At the Hungary Diplomatic Academy in Budapest, the Liberian Foreign Minister and Dean of the Cabinet, Amb. Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., delivered a lecture and presentation that has been hailed as both outstanding and classic.
As part of the activities that took place during the Liberian top diplomat's recent official visit to Hungary, the Academy's students and faculty members requested that he give a presentation on Liberia's foreign policy, economy, and the current state of security in the Sahel Region. He also gave a tour of the Academy.
Minister Kemayah told his audience that the government, under the astute leadership of His Excellency, President Dr. George Manneh Weah, was committed to upholding the values of democracy and improving the living conditions of all Liberians. He said Liberia was open to business, especially foreign direct investment, as the country was stable and peaceful.
The Liberian Minister of Foreign Affairs, when asked about the current state of security in the Sahel region, stated that it was very important that the current state of security in the region be dealt with as quickly as possible because it has the potential to undermine the peace and stability that exists in the region. He stated that the military governments in Guinea, Mali, and Burkina Faso that resulted from coups were dangerous and required immediate attention to transition to civilian rules.
Minister Kemayah stated that both the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Mano River Union (MRU) were working to find solutions to the issues in a peaceful manner. The Foreign Minister of Liberia underscored the efforts that the Liberian government has been doing to help stabilise the leadership in the bordering country of Guinea. According to Amb. Kemayah, on the direction of President Weah, he personally visited the Guinean Junta Leader and encouraged him to return to civilian leadership.
At the beginning of his presentation, Amb. Kemayah extended warmest greetings on behalf of His Excellency Dr. George Manneh Weah, President of the Republic of Liberia, and Chief Architect of the Foreign Policy of Liberia, the Government and people of Liberia, and thanked the two presidents for their continue efforts at improving existing relations between the two countries.
"Permit me to convey the special greetings and warm felicitations of His Excellency Dr. George Manneh Weah, President of the Republic of Liberia, and the Government and People of Liberia, and in my own name, and to congratulate our two distinguished Leaders,Her Excellency Madam Katalin Novák, President of Hungary and her counterpart, His Excellency Dr. George Manneh Weah, President of the Republic of Liberia for their tireless efforts, aimed at promoting and enriching the flourishing excellent personal and bilateral relationships subsisting between our two Governments, Countries and Peoples," he said.
The Liberian Foreign Minister said though the diplomatic relations between the Republic of Liberia and Hungary is relatively young, and in its honeymoon period, but the age and time of the relations don't matter, he said, what matters most is the quality of the relations - the value, the cooperation and friendship the two countries deeply share and enjoy.
He said, "I have personally come to enrich those values and further strengthen the bond of friendship and solidarity so as to make our bilateral ties mutually beneficial and inclusive for our Governments and Peoples.
Considering Liberia as the main subject of his presentation, Amb. Kemayah decided to situate Liberia geographically and historically by saying, "Liberia is located in West Africa on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, bounded by Cote d'Ivoire to the East; Sierra Leone to the Northwest; Guinea to the North and the Atlantic Ocean to the South and West. He Liberia covers an area of 43,000 Square Miles (sq. mi); that is 111,369 Square Kilometers, and has a population of Five Million, Two Hundred and Forty-eight Thousand, Six Hundred Twenty-one (5,248,621), with a coastline of 580 Kilometers; stating that the territory was originally known as the Pepper or Grain Coast, before the American Colonization Society settled freed Negro slaves there, beginning January 7, 1822 when the first ship arrived with them. After more than Twenty-five (+25) years as a settlement, it proclaimed independence as a free and sovereign state on July 26, 1847.
Read the rest of his presentation
The hasty declaration of independence was a consequence of the refusal by the British Government, in consort with indigenous traders to refuse recognition of the authority of the American Colonization Society, a private voluntary organization to levy taxes. Revenue from custom duty accounted for the sole income of the settlement. The refusal to recognize Liberia's sovereignty informed the decision of the settlers to take the dangerous gamble, and ultimate risk of declaring independence when there was no means to defend the independence and sovereignty of the new and lone nation-state in Africa. Liberia declared her independence on July 26, 1847 as Africa's first Independent Republic. It should be noted that Liberia was neither a colony of the United States of America nor any other Country in the World, for that matter.
