5 new envoys present letters of credence

Five envoys yesterday presented their letters of credence to President Lazarus Chakwera at Kamuzu Palace, with Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo saying the move strengthens the good relationship between Malawi and their countries.

The envoys are from Germany, Australia, Brazil, Mali and Saudi Arabia. The new German Ambassador Ute Konig, is the only one who will be resident in Malawi.

In an interview after presenting her papers, Konig said they, among others, discussed the state of Germany and Malawi bilateral relations, which she aims to strengthen further.

 “We discussed the development assistance that Germany contributes to Malawi and also issues on the agenda of the next United Nations General Assembly [Unga] about the Sustainable Development Goals [SDG] Conference.

“We have discussed climate change issues, because Malawi is one of the most vulnerable countries in this region and the Cyclone Freddy that has hit Malawi very hard and caused so much suffering, as well as the support that Germany is granting to Malawi,” she said.

The Federal Foreign Office website indicates that in 2023, the German Government pledged 5 million euro (about K6 billion) towards improving the food situation in Malawi, and that the next intergovernmental consultations are scheduled for end of 2023.

In her remarks, Tembo said Germany has been a major development partner for Malawi since 1964, assisting the country in various areas including health, education, information and technology.

Said the minister: “They have also helped us in dealing with SDGs, and in the recent catastrophe that Malawi has faced, the Cyclone Freddy, they’ve come to our aid.

“We continue to engage on the international fora at the United Nations and the Human Rights Commission. These are areas that we engage in with our major development partners, Germany being one of them.”

The other new envoys are MinoliTehaniPerera from Australia; Brazil’s Arthur Henriques Villanova Nogueira; BakaryCoulibaly from Mali and Ali SaadAlqahtani from Saudi Arabia.