OPR -  Thursday, 8th May  2008

The President of Malta, H.E. Dr. Eddie Fenech Adami was presented with Letters of Credence by H.E. Mr. Miklós Merényi, Ambassador of the Republic of Hungary and H.E. Dr. Chem Widhya, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia, during a ceremony held at the Ambassadors’ Room, The Palace,Valletta.

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

Ambassador Merényi was born in Rome, (Italy) in December, 1962.

He studied at the Budapest University of Economics from where he obtained a Degree in International Relations. In 1994 he followed a six month scholarship of the Italian Foreign Ministry in Urbino (Italy) on journalism and took part in a Study tour of the EU Institutions in Brussels, Paris, Luxembourg and Strasbourg in 1997. In 1998 he followed a one month scholarship in the United States, part of the “International visitor” programme.

Ambassador Merényi’s career started in 1988 as a journalist specialising in the economic policy and international economy. Between 1998 and 2003 he was the editor in chief of Figyelo business weekly. In 2003 he served, as Editor in chief of TV news (MTV, Hungarian Public Television).

In 2004, he took up the post of Head of Press Department and Strategic DG within the Ministry of Economy and Transport. Two years later he was appointed Deputy State Secretary for the International Economic Relations at the Ministry of economy and Transport.

The Ambassador speaks Hungarian, Italian, English and Spanish.

He is married with two children.

Profile: H.E. Dr.Chem. Widhya, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Cambodia

Ambassador Chem Widhya was born in December 1958 at Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Between 1980 and 1981, the Ambassador followed an intensive course of German at the Herder Institute, Leipzig, former German Democratic Republic (GDR). He then followed a diplomatic course at the Institute of International Relations, Postdam-Babelsberg, GDR and also a Master Degree on political sciences. Between 1986 – 1989 he worked on a PhD at the Institute of International Relations, Potsdam-Bablesbrg, GDR and received an academic degree with distinction.

His diplomatic career started in 1990 as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister H.E. Hun Sen. He was then appointed as an official Member of the Secretariat of the Supreme National Council and Deputy General Secretary to the Constituent Assembly. In 1996 he served as Undersecretary of State and a year later as Secretary of State. Between October 1993 and August 2004 he served as Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Since June 1994 – August 2003 he served as ASEAN and ARF Senior Official (SOM) Leader for Cambodia. In 2004 he was appointed Ambassador, and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York and also as a Non-Resident Ambassador to Canada.

He is also Ambassador Designate of the Kingdom of Cambodia to the Federal Republic of Germany, Cyprus and Slovenia.

The Ambassador is fluent in French, English and German and has a knowledge of Russian and Spanish.

Ambassador Widhya is married with three children.