The population of Liberia is categorized into three groups - the indigenous, who migrated to the territory from Western Sudan in the late middle ages (i.e. AD 1300 to 1500); the Americo-Liberians, who were freed negro slaves brought in by the American Colonization Society and and other smaller groups, and referred to as settlers; and the West Indians and others from the African continent. The indigenous are comprised of Sixteen (16) ethnic groups or tribes; including the Grebo, Gio, Krahn, Lorma, Mandingo, Kpelleh, Mano, Gola, Bassa, Gbandi, Dey, Kru, Mende, Belleh, Kissi and Vai.
The form of Government in Liberia is unitary, constitutional Republic, based on the principles and values of liberal democracy and capitalism. It has three branches of Government, namely, the Legislative - a bicameral chamber made up of the House of Representatives or Lower House and the House of Senate or Upper House; the Executive; and the Judiciary; checking and balancing the authority of each other. Liberia is a Secular Republic. However, the country is predominantly Christians. Islam and other religions freely worship in the country, with the constitution guaranteeing the rights to freely worship religion of choice as any citizen and resident desire.
Although it was the refusal of Great Britain to recognize the authority of the Commonwealth of Liberia that sparked the hasty decision to proclaim independence, yet, ironically, it was Great Britain which became the first country to accord official recognition of the independence of Liberia, and gifted the new and first independent Republic of Africa with two schooners for its navy. His Excellency President Louis Napoleon, III, then President of France gave Liberia some military equipment and uniforms. The following independent and sovereign states at the time accorded recognition to Liberia's independence between 1852 and 1864 in the following order: France; Lubeck; Bremen; Hamburg; Belgium; Denmark; Italy; Turkey; United States; Sweden; Norway and Haiti.
Upon declaring independence, and realizing the perilous threat to its existence, the first President of Liberia, His Excellency the Late Joseph Jenkins Roberts embarked on an extensive tour of Europe to lobby European nations to recognize Liberia as a sovereign state. President Roberts spent nine months of his two-year term on the diplomatic voyage of Europe. As a result of the success of this shuttle diplomacy, we say without reservation, that diplomacy safeguarded Liberia's independence and sovereignty.
Few years after proclaiming independence, the Berlin Conference was held with the objective of partitioning Africa. With the effective application of diplomatic tools, Liberia cleverly weaved its way, and found sympathy with the major powers of the time, mostly in Europe.
However, there were instances where Liberia's sovereignty was threatened by the very countries that have been sympathetic to Liberia. For instance, Great Britain and France annexed territories claimed by Liberia to their then colonies of Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea to the Northwest, East and North of Liberia; respectively, under the justification that Liberia did not have effective administrative control over those territories.
At a specific point in time, France advocated to make Liberia its protectorate, to which the United States of America protested. Again, at a later time, attempts were made to make Liberia a German Protectorate. As a consequence of an allegation of slavery in Liberia, the League of Nations commissioned an investigation, which did not find proof of slavery.
Liberia would have lost its sovereignty had the Country been found guilty of the allegation of slavery. Liberia also faced serious challenges on the economic or financial front. For instance, a bad loan deal with British financiers led to the ouster of His Excellency The Late President Edward James Roye in 1871. Liberia's revenue was placed under international receivership to clear loan obligations to European countries.
Pillars of Liberia's Foreign Policy Objectives and Foreign Relations
The founding fathers of the Republic of Liberia had the foresight to know they had taken a dangerous risk to declare independence without a standing military, a viable economy and guaranteed support and backing in the comity of nations. They were aware of the hostile environment in which they found themselves. The best they could do to safeguard the sovereignty of the country was to craft a foreign policy roadmap and engagement that will guarantee its existence as a nation-state. To this end, Liberia adopted the following key objectives to guide the country's foreign policy and foreign relations:
Maintenance of national security and the preservation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country;
Promotion of peace and harmony, based on the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states;
Unity in the international community;
Devotion to economic, social and political development; simply put, development diplomacy; and
Belief in the political ideology of liberalism, democracy and capitalism.
