In November 2016, President Hon. Eken visited Japan, South Korea and Philippines. This trip was the opportunity to meet with several authorities to develop relationships between FICAC and the residing Consuls.

Japan

In Japan, President Hon. Eken had a fruitful meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, in Tokyo, with H.E. Mr. Katsuhiko TAKAHASHI, Deputy Director-General Consular Affairs Bureau, and H.E. Amb. Katsuyoshi HAYASHI, Special Assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, who organized the meeting: they definitively support the initiative to try to set up an association of honorary consuls in Japan.

To succeed, President Eken also got the support of Hon. Prof. SHIRATORI, Honorary Consul of Malta in Tokyo and Professor at the Institute for Political Studies in Japan, which is also of interest for an academic approach of the role and privileges of the honorary consuls.

 

South Korea

In Busan, South Korea, President Hon. Eken was welcomed by Hon. Dr. An SANG WOOK, honorary Consul General of Philippines in Busan and who perfectly organized the visit of President Hon. Eken to South Korea. President Hon. Eken enjoyed a useful business dinner with Hon. Yong-Yi Lee, Honorary Consul General of Bangladesh and Honorable An, Sang-Wok.

Following a personal guided visit of the United Nations Peace Memorial Hall by his Director Mr. Jun OI-SOOK, President Hon. Eken met the Dean of the Corps of Honorary Consuls in Korea, Dean Kim YUN SEEK, who travelled especially from Seoul to confirm the decision of the Corps of Honorary Consuls in Korea to join FICAC soon and their wish to organize a FICAC Regional Conference in April 2019 and to be candidate to the organization of the World Congress of Consuls in 2021.

President Hon. Eken also has a useful meeting with Mr. Keo Don Oh, Chair Professor of Northest Asia Future Forum Pusan National University, who is candidate to be elected the next Mayor of Busan. President Hon. Eken also met with the Vice-Mayor to whom he explained the role of FICAC – World Federation of Consuls – and its activities.

Philippines

Leaving South Korea to the Philippines, President Hon. Eken enjoyed a dinner kindly organized by Honorable Vince Carlos at Rockwell to welcome him and to meet with several local honourable Colleagues. The following day, a more formal meeting was organized with the Consular Corps of the Philippines,

Lastly, as Laureate of the Gusi Peace Prize in 2011, President Hon. Eken attended the Gusi Peace Prize 2017 ceremonies to congratulate Honorable Asif Chowdhury, Member of the Board of Directors of FICAC, one of the 2017 Gusi Peace Prize Laureates.