kamara is expected to present his original Letters of Credence to President Hu Jintao shortly.
John Baimba Sesay IA, PRC
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