New Year Messages from some of the DQ Ambasssadors.
HIS EXCELLENCY JO BYUNG-WOOK
Ambassador of South Korea
We are bidding farewell to 2020, a year of challenges and difficulties, and ushering in a New Year.
As we step into 2021 it is a time to reflect on the most valuable lessons we have gained from 2020. Just as good sailors are not made on calm seas, there has been a silver lining to the gloomy times in 2020 in various ways. Although the Coronavirus pandemic has continued to dominate our lives, impacting us in the core of our humanity, yet the lockdown times have helped shape a new way of life with greater focus on family. And this has in fact brought people closer together and nurtured a spirit of empathy and love among family members. These values have helped us navigate even the very toughest days. In this sense we may say that this imbues special meaning into the year 2020.
Unquestionably, 2020 had an impact in terms of Saudi Arabia further thriving in various ways. The bold yet achievable Vision 2030 is proving its worth as a blueprint for a nation which aspires for yet more; the outstanding Saudi G20 Presidency in the midst of an unprecedented situation is a resounding success the world will long remember.
At the beginning of this year Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the ambitious project of The Line at NEOM which will be a hyper-connected AI-enabled community free of cars and streets. The world will watch attentively the Line project as a living laboratory for human progress and a new future. With the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines I do hope 2021 brings more cooperation between Korea and Saudi Arabia. As a strategic partner we will seek to resume the Korea-Saudi Vision 2030 Committee meetings this year, sparing no efforts to achieve even more fruitful results.
Now is a time to pause, catch our breath and gain a clear sense that blessings are on the horizon; flowers are blossoming and a sense of renewed happiness is in the air. I wish you all treasured moments and memories in 2021 and beyond!
HIS EXCELLENCY CHOW MING WONG
Ambassador of Singapore
Welcome to 2021.
The past year was incredibly challenging. COVID-19 affected all of us in so many ways that no one could have predicted or anticipated its far-reaching impact. Many of us have family or friends who experienced the pandemic – becoming ill, losing lives, losing jobs, closing businesses, or were separated from families for long periods.
We took the blows and learned many lessons. The hardships, however, never broke the human spirit to adapt and innovate. We found new ways to work, to study, and to communicate with our families and friends. Video calls became the norm to help, provide support, and comfort each other. We knew that we weren’t alone even if at times it may have felt that way.
For me personally, the most important lesson was not to take your family and friends for granted. They stood by me when things were rough. So I want to say a big thank you to all of you. And certainly, we must be better prepared to manage future crises, for there will surely be another Disease X. Although there is now light at the end of the tunnel, life won’t be exactly like it was during pre-COVID-19.
We may be in different boats but we are all united in our fight against the COVID storm and the desire to thrive in a post-COVID world.
As we reflect on the past, let’s use the opportunity to look forward to building a better future, to reorganize, revive and restart economies, businesses, education, and indeed our lives safely.
So as we welcome 2021 with hope and confidence, let’s not be complacent. We have to take better care of ourselves, our loved ones, and our planet.
Have a happy new year.
HIS EXCELLENCY DR. ANDRÉ SCHALLER
Ambassador of Switzerland
Wishing you and your families a happy 2021, filled with health, happiness and peace. No matter how challenging the past was, together we always go forward – the best is yet to come.
