Burnaby resident Luis Villalba is the new honourary consul of the Republic of Paraguay to British Columbia.

Villalba, a Capilano University business instructor, was appointed to the position at a ceremony in Victoria on March 29.

"My main tasks will be to foster commercial, cultural and educational relations between B.C. and Paraguay," Villalba said in a press release. "I believe that bringing educational and professional perspectives from different points of the globe - including distant, yet growing countries such as Paraguay that today belongs to the South American common market powerhouse - will benefit our students and our academic community by fostering global citizenship."

Villalba added; "I believe that it is worth noting that the appointment was partially made by the fact that Capilano University participated in the Paraguay community-based tourism training program and we had the chance to contribute in a small way to Paraguay's development."

Paraguay's President Fernando Lugo and the minister of foreign affairs of Paraguay issued a presidential decree on Feb. 3, appointing Villalba to the Vancouver-based post.

The diplomatic credentials were presented to Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada by the Paraguayan ambassador to Ottawa, Manuel Shaerer Kanonnikoff.