His Excellency Mr Adrianus M.M van der Vorst presented his Letter of Credence to the Member of the Council of Deputies, Afioga Le Mamea Tuiletufuga Ropati Mualia at a presentation of credential ceremony held this morning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, accrediting him as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Samoa with residence in Wellington, New Zealand.
Samoa and the Netherlands have enjoyed cordial relations based on shared values of trust and mutual respect for one another since the establishment of diplomatic relations on 13th April 1976.
Samoa and the Netherlands share a common interest to address issues in the areas of climate change, disaster resilience, sea-level rise, renewable energy, water, food security, oceans/coastal management and sustainable development.
Samoa and The Netherlands continue to collaborate on matters of mutual interests at the United Nations reaffirming our unwavering commitment for collective cooperation in pursuit of our common goals for a better world.
Afioga Le Mamea expressed that Mr van der Vorst’s appointment as Ambassador of the Netherlands to Samoa will no doubt provide further opportunities for collaboration on matters of mutual interest to promote and strengthen bilateral relations between Samoa and the Netherlands.
Ambassador van der Vorst was accompanied to the presentation of Credentials by the Honorary Consul of the Netherlands in Samoa, Taimalie Ernest Betham and his spouse.
Ambassador van der Vorst graduated from Leiden University with a Master in Public Administration focused on International Affairs and Communications.
He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands in 1997 and held various Senior posts. He was posted at Netherlands Diplomatic Missions as Deputy Head of Mission in Albania, in Nigeria and later as the Deputy Head of Mission in Ramallah, West Bank.
Mr Adrianus M.M van der Vorst was also posted as the Deputy Consul General of the Netherlands in San Francisco, California and as Consul General in Atlanta, Georgia in the USA.
This is Mr Adrianus M.M van der Vorst’s first Ambassadorial appointment to Wellington, New Zealand with cross accreditation to Samoa.
