André Michel Rittie is a former Ambassador Extraordinaire and

Plenipotentiary A ''plenipotentiary'' (from the Latin ''plenus'' "full" and ''potens'' "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of his or her sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the word ...

of Vanuatu. Ritte was formerly accredited as Ambassador to Morocco. He served as the official representative of Vanuatu with residence in

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...

. As a small nation with a resident population of 186,678 in 1999, Vanuatu maintains a full embassy only in China and Morocco as well as a Permanent Mission to the United Nations and a Consulate in Nouméa, the capital city of the French territory of

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

. When representation is required in other countries, an ambassador in a neighbouring country may be concurrently accredited to that country. As the only Vanuatu ambassador in the region, Ritte has also been accredited as a non-resident ambassador to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, Spain and

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

, as well as having served as Ambassador to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

Background

Until 2007, when France withdrew its claims for

Matthew Island Hunter Island and Matthew Island are two small and uninhabited high islands in the South Pacific, located east of New Caledonia and south-east of Vanuatu archipelago. Hunter Island and Matthew Island, apart, are claimed by Vanuatu as part of ...

and Hunter Island east of

, Vanuatu and France had disputed these small islands. A French national, Michel Rittie was originally nominated by the government of Vanuatu to serve as Vanuatu's consul in Paris, but the French government rejected his credentials. Although there was speculation in the news media, no official reason was given. President John Bani of Vanuatu subsequently appointed Michel Rittie as consul-general to Morocco in March 2001. This accreditation was subsequently upgraded to Ambassador, with credentials accepted by King Mohammed VI on 26 September 2001. Monsieur Rittie presented his credentials for the

to Pope John Paul II in May 2003. John Paul II honoured the occasion with an address prepared for the occasion which acknowledged, "the rich historical patrimony of the Archipelago of Vanuatu and its special position in Oceania, factors that have shaped the nation and made it a multicultural society in which men and women today are eager to build a fraternal society in the vast diversity of their national origins, languages, forms of religious expression and the values that motivate them." Rittie continues to serve as a member of the diplomatic corps to the Holy See. On 15 April 2004 Rittie was one of eight ambassadors whose accreditation was accepted by then President

Pascal Couchepin Pascal Couchepin (born 5 April 1942) is a Swiss politician who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 1998 to 2009. A member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP/PRD), he was President of the Swiss Confederation twice, in 2003 and 2008 ...

of Switzerland as nonresident ambassador (with residence in Rabat, Morocco). Rittie was accredited as ambassador to Spain on 29 June May 2005. Rittie has also presented his credentials to President

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Zine El Abidine Ben Ali ( ar, زين العابدين بن علي, translit=Zayn al-'Ābidīn bin 'Alī; 3 September 1936 – 19 September 2019), commonly known as Ben Ali ( ar, بن علي) or Ezzine ( ar, الزين), was a Tunisian politician ...

of Tunisia and serves as Vanuatu's non-resident Ambassador there. Rittie has served as a member of delegations to UNESCO.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rittie, Michel Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Ambassadors of Vanuatu to Morocco Ambassadors of Vanuatu to Sweden Ambassadors of Vanuatu to Spain Ambassadors of Vanuatu to Switzerland Ambassadors of Vanuatu to Tunisia Ambassadors of Vanuatu to the Holy See