PH Ambassador Presents Credentials to Naruan President

Nauruan President Lionel Rouwen Aingimea M.P. receives the Letter of Credence of Philippine Ambassador to Australia and Non-Resident Ambassador to Nauru Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega as Philippine Ambassador to Nauru and Letter of Recall of her predecessor on 26 November 2019 at Government House in Nauru. (Canberra PE photo)

NAURU 06 December 2019 – Philippine Non-Resident Ambassador to Nauru Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega presented her credentials to Nauruan President Lionel Rouwen Aingimea M.P. on 26 November 2019 at Government House in Nauru. 

Ambassador De La Vega, in her statement, extended the warm greetings of Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and the Filipino people. “The Philippines and Nauru have long enjoyed warm and friendly relations since the establishment of our relations in 1968, and our peoples are also linked by our common faith and values. We recall the time when Filipino workers first arrived in Nauru to help the country with its development plans. Today, there is still a significant number of Filipinos here who continue to support the social and economic development of Nauru and have integrated well with the community.”

In response, President Aingimea extended his best wishes of happiness, good health, and continued progress and prosperity to Philippine President Duterte and the Filipino people. “Filipino people have long been a part of Nauru’s development as a nation and expressed warm appreciation for their contributions to Nauru and its people,” President Aingimea said. He also said that his government would support participation in the Pacific Business Mission initiated by the Philippines for the year 2020.

Ambassador De La Vega noted that the Philippines and Nauru had enjoyed more than 50 years of diplomatic relations, which was established in the same year as Nauru’s birth as a republic. She said she looked forward to stronger bilateral ties in the next 50 years. 

President Aingimea honored Ambassador De La Vega, along with the other Ambassadors who presented their credentials, with a dinner on 26 November 2019. Many members of the Filipino community, whom President Aingimea described as an integral part of Nauru’s continued development, attended the dinner. END

Philippine Ambassador Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega (right-most) inspects the Nauru Guard of Honour during the presentation of credentials ceremony at the Government House in Nauru on 26 November 2019. (Canberra PE photo)

Following her presentation of credentials, Philippine Ambassador Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega exchanges gifts and discusses opportunities for bilateral cooperation with Nauruan President Lionel Rouwen Aingimea M.P. on 26 November 2019. (Canberra PE photo)

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