President Luis Abinader on Wednesday, 18 December 2024 received the credentials of seven new ambassadors accredited to the Dominican Republic, representing Japan, the United Kingdom, Panama, Iran, Greece, Bolivia, and Egypt, in a solemn ceremony held at the Presidential Palace. Several of the ambassadors are concurrent with other countries and not based in Santo Domingo.
President Abinader, along with Vice President Raquel Peña and Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez, welcomed the diplomats in the Ambassadors’ Hall as they presented their credentials to the Dominican state.
The first to present his credentials was Osamu Hayakawa of Japan, who has held various positions within the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including serving as first secretary to the Japan Mission to the European Union and director of the International Cooperation Office. Hayakawa Osamu is a graduate of the University of Tokyo. Before his appointment, he served as professor at the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University from January 2023 to August 2024 at the Oita Prefecture.
Following him, Carol Ann van der Walt of the United Kingdom presented her credentials. She has held several key positions in the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, including serving as head of the Overseas Territories team and the EU Policy Strategy team.
Carol van der Walt joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1998. Her previous roles have included areas as disparate as International Fisheries, IT training policy, and Overseas Security Information for Business (OSIB). She has also undertaken roles focussing on the European Union, including time in the UK Permanent Representation in Brussels dealing firstly with the European Parliament and inter-institutional relations, and then latterly with relations with Latin America and Human Rights. She has a first class joint honors degree in Spanish and Latin from Birmingham University, and a PhD in Medieval Spanish.
Yira Elena Ramonet García of Panama, Seyed Mohammad Hadi Sobhani of Iran, Theodore N. Tsakiris of Greece, Yeshika Rosario Crespo Velásquez of Bolivia, and Sherif Reda Ahmed Shehata of Egypt also presented their credentials during the ceremony. Each diplomat brings a wealth of experience in diplomacy and international relations to their new role.
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Ambassador of Iran
19 December 2024