Vice President, Dr. Joseph Nyumah Boakai has thanked all Liberian diplomats for their service to the country and for the sacrifices they make in their various assignment areas.

“The Foreign Ministry is that Ministry that we think a lot needs to be done. This is one area where I think that we need very seasoned people; I mean people who are very knowledgeable,” he said.

According to a Foreign Ministry release, Vice President Boakai made the comments when he stopped by a local hotel where heads of Liberian missions abroad were having a two-day retreat. He told the diplomats that he is fully aware of some of the challenges they face.

Dr. Boakai, himself a career diplomat, said he decided to stop by to meet his colleagues - the men and women who are positively promoting Liberia’s image abroad. “I am so fortunate because I know all of you and not just knowing you all but have interacted with nearly all of you. Believe me, I know what you are going through,” he told the Liberian diplomats.

He further told the diplomats that when Ms. Marjon V. Kamara assumed the leadership at the Foreign Ministry, he knew what she was getting into.

He emphasized that he knows most of the challenges Liberian diplomats, posted abroad, go through; adding further, “Knowing the problems lead closer to the solution. All we can say now is that we thank you for your service working under some of the most difficult conditions.”

Touching on the retreat, he thanked Minister Kamara for bringing the ambassadors together, where he thinks ideas can be shared and to discuss the foreign policy of the country.

Vice President Boakai assured them that with their commitment, Liberia will continue to take its rightful place among the comity of nations and that he will continue to work with them. “Let’s continue to work for our country; there is a hope and future for Liberia,” he assured all of them.

Before his remarks, Foreign Minister Kamara thanked the Vice President for stopping by to meet with the ambassadors and provided a synopsis of the two-day retreat.

Included in their discussions was what foreign policy that will be left on the table for the next administration following the presidential and legislative elections in October 2017.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Liberia’s Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Mr. Jarjar Kamara, too, joined the Minister to thank Vice President Boakai for stopping by. “We want to thank you for your interest in the Foreign Service, the ‘mouth piece’ of Liberia overseas,” he said.