Argentinean embassy celebrates national day in style

Islamabad

To celebrate the National Day of his country, ambassador of the Republic of Argentina, Ivan Ivanissevich hosted a reception at the Shamadan Hall of Serena Hotel which was attended by his colleagues in the diplomatic corps; Pakistanis with a ‘connection’ to his country and other guests from Islamabad’s society. 

The guest of honour was Minister for State and Frontier Regions; Lieutenant General (r) Abdul Qadir Baluch and the cutting of the cake took place after the national anthems of both Pakistan and Argentina had been played. Ambassador of Cuba, Gabriel Tiel Capote; DCM Brazi;Jean Pierre Bianchi; DCM Spain; Acting High Commissioner of Canada; Andrew Turner; Charge D’ Affaires  Portugal, J. P. S. Costa; Consul General of Peru Amb (r) Tariq Afridi; Honorary Consul General Paraguay; Kanwar  Tariq and Honorary Consul General Colombia; Senator Shibli Faraz were invited on stage for the ceremony.

Ambassador Ivanissevich is ‘new’ in town so there were many introductions as guests arrived for the event, although he has served in Pakistan before as a DCM but it was about a decade ago. Standing in the reception line with him were two young diplomats – also new – one of which was the attractive, Head of the Consular Section, Maria Carmela Mirabelli.

The venue had been decorated with blue and white flowers – colours of the Argentinean flag – while lapel bows in the same colours were also given to guests. A screening of the sights and sounds of the country was shown throughout but the surprise of the evening was a performance of the Tango by two artistes, Ayelen Sanchez and Walter Suquia, who had especially been flown in for the event! For those of us who are familiar with this dance, it brought back beautiful memories of performances and the good old days, while those who were introduced to it for the first time were as captivated as we have been all along. The artistes - gave an amazing, three dance performance and even the host took to the stage with Ayelen and got a round of applause. There were calls for ‘one more’ when the artistes ended their performance but I think the allocated time was up, so no luck on that score!

Welcoming the gathering the host said he was happy they had accepted his invitation to celebrate this important occasion. He spoke of the strong bonds of friendship that Pakistan and Argentina enjoyed ever since Pakistan came into being and hoped they would continue for all time to come.

The minister thanked his hosts and also spoke of the bilateral ties between the two countries which had always been cordial but were greatly improved during the last few years under the aegis of the previous ambassador, Rodolfo Martin Saravia, a process which he hoped would continue. 

It was an enjoyable affair – the hall was not overcrowded; seating arrangements; music playing in the background and of course the surprise entertainment! A good ‘beginning’ for the new envoy!

Argentina was the first country to acknowledge the independence of Pakistan and formally established relations in October, 1951. The first significant agreement was signed in May 1983. Since then, high level visits have taken place in both countries and relations seem to have grown gradually into the cordial relationship seen today.