The Kingdom of Spain’s Ambassador to Samoa, H.E. Luis Alfonso Sánchez-Vellisco Sánchez, has presented his Letter of Credence to Susuga Malietoa Moli II Malietoa, Member of the Council of Deputies.
The credentials ceremony was held on Tuesday morning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade VIP Room 1, FMFMII Government Building, Apia.
The presentation formally accredited Ambassador Sánchez-Vellisco Sánchez as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Spain to Samoa, with residence in Wellington, New Zealand.
Samoa and Spain established diplomatic relations in November 1980. The two countries have maintained relations based on mutual respect, multilateral cooperation, sustainable development, and climate action.
During the ceremony, Ambassador Sánchez-Vellisco Sánchez reaffirmed Spain’s commitment to working with Samoa and the wider Pacific region, including through the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and cooperation with the Pacific Islands Forum.
Spain’s support in the Pacific includes ocean governance, sustainable development, climate action, the Pacific Resilience Facility, the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner, and climate resilience initiatives under the European Union-Pacific Green Blue Alliance and ClimSA programmes.
Susuga Malietoa Moli II Malietoa acknowledged Spain’s contribution to regional and multilateral initiatives supporting Pacific Island countries. He also acknowledged Spain’s support for the Samoa Agreement, signed in Apia in 2023 during the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
He expressed confidence that Ambassador Sánchez-Vellisco Sánchez’s tenure would further strengthen cooperation and friendship between Samoa and Spain.
Ambassador Sánchez-Vellisco Sánchez is a career diplomat with experience in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy. Before his appointment as Ambassador of Spain to New Zealand in 2025, he served as Senior Adviser to the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain.
He has also served in senior diplomatic postings in Australia, Ethiopia, Mali, Ghana, and within Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation.
Ambassador Sánchez-Vellisco Sánchez holds a Degree in Law from the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas in Spain and speaks Spanish, English, and French.
This article is based on a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
