Nides and EU Ambassador Set to Present Credentials
In recent news, the head of the European Union delegation in the State of Israel, Dimiter Tzantchev, has revealed that he will be presenting his credentials to Isaac Herzog, the President of the country, on Monday. Tzanchtev landed in the Jewish state just a few days before Rosh Hashana. However, until he successfully presents the credentials to the President, he will continue to be referred to as the ambassador-designate. This title restricts his activities substantially. On the other hand, the head of the EU still managed to squeeze in a visit to the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation.
In addition, he has also participated in a couple of international events, such as those devoted to eliminating and reducing violence against women. He was also present at the lighting of Hanukkah candles at the location of Bnei Brak. This is the second time that Tzanchtev has been posted to Israel. His first time in the country had been back in the year 2013 when he came as the ambassador of Bulgaria. Urs Bucher, the ambassador-designate of Switzerland, has been present in the Jewish state for longer than the head of the EU. He arrived shortly before the Swiss President, Guy Parmelin, visited Israel sometime around the end of the month of October.
Various other ambassador-designates will also be presenting their credentials on Monday along with the head of EU and the ambassador-designate of Switzerland. This includes Sergio Barbanti from Italy and James Gatera from Rwanda. They have all been residing in Israel longer than Tom Nides, the ambassador-designate from the US. The latter will be presenting his credentials to the President on Sunday. It is not a usual occurrence for two ceremonies related to credential presentation to take place in a single week. Therefore, it comes as a shock that they have been scheduled for two consecutive days. However, just recently, another flock of envoys set foot in the country.
Thus, it is important for the existing ones to show their letters of credence before an additional troop of ambassadors arrives. Otherwise, it will become extremely difficult for the relevant officials to deal with the piling backlog. After the consecutive ceremonies on Sunday and Monday, another one has been scheduled for the 16th of December. The last time Herzog accepted letters of credence was back in the middle of September when the country welcomed ambassadors from various places, such as Spain, Bahrain, Estonia, Mexico, the Vatican, and Greece. The number of ambassador designates that arrived in the country back in September was higher than usual. Normally, the number stays around four or five, and the individual ceremonies are held for the last one morning each.
In these ceremonies, every ambassador present is asked to present his or her letters of credence separately. They do so by introducing the senior members that are a part of their embassy and introducing their spouse, parents, or children if they have been accompanied by them. The President then leads them to a smaller room, where a short reception is held. Inside this room, the ambassador and the President have a friendly conversation, during which the former often conveys an invitation. This invitation is from the President of the representative’s country, calling Herzog to pay a visit.
