President of the World Federation of Consuls Hon. Arnold Foote in his welcome speech at the FICAC 25th Anniversary Awards Banquet at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel in Monaco said:
Welcome to the FICAC 25th Anniversary Past Presidents Awards Banquet.
I stand before you tonight proud, happy and privileged to be part of this historic Awards Banquet being held here in the beautiful Monte Carlo Bay Hotel in Monaco.
Your Excellency, Mr. Secretary of State, may we kindly ask you to convey to His Serene Highness Prince Albert II our warmest thanks and gratitude for having accepted the Honour of this assembly and having granted His High Patronage to our Conference and Banquet. This is indeed a great honour. Thank you very much.
I cannot say enough about the graciousness and the hospitality that we have received, to say nothing of the logistics, the preparation, the setting, the atmosphere and the attendance.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the World Federation of Consuls, I would like to thank the Association of Honorary Consuls of the Principality of Monaco for all that you have done. We owe you a debt of gratitude and respect. Thank you very much.
Some people stand on the sidelines and criticize the work of others and some people provide inspiration and the practical work to make ideas come to reality.
Our Founding President Hon. Vagn Jespersen and our Past Presidents Hon. Andreas Mavrommatis and Hon. Peter Gad Naschitz whom we honour tonight, have provided the inspiration and the practical work that was necessary to build the World Federation of Consuls.
Hon Vagn Jespersen served as founding President and remained at the helm of the Federation for the period 1982 to 1995.
When he gave up the post, he was made Honorary President of the World Federation of Consuls for life.
Tonight it gives me great pleasure to announce that Hon. Andreas Mavrommatis of Cyprus, who served as President from 1995 to 2000, and Hon. Peter Gad Naschitz of Israel, who served as President from 2000 to 2003, upon a unanimous decision made by the Directors of the World Federation of Consuls, have also been named Honorary Presidents of the World Federation of Consuls for life.
This is a well deserved honour for a job well done.
Thank you very much.
