Philippine Ambassador to Germany Melita Sta. Maria-Thomeczek bade farewell to her colleagues, the Filipino community, and Berlin’s diplomatic community as she reached the mandatory retirement age of 65.

 

Various groups and individuals organized events in honor of Ambassador Thomeczek to pay tribute to her productive three-year tenure in Berlin, which saw significant developments in Philippine-German relations.

During her farewell courtesy call last January 23, Federal Foreign Office Director General for Asia and Pacific Affairs Ina Lepel congratulated Ambassador Thomeczek for her successful stint as Philippine Ambassador to Germany.

 

DG Lepel cited Ambassador Thomeczek’s excellent work in the past three years, highlighting ongoing initiatives on defense cooperation and economic diplomacy, among others, as well as the positive outcome of the 3rd Philippines-Germany Political Consultations held in Manila in November 2017.

On her birthday last January 25, the Embassy joined the Ambassador in marking the conclusion of 27 years of dedicated service to her country as a career diplomat in a simple yet memorable get-together.

Concluding her career in Germany carries particular significance for Ambassador Thomeczek, as her first foreign assignment in 1995 was at the Philippine Embassy in Bonn, then the seat of government of a unified Germany, as Second Secretary and Consul.

Part of her academic life was also spent at the Speyer School of Administrative Sciences in Rhineland-Palatinate, where she earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.

Prior to her appointment as the Philippines’ top diplomat in Germany, Ambassador Thomeczek served as her country’s Deputy Consul General in New York City, USA from 2004 to 2011, and Assistant Secretary for Personnel and Administrative Services at the Department of Foreign Affairs. END