On Thursday, the Consular Corps in the Dominican Republic (CC) held its annual election assembly at the Consulate of the Czech Republic to elect a new council. The council made up of representatives from countries that have diplomatic ties with the Dominican Republic, selected the Honorary Consul of Malaysia, Fernando González Nicolás, to lead the Council for the next two years, according to Dominican Today.
Fernando González Nicolás, a recipient of the honor of Member of the British Empire (MBE) from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Head of the Commonwealth, has served as the Consul of Malaysia since 2015. He was also Consul to India as well as Vice Consul of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In his acceptance speech, he recognized the vital role of consuls in attracting investments and trade opportunities for their individual countries. He also highlighted that consuls are influential in providing insights into the economic, political, social, and cultural aspects of their homelands.
The newly elected council members include Honorary Consuls of Antigua and Barbuda, South Africa, Poland, Thailand, Barbados, Kazakhstan, Canada, Belarus, Paraguay, Montenegro, Romania, Malta, Norway, Brazil, Bolivia, Portugal, and Sri Lanka, serving in various capacities. The functions of the Consuls, whose responsibilities are governed by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963, include performing political obligations, disseminating information, facilitating customs, maintaining the notarial and political registry, and executing other official tasks.
Established in 1952 through a constitutive assembly by Consuls, the CC has the mandate to reinforce and strengthen connections between the government, its authorities, and the Consular Corps. It is believed that the newly appointed council members will deliver on the goals and objectives of the CC and continue to build a stronger relationship with their respective countries and the Dominican Republic.