From independence on July 26, 1847 to the era of His Excellency The Late President William V. S. Tubman in 1944, the fundamental thrust of Liberia's foreign policy objectives was solely the maintenance of national independence. During the Administration of President Tubman from 1944 to 1970, Liberia's primary Foreign Policy Objective was economic, social and political development. The formulation and implementation of Two Flagship Policies; namely: National Unification Policy and Open Door Policy - were the driving force behind this objective.
As Africa's only independent Republic at the time, Liberia took upon itself as the de facto face and leader of the African continent in global affairs, beginning with its entry into the Universal Postal Union on April 1, 1879 to present. Liberia has asserted itself actively in regional and global affairs, and is member of over Forty international organizations. Liberia is a Founding Member of several international organizations, including, but not limited to the proscribed League of Nations, the United Nations and all of its organs, the Organization of African Unity, now African Union, Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Mano River Union (MRU).
Liberia was very visible and active in these organizations, providing leadership and championing the cause of colonized people from different parts of the world; especially in Africa. Consistent with its foreign policy objective of promoting unity in the international community, Liberia played, and continues to play active role in maintaining peace and security in the global community.
To this end, Liberia contributed troops to the United Nations Peace Keeping Operations in the Congo, now Democratic Republic of Congo, and has for the past years to present, been a Troop Contributing Country of the United Nations; for example, currently serving in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) since its establishment in 2013; as well as a United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan.
At this very moment, there is a contingent of 172 uniformed personnel, including 19 women from Liberia to the United Nations Peace Keeping Mission in Mali and South Sudan respectively, making Liberia the 60th largest contributor of peacekeepers in the world.
Liberian diplomats were, and continue to be active within the corridors and Leadership of the United Nations in New York; including, but not limited to the following:
In 1961, Her Excellency The Late Madam Angie Elizabeth Brooks-Randolph served as Chairperson of the United Nations Special Political and Decolonization Committee, which is the United Nations 4th Committee;
Liberia was a Member of the United Nations Security Council for the period; 1961-1962;
In September 1961, His Excellency The Late Amb. Nathan Barnes served as President of the United Nations Security Council;
Her Excellency The Late Madam Angie Elizabeth Brooks-Randolph also served as President of the United Nations Trusteeship Council in 1966;
Again, in 1970, Her Excellency The Late Madam Angie Elizabeth Brooks-Randolph served as the Second Female President of the United Nations General Assembly, following her election in 1969; and
In 2019, His Excellency Amb. Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., current Minister of Foreign Affairs and Dean of the Cabinet of the Republic of Liberia, your humble servant, served as Chairperson of the United Nations Special Political and Decolonization Committee, which is the United Nations 4th Committee; following his unanimous elections on October 4, 2018.
During the liberation struggle in Africa and other parts of the world, Liberia played a vanguard role, and provided financial, material and moral support to the various liberation movements, particularly in Africa to throw off the yoke of colonialism and imperialism. In addition to direct financial support, Liberia gave honorary citizenship and diplomatic passports to many leaders of the liberation movements, notable among them, are His Excellency The Former Late President Nelson Mandela of South Africa and His Excellency Former President Hifikepunge Pohamba of Namibia.
Additionally, Liberia provided scholarships and education to many young Africans from East, West, South and Central Africa to empower them to fight colonialism and bondage. Liberia played host to political refugees from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Sudan, among others. Liberia has shown leadership and support for the independence of Africa and places where humans continue to be degraded.
On the ideological front, Liberia is the proud home of the Philosophy of Pan Africanism, as the Father of this illustrious idea was a Liberian Citizen - His Excellency The Late Professor Amb. Edward Wilmot Blyden. Professor Blyden was versatile and erudite. He was a cleric, scholar, linguist, statesman and diplomat, who made the greatest impact as a literary figure and man of ideas. He served as high school Principal, editor of the Liberia Herald, Professor of Classics (i.e. Latin and Greek) at Liberia College, and eventually, became President of the college. He went on to serve as Secretary of State, now Minister of Foreign Affairs, Secretary of the Interior, now Minister of Internal Affairs, First Negro Ambassador to the Court of St. James, Great Britain, High Envoy to Great Britain and France, Advisor on African Affairs to the Sierra Leone and Nigeria Governments; respectively, and Director of Muslim Education in Sierra Leone. It was Professor Blyden's idea of African unity and integration, especially, the conception of Liberia and Sierra Leone becoming one country; all of West Africa becoming one country, and all of Africa becoming one country that gave expression to the founding of the Mano River Union, the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union; respectively.
