Honorary Ambassador of Vishwamitra in Malta
| Honorary Ambassador of Vishwamitra in Malta | |
|---|---|
| माल्टा में विश्वामित्र के मानद राजदूत [Ambaxxatur Onorarju ta’ Vishwamitra f’Malta] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) | |
 | |
| Ministry of External Affairs | |
| Style | His/Her Excellency (international correspondence) |
| Nominator | Minister of External Affairs |
| Appointer | Rashtradhyaksh (as Chief Ambassador) |
| Term length | On the pleasure of the Rashtradhyaksh |
| Inaugural holder | Matthew Tonna |
| Formation | 22 October 2021 |
The Honorary Ambassador of Vishwamitra in the Republic of Malta (Hindi: माल्टा में विश्वामित्र के मानद राजदूत, Maltese: Ambaxxatur Onorarju ta’ Vishwamitra f’Malta) is an officer of the honorary diplomatic corps of Vishwamitra who serves as the head of the honorary diplomatic mission of Vishwamitra in the Republic of Malta. The diplomat holds the rank of an Honorary Ambassador who is appointed by the Rashtradhyaksh and remains in office at the pleasure of the Rashtradhyaksh and during their tenure in office, they represent the crown and the government of Vishwamitra in Malta and is responsible to cater the interests of the non-residential (overseas) citizens of Vishwamitra residing in Malta or are of Maltese origin.
As the recognition of Malta by Vishwamitra is not reciprocated and not bilateral, Vishwamitra maintains an honorary embassy in the country as compared to a full-fledged mission which are, in contrary, only accredited to mutually recognized nations (the micronations).
History
The position of the ambassador was first created on 22 October 2021 along with the creation of a full-fledged mission. The first ambassador and current ambassador is Matthew Tonna who has been in office since then. The ambassador in Malta has also been serving as the Administrator of the Vishwamitran overseas territory of Rabat-Mġarr which was annexed from Malta.
In a cabinet decision, the regular diplomatic missions accredited to macronations which are unilaterally recognized by Vishwamitra were reorganized to honorary status on 8 May 2023. Thereupon, the status of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Malta was changed to the position of that of an Honorary Ambassador. Matthew Tonna has since continued to serve as honorary ambassador in Malta.
Responsibilities
The honorary ambassador serves as the principal representative of the crown of Vishwamitra and the government in Malta and is responsible to cater the interests of the non-residential (overseas) citizens of Vishwamitra residing in Malta or are of Maltese origin. The ambassador is also responsible to present the policies of the government of Vishwamitra to the citizens and report the policies of the Maltese government to the Vishwamitran government and the crown. The ambassador also oversees the diplomatic activity and is often responsible for overseeing the trade and cultural relations between Vishwamitra and Malta.
The ambassador has also been serving as the Administrator of Rabat-Mġarr, the overseas territory of Vishwamitra which was annexed from Malta in October 2022.
List of ambassadors
As of date, only one individual has dignified the office of the ambassador. The first and current office-holder is Matthew Tonna who has been in office since the inception of the mission on 22 October 2021.
| No. | Portrait | Name (born-died) |
Tenure | Appointer | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term began | Term end | Term length | |||||
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Malta | |||||||
| 1 | 
|
Tan Sri Dato Indra Matthew Tonna (born 2005) |
22 October 2021 |
8 May 2023 |
1 year, 198 days | Varuna Sriraya (Rashtradhyaksh) |
Appointed as the inaugural ambassador upon the creation of the mission on 22 October 2021. Elected to the parliament and later served as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha between December 2021 and February 2022. Later inducted to the union cabinet and served as a cabinet minister holding various portfolios including finance, defence, parliamentary affairs, etc. Appointed as a privy councilor in May 2023. Continued to serve in office upon the changes to the status of the office in May 2023. |
| Honorary Ambassador in the Republic of Malta | |||||||
| (1) |
|
Tan Sri Dato Indra Matthew Tonna (born 2005) |
8 May 2023 |
Incumbent | 348 days | Varuna Sriraya (Rashtradhyaksh) |
Appointed as the first honorary ambassador in Malta upon the initiation of changes to the position in May 2023. Currently serving in office. |