State House, Freetown, Friday 4 June 2021 – The High Commissioner of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Sierra Leone, Ambassadors of the Republic of Turkey and the Kingdom of Belgium to Sierra Leone have presented their letters of credence to His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio at the Credential Room.
In a brief ceremony marking the occasion, the Nigerian High Commissioner-designate, His Excellency Henry John Omaku, Ambassador-designate for Turkey, Her Excellency Sibel Erkan and Ambassador-designate for Belgium, His Excellency Michael Wimmer, all presented their documents of recommendations from their various governments.
All three countries have had great relationships with Sierra Leone and still seek to maintain and strengthen those ties. Nigeria’s relationship with Sierra Leone dates back to over four centuries ago and from 1883 when the British captured slave ships and freed them in Freetown.
Turkish-Sierra Leonean relations were established around 1971 but its embassy in Freetown commenced operations in February 2018. Sierra Leone now has an embassy in Ankara, Turkey’s cosmopolitan capital, since 2020.
Turkey has been a member of the UN Peacebuilding Commission for Sierra Leone Configuration since April 2012. Turkey is also providing development assistance to Sierra Leone in various domains. Since 1992 the government of Turkey has been granting scholarships to students from Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone and Belgium have long-standing bilateral and multilateral relations. The Embassy of the Republic of Sierra Leone in Brussels, Belgium, was established in 1978 as a multilateral station with multiple accreditations to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Kingdom of The Netherlands, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Greece, the Vatican, and the Republic of France.
It is also accredited to several international organisations like the European Union, the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, the International Criminal Court, and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
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