Gilles Tonelli delivers New Year address to Diplomatic and Consular Corps

Voeux corps consulaire et diplomatique - Gilles Tonelli, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, delivers his New Year address to the Diplomatic and Consular Corps accredited to the Principality © Government Communication Department / Manuel Vitali

Gilles Tonelli, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, delivers his New Year address to the Diplomatic and Consular Corps accredited to the Principality © Government Communication Department / Manuel Vitali

On Monday 29 January, Gilles Tonelli, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, delivered his New Year address to the Diplomatic and Consular Corps accredited to the Principality.

Attendees at the ceremony included H.E. Mr Serge Telle, Minister of State, Monsignor Barsi, Archbishop of Monaco, Georges Lisimacchio, Head of H.S.H. the Prince’s Cabinet, Patrice Cellario, Minister of the Interior, H.E. Ms Marine de Carne-Trecesson, the French Ambassador, H.E. Mr Cristiano Gallo, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy, the Ambassador of the Order of Malta, the Austrian Ambassador and the Australian Ambassador.

After thanking the foreign ambassadors and consuls in Monaco for their work during 2017, the Minister looked back at the year’s highlights. Gilles Tonelli also emphasised that “while some events have focused attention on the security threats facing the world, it is important that we do not ignore the significant progress that has been made and which, at the same time, should give us some reassurance regarding the future. We should also take note of the upturn in the economy, which appears to be strengthening as we begin this new year, both in Europe and globally.”

He noted that in 2017, 24 new foreign ambassadors had been accredited to the Principality including, for the first time, ambassadors representing Belarus, Iceland and Fiji. As of today, the Principality has official diplomatic relations with 135 countries throughout the world and 114 ambassadors are accredited to Monaco.

At the end of 2017, 88 countries were officially represented in the Principality by a consul, and 10 new Monegasque consuls had been appointed abroad.

Finally, Gilles Tonelli discussed the key visits conducted in 2017, including those of Mr Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and H.E. Mr Duško Marković, Prime Minister of Montenegro, as well as the tripartite meeting between Monaco, Andorra and San Marino as part of negotiations with the European Union.