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EU Ambassador Dr Riina Kionka presents her credentials to President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi

Assuming the position of the Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan, Dr Riina Kionka presented her credentials to the President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi in a formal ceremony held at the Presidency in Islamabad on 1 July 2022.

EU Ambassador Dr Riina Kionka presents her credentials to President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi

Assuming the position of the Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan, Dr Riina Kionka presented her credentials to the President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi in a formal ceremony held at the Presidency in Islamabad on 1 July 2022. Dr Riina Kiona was given a prestigious welcome at the President House, escorted to the venue in an official horse-drawn carriage and give a guard of honour by a contingent of the armed forces of Pakistan.

Dr Riina Kionka presented her credentials to the President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi in a formal ceremony

Dr Riina Kionka has previously served as the Ambassador of the European Union to South Africa from 2019 to 2022. EU Ambassador Dr Kionka has also served as chief foreign policy advisor to the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk from 2014 to 2019. In Pakistan, she is going to work with a team of 55 international and local staff in the Delegation in Islamabad.

Dr Riina Kiona was given a prestigious welcome at the President House

EU Ambassador Dr Riina Kionka’s appointment commensurate with the celebrations of EU-Pakistan 60 years of diplomatic ties. Relations between the European Union and Pakistan are based on the EU-Pakistan Strategic Engagement Plant signed in 2019, which includes - among other areas - trade development, climate change initiatives, security, regional stability and cultural cooperation.

Escorted to the venue in an official horse-drawn carriage and give a guard of honour by a contingent of the armed forces of Pakistan

EU remains the largest destination of Pakistani exports under its GSP+ trade concessions granted to Pakistan. Students from Pakistan are one of the largest contingent of the Erasmus+ programme. EU development projects in Pakistan are covering areas like rural development, skill enhancement, basic education, and human rights in Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan.