OPR - Thursday, 22nd March, 2007

The President of Malta, H.E. Dr. Eddie Fenech Adami was presented with Letters of Credence by H.E. Mr Llesh Kola, Ambassador of The Republic of Albania, H.E. Mr. Eudoro Jean Esquivel, Ambassador of The Republic of Panama and H.E. Dr Carlos Abin, Ambassador of The Oriental Republic of Uruguay.

Both ceremonies took place in the Ambassadors’ Room at The Palace, Valletta.

This afternoon, the President of Malta and Mrs. Fenech Adami will host the newly accredited Ambassadors to an official luncheon at San Anton Palace.

Profile: H.E. Mr Llesh Kola, Ambassador of The Republic of Albania:

Mr Llesh Kola was born in Lezha, Albania on February 1960.

He studied at the Faculty of History and Philogy, Chair of Language and Literature in Tirana University (1980 – 1984).  He furthered his studies at the same university where he studied Diplomacy and International Relations. He also specialised in International Relations at the Diplomatic School in Madrid, Spain. He followed other specialisations at the Marshall Centre, Garmish, Germany in 2003 and in 2006.

He has been a diplomat at the Foreign Ministry since 1986.  He was posted in Albanian Embassies such as that in Algiers as First Secretary (1988 – 1991) and in Madrid, Spain as Counsellor, Charge d’Affairs (1995 – 1997).  In October 2002 he served as Diplomatic Advisor of the President of the Republic. He has been Director of Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2006.

He speaks English, French, Spanish and Italian.  The Ambassador is married to Mrs. Bardha Kola who is an economist by profession and presently working at the Central Electoral Commission as Chief of Financial Section. They have two children.

President Fenech Adami with Ambassador Kola

Profile: H.E. Mr Eudoro Jean Esquivel, Ambassador of The Republic of Panama

Mr Esquivel was born in April 1935 in David, Chiriqui.

The Ambassador studied at the University of Arkansas in the USA where he graduated in BS Agriculture (Hons.) in 1957 and a year later obtained a Masters Agricultural Sciences (1958) from the same University.

His diplomatic career started in 1958 when he started working with the Ministry of Agriculture. In 1960 he worked with the Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. for 30 years where he occupied various executive positions in various fields such as Administration, Human Resources, Financial Control etc., both in Panama and other countries both in Europe and South America.  In 1991 he became Deputy Director of Operations at the National Bank of Panama and a year later Executive Director of the National Banking Association. In 1993 to 1994 he worked with the Ministry of Economic Planning and between 1994 and 1996 with the National Banking Association as Executive Director.

In 1996 up to 1999 he occupied the post of Director General at Caja de Ahorros. Between year 2000 and 2004 he was Vice-President of Group Melo, S.A. In 2004 he became Director General of Caja de Ahorros.

He also lectured at the University Santa Maria La Antigua and in University of Panama.

He speaks Spanish, English, Italian and Portuguese and he is married.

President Fenech Adami being presented with credentials by Ambassador Esquivel

Profile: H.E. Dr Carlos Abin, Ambassador of The Oriental Republic of Uruguay.

Dr. Abin was born on February 28, in 1947 at La Paz, Canelones, Oriental Republic of Uruguay.

He worked as a lawyer between 1975 and 2005 in particular as consultant with  technology companies specialising in information and telecommunications, intellectual property rights, and in civil and commercial rights. Between 1975 – 1985 he worked as lawyer for BANFED (Banca Federada del Interior) and then with Banco Exterior Uruguay.

He served as co-Director of the Instituto del Tercer Mundo (Montevideo). He has been President of the Judicial  Electoral of EPFA since 1998, Member of the Arbitral Tribunal  of The Vertiente Artiguista (social-democratic political party in Uruguay). He has also served as lawyer of the Political board of Frente Amplio (Uruguayan coalition of centre-left political parties and organizations).

In September 2005 he was appointed as Ambassador of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay to the Italian Republic.

He speaks Spanish, English, Italian, Portuguese and French. He is married and has four children.