His Excellency, Mr. Ion de la Riva, Ambassador of Spain, His Excellency, Mr. Elin Emin oglu Suleymanov, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Her Excellency, Mrs. Sara Affoué Amani, Ambassador of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire presented their Letters of Credence to President Michael D. Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin today.
His Excellency, Mr. Ion de la Riva, Ambassador of Spain, was accompanied Ms Cecilia García, Counsellor.
His Excellency, Mr. Elin Emin oglu Suleymanov, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan was accompanied by Mr Rasim Mammadov, Second Secretary.
Her Excellency, Mrs. Sara Affoué Amani,Ambassador of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire was accompanied by Mr. Nestor Koko, First Counsellor.
Mr. Martin Heydon TD, Minister of State for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, with responsibility for Research and Development, Farm Safety and New Market Development, represented the Government at the ceremony.
The following were also present: Ms. Orla O’Hanrahan, Secretary General to the President; Mr. John Conlan, Deputy Secretary General, Department of Foreign Affairs; Mr. Paul Kavanagh, Chief of Protocol, Department of Foreign Affairs; Col. Stephen Howard, Comdt. Brian Walsh, Comdt. Deirdre Newel, Capt. Pól Ó Domhnaill, Aides-de-Camp to the President; Mr. Joe Brennan and Ms. Cathy Barnicle, Protocol, Department of Foreign Affairs.
The Ambassadors were accompanied to and from Áras an Uachtaráin by an Escort of Honour consisting of a motorcycle detachment drawn from the 2 Brigade Cavalry Squadron, Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin, under the command of Lieutenant Colm Layton.
A Guard of Honour was provided at Áras an Uachtaráin by the 1st Mechanised Infantry Company, Defence Forces Training Centre, Curragh Camp, Co Kildare under the command of Lieutenant Seamus Byrne.
Second Lieutenant Jack Molloy from the 1st Mechanised Infantry Company was the flag officer.
Captain John Carpenter conducted the Number 1 Band, which is based in Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin.
