Pacific

Vanuatu to assess its overseas missions

16:43 pm on 24 September 2009

The Vanuatu government has decided to assess the performance of Vanuatu's permanent overseas missions.

This comes after the foreign minister, Joe Natuman, announced that he was tightening the eligibility criteria for diplomatic passports and revoking those held by foreigners acting on Vanuatu's behalf.

Among the appointees overseas are a former prime minister, Donald Kalpokas, who is the permanent ambassador to the United Nations.

More recently, the government appointed a former minister of finance, Willie Jimmy, to the position of consul general in China.

Vanuatu also has a permanent ambassador in Brussels which is Roy Mikey Joy.

The government believes that the assessment will engender trust and confidence in the foreign service.