MFA Press Statement - Presentation of Credentials, 26 July 2018

The following foreign Heads of Mission presented their credentials to President  Halimah Yacob in separate ceremonies at the Istana today:

(a) The Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan
His Excellency Kakhramon Shakirov

(b) The Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See
His Excellency Archbishop Marek Zalewski

(c) The Ambassador of Georgia
His Excellency Irakli Asashvili

Their bio summaries are attached.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE 
26 JULY 2018

KAKHRAMON SHAKIROV
AMBASSADOR TO SINGAPORE
REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN

Mr Kakhramon Shakirov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Republic of Singapore, previously held the position of Chief of the Executive Office at the State Committee for Investments of the Republic of Uzbekistan. He has also served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Far East and Pacific Ocean Department), as Counsellor for Trade and Economic Issues at the Republic of Uzbekistan’s Embassies in Japan and Charge d’Affaires in Indonesia and as a Division Chief of the Cabinet of Ministries of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Mr. Shakirov graduated from Tashkent State University in 1992 and subsequently obtained a Master’s Degree in International Economic Relations at the Academy of State and Social Construction under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan in 1998.

He is married with three children.

ARCHBISHOP MAREK ZALEWSKI
APOSTOLIC NUNCIO TO SINGAPORE
THE HOLY SEE

Archbishop Marek Zalewski is the Apostolic Nuncio to the Republic of Singapore, as well as the non-resident Pontifical Representative for Vietnam.

Prior to his current appointment, Archbishop Zalewski was appointed as Titular Archbishop of Africa, Apostolic Nuncio to Zimbabwe and served from 2014 to 2018. Since his entry into the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1995, Archbishop Zalewski had served in the Central African Republic from 1995 to 1998, the United Nations in New York from 1998 to 2001, Great Britain from 2001 to 2004, Germany from 2004 to 2008, Thailand from 2008 to 2011, Singapore from 2011 to 2012, and Malaysia from 2012 to 2014.

Archbishop Zalewski was pastorally active as assistant priest at St. Maria's Parish in the Archdiocese of Florence from 1989 to 1991. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from the Metropolitan Seminary in Florence, and a Doctorate in Canon Law from the Gregorian University in Rome. He was born in Poland. Besides Polish, Archbishop Zalewski also speaks Italian, English and French.

IRAKLI ASASHVILI
AMBASSADOR TO SINGAPORE
GEORGIA

Ambassador Irakli Asashvili, a career diplomat, was born on 23 February 1972 in Moscow. He graduated from the Tbilisi State University, Faculty of International Business, in 1998 with a specialisation in International Business and Foreign Trade.

Since February 2018, Asashvili has served as Georgia’s Ambassador to Indonesia. He is concurrently accredited to Singapore, the Philippines, Timor-Leste and ASEAN. Asashvili previously served as Georgia’s Consul-General in Turkey (Istanbul and Trabzon), and Consul in Lithuania and the United Kingdom. He headed the Citizenship and Passport Division in the Georgian MFA in 2008.

In 2013, Asashvili was awarded the “Order of Honour” by the President of Georgia for his contributions to the development of the country.

(Photo Credit: MCI)

(Photo Credit: MCI)

(Photo Credit: MCI)