MFA Press Statement: Presentation of Credentials Ceremony, 26 January 2017

The High Commissioner of the Republic of Bangladesh presents his credentials to President Tony Tan Keng Yam. [Photo: MCI]

The High Commissioner of the Republic of Bangladesh presents his credentials to President Tony Tan Keng Yam. [Photo: MCI]

The Ambassador of the French Republic presents his credentials to President Tony Tan Keng Yam. [Photo: MCI]

The Ambassador of the French Republic presents his credentials to President Tony Tan Keng Yam. [Photo: MCI]

The High Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Australia presents his credentials to President Tony Tan Keng Yam. [Photo: MCI]

The High Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Australia presents his credentials to President Tony Tan Keng Yam. [Photo: MCI]

        The following foreign Heads of Mission presented their credentials to President Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam in separate ceremonies at the Istana today:

(a)     The High Commissioner of the Republic of Bangladesh

         His Excellency Mustafizur Rahman

(b)     The Ambassador of the French Republic

          His Excellency Marc Abensour

(c)      The High Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Australia

          His Excellency Bruce Charles Gosper

Their bio summaries are attached.   

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE 

26 JANUARY 2017

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Mr. Md. Mustafizur Rahman has joined the Bangladesh High Commission in Singapore on 26 December 2016 as the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the Republic of Singapore.

Prior to his joining this position, Mr. Rahman served as the Director General of the United Nations Wing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhaka.

A career diplomat, Mr. Md. Mustafizur Rahman joined the Bangladesh Foreign Service in 1993. During his long service, Mr. Rahman served as the Deputy Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York, Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata, India as well as held various diplomatic positions in Bangladesh Missions in Geneva, New York and Paris. He also served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhaka in different capacities including as the Director of the United Nations Wing.

Mr. Rahman completed his graduation in Medical Science from Sir Salimullah Medical College in 1989. Later on, Mr. Rahman earned a Masters Degree (LLM) in Public International Law from University of London, UK. He also obtained a Post-graduate Diploma in International Relations and Diplomacy from International Institute of Public Administration under the School of Public Administration (ENA) in Paris, France. He pursued a Post-graduate Certificate Course in Conflict Management from University of York, UK and in Law of the Seas at the University of Southampton, UK. He is also pursuing PhD at the faculty of Law, University of Maastricht, Netherlands.

Mr. Md. Mustafizur Rahman represented Bangladesh in many international conferences and events at home and abroad including the United Nations General Assembly sessions. He is an elected Board Member of the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund. His special area of interest is ‘Human Rights and Development’.

Apart from Bangla, his mother tongue, he speaks English and French.

Mr. Rahman is married and blessed with two sons.

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Marc Abensour is a career diplomat. He was appointed the Ambassador of France to the Republic of Singapore by decree of the President of the Republic of France on 18 November 2016. His professional experience covers mainly Asian affairs and politico-military issues.

Prior to this appointment, he served as an inspector in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from July 2014. Previously, he was a diplomatic advisor to the Minister of Defence in 2014.  He was also the Director for International, Strategic and Technological Affairs of the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security (under the Prime Minister) from 2012 to 2013.

From 2008 to 2012, he was the Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), where he was actively involved in implementing France’s decision to rejoin NATO as a full member. He was in charge of the Industrial Issues and Export Control department from 2005 to 2008 and was Head of the Far East directorate from 2003 to 2005. Both appointments were held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.He was First Secretary of the French Embassy in China from 1996 to 2000 and held the same post at the French Embassy in the United States from 2000 to 2002.

He received the “Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite” award from the French government in May 2011.

Marc Abensour graduated from the “Ecole Normale Supérieure” and is a qualified Professor of Philosophy. He was an exchange student in the Department of East Asian Studies at Harvard University in 1993/1994.

He is married to Veronica Abensour-Nilsson. They have two children.

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BRUCE CHARLES GOSPER

HIGH COMMISSIONER TO SINGAPORE

AUSTRALIA

Mr Gosper was most recently the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), Australia's trade promotion and investment facilitation agency.

 He is a graduate of Macquarie University and the University of New England. He has served overseas in Tokyo, Washington and Geneva, where he was Ambassador to the World Trade Organization.

Prior to his appointment to Austrade, Mr Gosper was Deputy Secretary in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and Australia's senior trade official responsible for trade policy and negotiations.

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