Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen received Letters of Credence from the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium, Mr. Hugo Verbist at King’s House on Tuesday, September 11.
Sir Patrick noted that Belgium and Jamaica have had good relations and he looked forward to a continuation as both countries played their part in “advancing the welfare of the whole human race.” Belgium and Jamaica established diplomatic relations in July 1967.
The Governor-General commented on the key role that Belgium played in the European Union and other political arrangements on the Continent. The Ambassador said that Belgium had well-established institutions and was usually at the forefront of these discussions because the country was seen as a peacemaker. The country was good at finding compromises and had successfully managed the various ethnic groups in the country, namely, Dutch, French and German.
Ambassador Verbist is a career diplomat whose most recent posting was to Uganda and South-Sudan since November 2015. He succeeds His Excellency Guy Sevrin, who also served as Dean of the Diplomatic Corp before his tour of duty ended earlier this year.