The new High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus in Australia, Antonis Sammoutis, met with the Governor General of Australia, David Hurley, at Government House in Canberra on Monday.
There, Sammoutis took part in an official ceremony where he presented his letters of credence to the Governor General.
Upon arrival in Australia, all new high commissioners must present their letters of credence to the governor-general before they can carry out their duties. The letters are the official documents accrediting a diplomat as a head of mission in another country.
Present at the ceremony were a number of officials, including the Governor’s spouse Linda Hurley, the High Commissioner’s spouse Elena Makhankova and Deputy High Commissioner Stavros Nikolaou.
According to a Facebook post by the High Commission of the Republic of Cyprus in Australia, the new High Commissioner had a private meeting with the Governor General, to whom he conveyed the warm greetings of the President of the Republic of Cyprus.
Sammoutis also reaffirmed Cyprus’ special relations with Australia and thanked the country for its long-standing presence in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) and its support of the efforts for a resolution to the Cyprus issue.
He also reassured that he would work with all his efforts to further strengthen bilateral political, economic and cultural cooperation.
For his part, the Governor General welcomed the new High Commissioner, wished him the best in his new post and asked him to convey his warm greetings to the President of the Republic of Cyprus.
Special reference was also made to the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cyprus and Australia in 2023, a milestone which they said will be “duly commemorated in various ways.”
READ MORE: New High Commissioner of Cyprus in Australia attends Commonwealth Service at The Lodge
