Presentation of Credentials Ceremony, 24 February 2026

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Press Statements

24 February 2026

Presentation of Credentials Ceremony, 24 February 2026

The following foreign Heads of Mission presented their credentials to President Tharman Shanmugaratnam in separate ceremonies at the Istana today:

(a) The Ambassador of Hungary

Her Excellency Anna Kondor

(b) The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain

His Excellency Álvaro De La Riva Guzmán De Frutos

(c) The Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan

His Excellency Ramil Abil oglu Rzayev

(d) The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Somalia

His Excellency Dr Faysal Ahmed Salad

Their bio summaries are attached.

. . . . .

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

24 FEBRUARY 2026

Ambassador Anna Kondor joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary in 2025, following more than two decades of senior executive experience in strategic advisory and financial services. Prior to her diplomatic appointment, she was the founding owner of a leading Hungarian strategic and business communications advisory firm, and a co-founder of Bankmonitor .hu, a fintech comparison and advisory platform. Ambassador Kondor has extensive experience in consultancy roles and cross-border engagements.

Ambassador Kondor holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics with a specialisation in Finance, a Masters of Business Administration, and completed her doctoral coursework at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.

Ambassador Kondor is married and has four children.

. . . . .

Ambassador Alvaro de la Riva has a diplomatic career spanning 36 years. He was previously Spain's Ambassador to Estonia (2011 - 2014) and Consul-General in Istanbul (2019 - 2023). Ambassador de la Riva has also served in Spain's embassies in Algeria, Tunisia, Colombia, Mexico, Vietnam, Greece and Russia. In addition, he has held various appointments in Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.

Prior to his diplomatic career, Ambassador de la Riva worked in the media, including for The Washington Post, Paris-Match and The Sunday Times.

Ambassador de la Riva holds a degree in Political Science and a Bachelor of Science (Economics) from the London School of Economics.

. . . . .

Prior to his appointment as Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Singapore, Ambassador Ramil Abil oglu Rzayev served as Director of the Asia and Pacific Department in the Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition to his appointment as Ambassador to Singapore, he is also concurrently Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to ASEAN and Indonesia.

Ambassador Rzayev is a career diplomat who joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2000. He has served in various positions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in Azerbaijan's diplomatic missions in Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and the United States. He also served as Head of the State Protocol Department.

Ambassador Rzayev holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and a Master's degree in International Law from Baku State University. He has also completed an advanced diplomatic course at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Ambassador Rzayev is married and has two children.

. . . . .

Ambassador Faysal Ahmed Salad holds a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) Medical School and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Health Science from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Prior to his diplomatic service, Ambassador Faysal held senior executive positions in both public and private sectors. He served as Chairman of Baraarug Corporation, where he led strategic infrastructure and port development initiatives in Somalia, and as Chief Operations Officer of Hodan Global Money Services, overseeing international operations across Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America. He has also worked as a Medical Director and practicing physician and has been actively involved in humanitarian and community development initiatives with international organizations. Currently, Ambassador Faysal is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Somalia to the Republic of Indonesia and the Non-Resident Ambassador to the Commonwealth of Australia and the Republic of Singapore, and Ambassador-designate to the Republic of Korea and Brunei Darussalam.

Ambassador Faysal's professional interests include geoeconomic development, international trade and investment, and the strengthening of bilateral and multilateral cooperation to support sustainable development and regional integration.

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