President Halimah Yacob virtually received the credentials of the Head of Missions of the Republics of Bulgaria, Mozambique and Guatemala on 16th September 2021.

H.E. PETAR ANDONOV Ambassador of Republic of Bulgaria

PRIOR to Ambassador Petar Andonov’s posting to Singapore he represented Bulgaria as Ambassador of Indonesia since He is a diplomat with over 20 years of experience in the Bulgarian civil service.

Mr. Andonov began his career as a freelance reporter in 1986, before taking on the role of Editor and subsequently Editorin-Chief with Bulgarian National TV. He also served as the Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria from 1991 to 1992, before being appointed as Deputy Director at U.S. Radio Free Europe in 1993.

In 1997, he took on the role of Chief Coordinator of the Council for Economic Development to the President of the Republic of Bulgaria. Mr. Andonov held this position until 1998, when he was appointed as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to Japan and the Philippines (resident in Tokyo).

Mr. Andonov was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, First Degree, H.M. the Emperor of Japan for Mr. Andonov’s contribution to the development of bilateral relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and Japan. Thereafter, Mr. Andonov took on the role of Moderator of current affairs programs and Foreign Policy and Economy Analyst at U.S. Radio Free Europe in 2003. In 2006, he was appointed to a similar role with TV Europe (News and Current Affairs Bulgarian TV Network). Mr. Andonov also served as the Program Director with the Confederation of the Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria from 2010 to 2012, before being appointed as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Republic of Korea.

He held this role from 2012 to 2019 and was awarded the Order for Diplomatic Service Merit 1st Degree of the President of the Republic of Korea in June 2019, for his contribution to the development of bilateral relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Korea. Mr Andonov has also served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Republic of Indonesia since 2019.

Mr. Andonov holds a Master of Economics and Organization of Labor, University for National and World Economy, Bulgaria, and a Master of Business Administration from Swinburne University of Technology, Australia.

H.E. BELMIRO JOSÉ MALATE High Commissioner of Mozambique

PRIOR H.E. Belmiro José Malate posting here he has been the Republic of Mozambique’s Ambassador to Indonesia since August 2019, with residence in Jakarta. High Commissioner Malate is concurrently accredited to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and East Timor.

High Commissioner Malate is a career diplomat, having joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Republic of Mozambique in 1980. Prior to his current appointment, High Commissioner Malate served as Director for Asia and Oceania at the Ministry’s headquarters from 2015 to 2019. His other appointments at headquarters include Director for Multilateral Economic Relations (1999 – 2001) and Head of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Desk (1997 – 1999). High Commissioner Malate’s previous overseas postings were to Japan (2009 – 2015), Botswana (2004 – 2009), Dubai (2001 – 2004), and Malawi (1984 – 1987).

High Commissioner Malate holds a master’s degree in International Political Economy from the University of Warwick, UK. He is married and has two children.

H.E. MAYNOR JACOBO CUYÚN SALGUERO Ambassador of Guatemala

PRIOR to Ambassador Jacobo Cuyún’s posting to Singapore, he has been the Ambassador of Guatemala to the Republic of Indonesia since November 2019 and the Ambassador of Guatemala to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since March 2021. He is a career diplomat. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala in 1980 and has served as the Consul-General of Guatemala in Los Angeles, California, USA, and also as Ambassador of Guatemala to the Republic of Korea, Norway (concurrently accredited to Denmark), and Morocco. He was also the Director-General of Protocol and Diplomatic Ceremony from 2012 to 2014.

He has received many decorations for his diplomatic service including: The Order of “WISSAM AL ALAOUI” with the rank of commander issued by the Kingdom of Morocco (2020); and the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit “GWANGHWA” medal issued by the government of the Republic of Korea (1996). He is married and has two children.