Samoa sent a delegation to the 5th ordinary Session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), held in Paris from 2nd to 5th June 2014 at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. Samoa’s delegation was led
On 20 May 2014, Samoa was included in the EU’s ‘positive list’ of countries whose nationals should be exempted from the visa requirement of the EU for stays of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period. This exemption will only come into force after a bilateral agreement on
The Samoa National Provident Fund / Government of Samoa has purchased a new Chancery building to house the Embassy of Samoa in Brussels at Avenue Commandant Lothaire 1, Etterbeek. The Provisional Sales Agreement was signed on 31st March between the owner of the building and Ambassador Luteru on behalf of
The ACP Eminent Persons Group (EPG) Drafting Committee met in Brussels on 19 – 21 May to continue work on their draft report for consideration and approval by the Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government scheduled in Suriname early November 2014. Afoa Kolone Vaai is the Pacific representative
H.E. Fatumanava Paolelei Luteru attended the gathering organized and hosted by The Friends of Europe, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 3rd April 2014. The United Nations Secretary-General delivered an inspiring address on climate change and highlighted the global nature of this challenge. He also spoke about individual responsibilities and the
Samoa’s Ambassador based in Brussels, H.E. Fatumanava III Dr Pa’olelei Luteru, attended a special event for the President Xi Jinping hosted by the College of Europe in Bruges on 1st April 2014. President Xi Jinping spoke of the need to deepen China-EU future relations and how this should be firmly
In his opening address to the ACP Council of Ministers meeting held on 10th December 2013, the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Samoa, Tuilaepa Fatialofa Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi urged the European Union (EU) to work more closely with the ACP Group to identify “real needs and priorities”,
As part of the Honourable Prime Minister’s official visit to Brussels Tuilapea also took the opportunity to meet with Samoa’s Honorary Consuls based in Europe. The meeting provided the occasion for the Prime Minister to share with the Honorary Consuls Samoa’s development priorities and challenges and how Honorary Consuls could
Samoa took over the Presidency of the African Caribbean & Pacific (ACP) Group of States from 1 August 2013 to 31 January 2014. The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Samoa to the Kingdom of Belgium, His Excellency Fatumanava III Dr. Paolelei Luteru is the new Chairman of the ACP Committee
The ACP Parliamentary Assembly and the Joint ACP-EU Parliamentary Assembly met in Strasbourg from 13th to 19th March 2014. During the 27th session of the JPA issues discussed and debated included amongst others mining for oil and minerals on seabed, terrorism, climate change and the rights of migrants. As is