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MoBay farewell for Silva

Published:Sunday | October 3, 2010 | 12:00 AM
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From left: President of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce Patrick Casserly, Spanish Ambassador Jesús Silva and his wife, Sara, along with Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, share in a special presentation to the Silvas.
Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton listens keenly to some final words of advice from Ambassador of Spain to Jamaica, Jesús Silva, before he leaves for Panama to take up diplomatic duties. Jesús received a heart-warming send-off by ministers of government and others at the Rose Hall Great House in Montego Bay on Saturday, September 25.
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Sheena Gayle, Gleaner Writer

Western Bureau: The infectious and warm personality of Ambassador of Spain to Jamaica Jesús Silva will be missed as several government ministers and stakeholders bid him a heart-warming farewell at an elegant function to celebrate his tenure.

Surrounded by the beautiful splendour of the Rose Hall Great House in Montego Bay, St James, Ambassador Silva and his wife Sara were treated to a memorable send-off to commemorate his invaluable contribution to Jamaica's development in various sectors.

Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Dr Christopher Tufton said in part, "... He is probably one of the most straight-forward diplomats I have spoken to; and I appreciated that because it allowed us to engage in frank discourse. I visited Spain, and out of that came technical support from the Spanish government towards developing agriculture," he said. This includes a Centre of Excellence for Advanced Technology in Agriculture.

heritage recognition

Minister of Sports and Youth, Culture Olivia Grange recalled that "He came as a diplomat, but now he's a friend. Through the efforts of the Spanish Jamaica Foundation he spearheaded the cultural ties between both countries, and he has strengthened those ties through programmes geared at heritage recognition and preservation."

And on behalf of the hospitality industry, Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett said "Without any apology, Ambassador Jesús Silva has brought more investment to Jamaica in five years than any other ambassador to Jamaica has done. Through his efforts, Jamaica has received some US$1.2 billion since he has been here. Those investments gave us capacity and critical mass to enable us to tap into many other vital areas of the industry, so that we could structure partnerships with various stakeholders".

The Government of Spain has announced the appointment of a new ambassador to Jamaica. She is María Celsa Nuño García, whose appointment takes effect next month, replacing outgoing Ambassador Jesús Silva .