State House, Freetown, Tuesday 15 June 2021 – High Commissioners designate of South African, Australia and Ambassadors designate of Switzerland, Spain and Venezuela have presented their letters of credence to His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio at the Credential Room.
High Commissioners of South Africa, Grace Janet Mason, High Commissioner of Australia, Gregory Williamson Andrews, and Ambassador of Switzerland, Anne Lugon-Moulin, Ambassador of Spain, Christan Font Caldero, Ambassador of Venezuela, David Caraballo, have all officially taken their respective roles as High Commissioners and Ambassadors to the Republic of Sierra Leone after their letters of credence were accepted by President Julius Maada Bio.
Sierra Leone and South Africa established diplomatic relations in August 1998, just prior to the Twelfth Non-Aligned Movement Summit. The South African Ambassador in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire was accredited to Sierra Leone on 13 December 2002 on a non-residential basis.
Since the 1960s diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Sierra Leone have focused on debt restructuring. Switzerland provided humanitarian aid at the time of the civil war during the 1990s and supported the United Nations Special Court for Sierra Leone set up in 2002.
Diplomatic relations between Australia and Sierra Leone are growing with the two countries currently serving on the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group. Sierra Leone’s decision to open an Honorary Consulate in Sydney in 2012 was also to support stronger diplomatic and people to people links.
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