President Prof. Guido De Marco receives messages of congratulations

Messages of congratulations continue to reach the President of Malta, Prof. Guido de Marco. H.H. Pope John Paul II, extended his prayerful congratulations and good wishes to the President of Malta as he assumes his responsibilities and invoked "Almighty God's abundant blessings of strength and well-being upon you and your fellow citizens as you work to build a future of peace and progress". H.M. Queen Elizabeth, in congratulating Prof. de Marco, conveyed her best wishes for his term of office and for the prosperity of the people of Malta. President Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic stated the conviction that "our mutual dialogue on bilateral and multilateral foreign policy issues will continue to deepen and that the joint priority objectives of our countries will result in the intensification and qualitatively higher level of mutual contacts for the benefit of both our nations and the successful accomplishment of the integration efforts".

Messages of congratulations were also received from H.M. King Albert II of Belgium, H.M. Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, King of Nepal, H.E. Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, President of Egypt and H.E. Ruth Dreifuss, President of the Swiss Confederation. The Hon. Friedbert Pflueger, Chairman of the Committee for European Affairs in the Bundestag and H.E. Umberto Vattani, Secretary General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome also sent messages of congratulations to President de Marco.

H.E. Qian Qichen, Vice Premier of the State Council of China in conveying his best wishes, stated "Having long been working together for the development of Sino-Maltese friendly relations, I sincerely wish Your Excellency every success in fulfilling this lofty new mission entrusted to you".