OPR -  Thursday, 15th February, 2008

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Profile: H.E. Ms. Maria Isabel Vicandi Plaza, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain.

Ambassador Isabel Vicandi Plaza was born on 13^th February 1954 in Bilbao.  

She has a degree in Pure Philosophy and in English Philosophy and also obtained a Diploma in International Studies from the Diplomatic School. She also graduated with an MBA from the University of Sabana (Bogota).

The Ambassador joined the Diplomatic Service in June 1979 and was then appointed First Secretary at the Embassy of Spain in Addis Abeba.

In 1981 she was appointed assistant Desk Officer for Central America Section in the General Department of Foreign Policy for Iberia-America and two years later she became Chief Desk Officer for Central America and the Caribbean. 

In 1984 she was then appointed General Consul of Spain in Manila. In 1986 she moved to Germany where she served as Cultural Attaché at the Embassy of Spain in Bonn.  In 1989 she served as Consul of Spain in Bogota. 

In 1993 she was appointed Deputy Director General for Mexico, Central America and Caribbean countries.

Other high ranking position followed such as:

·        Deputy Permanent Observer to the OAS in Washington (1996),

·        General Consul of Spain in Toronto (2001),

·        Ambassador Director General of the Diplomatic School (2002),

·        Chief Desk Officer for the Cabinet of the Minister (2003),

·        Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Spain in Mexico (2004) and also

·        Plenipotentiary Minister, third Class in July 2005.

President Eddie Fenech Adami presented with credentials by Ambassador Maria Isabel Vicandi Plaza

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Profile: H.E. Mr. Walid Ali Alkhobaizi, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait.

Ambassador Alkhobaizi was born in 1960.

He has a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the California State University – Sonoma, USA.

He started his diplomatic career as Diplomatic Attaché within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1982. In the same year he was appointed Third Secretary in undersecretary department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1985 he became Director of Information and media centre at the Embassy of Kuwait in London. Three years later he was appointed first Secretary and Deputy Ambassador (DCM) within the same Embassy. In 1992 he was on a special mission to non-alignment conference at Embassy of Kuwait in Indonesia. He became Counsellor and Head of Diplomatic Mission at the Embassy of Kuwait in Tunisia in 1993, and a year later served as Ambassador of Kuwait within the same Embassy.

Ambassador Alkhobaizi was also Ambassador non-resident to Gabon and also to Cameroon. He served as Ambassador to Kuwait for various countries such as Ambassador of Kuwait in Japan (1998), Ambassador non-resident to Australia (1999), New Zealand (1999) and Papa New Guinea (2000) and Ambassador of Kuwait in Rome to the Republic of Italy (2007). In 2001 he also served as Chief of Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Ambassador is married with one child.

President Eddie Fenech Adami during talks with Ambassador Alkhobaizi