OPR - Thursday, 14th April, 2005

 The President of Malta, H.E. Dr. Edward Fenech Adami, was presented with the letters of credence by H.E. Mr. Fredrik Vahlquist, Ambassador of Sweden and H.E. Mr. Pavli Zeri, Ambassador of Albania.

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

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

The curriculum vitae of H.E. Mr. Fredrik Vahlquist and H.E. Mr. Pavli Zeri follow.

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H.E. Mr. Fredrik Vahlquist was born in May 1946 in Vadstena, Sweden.

In 1971 he graduated from the University of Lund with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Economic History and Political Economy.

President Fenech Adami and Ambassador Vahlquist

In 1966 he was serving the Royal Swedish Navy. He then served the Swedish Foreign Service in Paris, New Delhi, Ankara, Harare and Brussels. In 1980 he was Foreign Affairs Adviser at the Prime Minister’s Office in Stockholm. He held other high ranking position such as Counsellor at the Embassy of Sweden in Brussels, Assistant Under-Secretary, Head of the International Secretariat and EU-Coordinate at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries and Minister at the Embassy of Sweden in Helsinki. In December 2002 he was appointed resident Ambassador to the Holy See.

His interest in studying the books and manuscripts on Saint Brigitta lead him to contribute in various books and publications on early printing, medieval libraries and Saint Brigitta of Sweden.

The Ambassador is married to Elisabeth and has three children

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H.E Pavli Zeri was born in Tirana on May 1945.

Ambassador Zeri has studied Mathematics at the University of Tirana. In 2000 he specialised on ‘Foreign Policy and Security Policies in the World and in the Region’ at the USA State Department and he then furthered his studies at the NATO College in Rome.

President Fenech Adami and Ambassador Zeli

In 1973 he worked at the Institute of Pedagogical Studies and after two years he was appointed High School President. In 1979 he served in the Directorate of High Education and in the Directorate of International Relations at the Ministry of Education, during which period he was also Lecturer at the University of Tirana. In 1997 he was appointed Foreign State Secretary at the Government of National Reconciliation. He was Diplomatic Advisor of the Prime Minister as from July 1997 up to October 1998. He was also member of the Parliamentary Commission for Foreign Policy. From 2001 – 2004 he was Deputy Minister of Defence.

The Ambassador speaks English, Italian, Greek and French. He is married with two children.