The Diplomat
Six ambassadors, of the almost 20 who were waiting to make their Mission to Spain official, handed over their Letters of Credence to King Felipe VI yesterday in the traditional ceremony at the Royal Palace, which had not been held since 17 May last year.
Accompanied according to protocol by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, the King first received the Ambassador of El Salvador, Joaquín Alexander Maza, in the Official Chamber. After him, the Head of Mission of North Macedonia, Edmond Ademi, presented his accreditation to the monarch. He was followed by the ambassadors of Iran, Reza Zabib; Peru, Walter Francisco Gutiérrez Camacho; Thailand, Vosíta Vorasaph; and Angola, Anfredo Dombe, in that order.
After the presentation of their respective accreditations, each ambassador had a brief private meeting with the King in the Nuncio’s Salette. During this talk, Don Felipe took the opportunity to review bilateral and current affairs with his interlocutor.
Next Wednesday a new round of accreditation presentations will take place, according to the Zarzuela Palace. On this occasion, the ambassadors of Italy, Giuseppe Maria Buccino; Vietnam, Thanh Song Doan; Mozambique, Eugenio Agostinho Langa; Czech Republic, Libor Secka; Turkey, Nuket Kucukel Ezberci; and Costa Rica, Adriana Bolaños Argueta, are scheduled to present their credentials.
As The Diplomat reported, the delay in the scheduling of the successive Credentials Ceremonies was of concern because many of them would not be able to attend the King’s traditional reception for the Diplomatic Corps accredited in Spain, which is scheduled for the last week of January.
The anecdote of the day was that yesterday, for reasons of organization of the Royal Guard cavalry, the ambassadors traveled in an official car from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Palacio de Oriente instead of doing so in the 19th century floats that traditionally are used for this ceremony.
