Four new Ambassadors present Credentials to AU Commission Chairperson
Four new Ambassadors to the Federal Republic of Ethiopia and Permanent Representatives to the African Union have presented their letters of Credence to the African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. The new Permanent Representatives included three AU Member States (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Mauritania) and one non-AU Member State; Chile. They submitted their letters to Dr. Dlamini Zuma on Wednesday, 30 March 2016, at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The new Burundian Permanent Representative to the African Union is Amb. Dieudonne Ndabarushima. He takes up the new assignment after representing his country in France. After presenting his credentials, Amb. Ndabarushima took the opportunity to express the gratitude of President Pierre Nkurunziza and the people of Burundi for the sustained support of the AU in resolving the Burundian crisis. He said that the Burundian government is doing everything possible to ensure the resuming of dialogue, for peace to reign and for Burundi to contribute to Africa's Agenda 2063. They also discussed the situation of the Burundian peacekeeping contingent in Somalia, among other things.
H.E. Claude Naymugambo followed to present his Credentials as the newly appointed Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU. He expressed the gratitude of President Joseph Kabila and the people of the DRC to the AU's support with the Dialogue process aimed at contributing to sustainable peace in the country. The new Permanent Representative pledged to strengthen the presence of his country at the AU.
The new Ambassador of Mauritania to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Permanent Representative of the AU, H.E. Bass Abal Abasse was the third AU Member State to present his credentials. He equally pledged his support to the activities of the AU, as well as strengthening the relationship between Mauritania and the African Union.
The Chilean Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU, H.E. Jaime Chomali, was the only representative of a non-AU Member State to present his Credentials to the AU Commission Chairperson. He delivered greetings from the Chilean President, H.E. Michelle Bachelet, stating the importance of Chile's relationship with Africa. He said Chile is re-opening its diplomatic presence in Ethiopia after forty-six years of absence. Ambassador Jaime Chomali also announced the imminent visit of President Michelle Bachelet to Africa sometime this year.
The AU Commission Chairperson exchanged brief courtesies with each of the new Permanent Representatives, availing her office to work with them and wishing each one of them a successful tour of duty.