Prof. Blyden wrote several books with two, "Africa for the Africans" and "Christianity, Islam and the Negro Race" standing out as classics.
From Early to Current Liberian Diplomatic Service
Before 1944, Liberia's diplomatic service was entrusted to, and manned by non-Liberians. A notable exception was Ambassador Edward Wilmot Blyden in London. But Amb. Blyden's stay in London was self-sponsored. Basically, the Liberian Government did not have the resources to underwrite the cost of running its Foreign Service. For instance, Dr. Nmandi Azikiwe, the first President of Nigeria applied into the foreign service of Liberia, but was rejected on account of being a non-Liberian. Dr. Azikiwe focused his doctoral research on Liberia, entitled "Liberia in World Politics". He came close to becoming President of Liberia College. But, all that changed with the advent of His Excellency The Late Former President William V. S. Tubman.
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In 1946, negotiation was held with the United States Government to train Liberians in international relations, with the objective of nationalizing Liberia's foreign service. This initiative was undertaken under the astute leadership of His Excellency The Late Former Secretary of State, Gabriel L. Dennis. The Foreign Service Institute of Liberia was established by an Act of the Legislature in 1946, and was acknowledged as a training institute when its first group of Thirty (30) students was dispatched to Washington, D. C., United States of America to be trained as foreign service personnel. The First Director of the Foreign Service Institute of Liberia was His Excellency The Late Ambassador George A. Padmore.
The Institute was closed after the military coup d'etat in 1980, and was re-opened in 1988, only to be closed again in 1989 as a result of the Liberian civil war. It was again re-opened in 2002. The Institute has produced many prominent diplomats and influential national figures, including, but not limited to the current Vice President of the Republic of Liberia, The Honorable Madam Chief Dr. Jewel Howard Taylor; as well as many career diplomats in Liberia's Foreign Service, and in the home office.
When Liberia took over its foreign service; and with the training from the foreign service institute, the Country contributed significantly in training officers from the newly independent states of Africa in the rudiment of protocol and diplomacy.
Comparatively, the Foreign Service Institute of Liberia is far older than the Hungarian Diplomatic Academy, but it is not the age that matters. Although the Hungarian Diplomatic Academy started its first academic year in September 2020, it is advanced, and respected as it has lived up to its objective and standard, just as the Foreign Service Institute of Liberia continues to do. We seek, and are hopeful that the Foreign Service Institute of Liberia and the Hungarian Diplomatic Academy will form a strong bond of cooperation; including, but not limited to the exchange of experiences, students, faculty and academic materials; as well as mutual support.
Liberia captured the peculiar predicament it was in to fall on, and maximized its skills in diplomacy as the only weapon at the time for its survival. Liberia is still on the top in its strategy of adopting Foreign Policy Objectives, and sustaining and pursuing relations with other countries, whenever necessary, to ensure continuity in the safeguard of its sovereignty and national security and interest.
Madam President, distinguished fellows, I salute all of you for your work and the commitment put into it. Developing career objective in diplomacy is a noteworthy one. I'm a testament to that, having served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Liberia to the United Nations and all of its Organs in New York, prior to serving in my current capacity as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Dean of the Cabinet of the Republic of Liberia. We urge you to continue to focus on the virtue of your country and propagate it to the best of your ability. Serve your country well by commanding respect and trust. As I usually express in Two (2) of my many slogans, informed by my core values and principles: "Public Service is for Public Good"; "Let Your Service as a Public Servant Give The Tax Payers - The Citizens of Your Country Added Value for Their Money". Let me once again thank you for the honor done me by giving me your full attention.
I thank You.
