The High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus to Samoa presents his credentials

Apia, Samoa – August 28, 2024 – The new High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus to Samoa, His Excellency Mr. Antonis Ceninotis, presented his credentials to the Head of State, His Majesty the King Afioga Tuimalealifano Valetoa Sualaoui II, at a ceremony held on Tuesday morning at the Head of State’s residence in Valele. High Commissioner Ceninotis is accredited to Samoa and currently resides in Canberra, Australia.

Samoa and Cyprus established diplomatic relations on 24 May 2000. During the presentation of the credentials, the Head of State and the High Commissioner reaffirmed that Samoa and Cyprus will continue to cooperate in multilateral forums such as the United Nations, the Commonwealth and the ACP-EU on issues of common interest such as democracy, international law, peace and security, the promotion of human rights and sustainable development.

The Cypriot High Commissioner expressed his willingness to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries, share experiences, conduct exchanges and enhance friendship in areas of mutual benefit and win-win for young people, such as education, vocational training and sports.

The Head of State expressed confidence that the appointment of His Excellency Saminoutis as High Commissioner of Cyprus to Samoa will further strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest for the benefit of both countries. Samoa looks forward to hosting Cyprus and our Commonwealth family at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in October this year.

Mr. Antonis Sainrnoutis holds a BA in Classical Philosophy from the University of Cyprus and a MA in Contemporary Diplomacy from the University of Malta.

He joined the diplomatic service of the Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2003 and held various positions in the Consular, Protocol, Middle East Departments and the Department of Bilateral Relations with European Countries.

He was assigned to the Cyprus Diplomatic Corps as Second Secretary of the Consulate in Berlin, Germany (2004-2007), Consul General in St. Petersburg, Russia (2007-2011), Head of the Mission in Ramallah, Palestine (2011-2013), Deputy Head of Mission in Moscow, Russia (2014-2016), Consul General in Moscow, Russia (2018-2020) and Deputy Head of Mission in Moscow, Russia (2020-2022). Mr. Sainmoutis was appointed High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus to Australia as of 10 October 2022, concurrently High Commissioner to New Zealand and Samoa. He is married to Elena Makhankova and has two daughters.