JEDDAH: Seven outgoing and six incoming consuls general were given a reception at a function hosted by the Corps of Consuls General here on Tuesday night.
“You have been the best representatives of your respective countries here and as you go back at the end of your successful term of office, you can be the best representatives of Saudi Arabia,” Muhammad A. Tayeb, director general, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Makkah Region, who was the chief guest, said. “There has been a good rapport between my office and the consuls general,” he added.
The outgoing consuls general said that they were successful in discharging their duties because of the excellent cooperation they had with the officials of the Foreign Affairs Ministry in general and Tayeb in particular.
“The main objective of this reception is to bid farewell to departing consuls general and welcome the new ones,” Tekleab Kebede, consul general of Ethiopia and dean of the Jeddah Corps of Consuls general, said in his welcome address.
“Diplomats are like nomads. We hope to bump into each other sometime somewhere in this global village,” Kebede added.
Consuls general from the Arab, Asian, African and European groups were present at the function, which was described as the first of its kind here.
Departing consuls general present were Chang Yi of China, Afifi Abdel Wahab of Egypt, Abdulai Amadu Abukair of Ghana, Dr. Dimitros Zavoritis of Greece, Dr. Ausaf Sayeed of India and Mohammed Abdouh Aimane of Morocco. Taniana C. Gfoeller of the United States returned home recently at the end of her tenure.
Incoming consuls general who were accorded a welcome were Yong Wang of China, Han Dal Jun of South Korea, Dr. Emad S. Shaat of the Palestine Authority, Mohammed A. Klmih of Somalia, Brabat Shantaharn of Thailand and Adjagba Sebave Tehadobe of Togo.
