December 1, 2020

OTTAWA—Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, received the letters of credence of seven new heads of mission during a virtual ceremony on Monday, November 30, 2020. 

The following new heads of mission presented their credentials:

His Excellency Dejan Ralević
Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia

His Excellency Dr. Wien-Weibert Arthus
Ambassador of the Republic of Haiti

His Excellency Hassan Dahir Dimbil
Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Somalia

His Excellency Rodolfo Robles
Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines

Her Excellency Konstantina Athanassiadou
Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic

His Excellency Ricardo Alfonso Cisneros Rodriguez
Ambassador of the Republic of El Salvador

His Excellency Khamphan Anlavan
Ambassador of the Lao People's Democratic Republic

To ensure the health and safety of the new heads of mission, their families and government officials, the format of these presentations—which usually occur in person at Rideau Hall—has been adapted to take place virtually.

About the Presentation of Letters of Credence
Upon their arrival in Canada, and before they can carry out their duties as heads of mission, new ambassadors, as well as new high commissioners of countries for which Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is not head of State, must be officially welcomed by the governor general of Canada. High commissioners representing countries for which The Queen is the head of State are formally introduced to the prime minister of Canada. Letters of credence are the official documents by which new heads of diplomatic missions are presented by their head of State as their official representative. Currently, there are more than 180 missions accredited to Canada.

-30-

Photos of the virtual ceremony can be provided for publication upon request.

Media information:

Rideau Hall Press Office
mediarelations@gg.ca

Follow GGJuliePayette on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.