Mental strength and perseverance are important values when the country faces tragedies and challenges, says Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman.

He said in the past few years the country was hit by several tragedies such as the missing MH370 aircraft in March 2014, MH17 crash in Ukraine and murder of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2.

"At that time, I was grateful the officers and diplomats involved carried out their responsibilities extremely well with patience and perseverance as well as good communications.

"The role of each individual and institution in the Foreign Ministry was very challenging as the incidents have global exposure. As such our diplomats continued to learn and improve their skills to protect the country's interests proactively and effectively at every stage," he said.

Anifah was speaking at a Coordination and Public Diplomacy Programme with the cooperation of Befrienders Kota Kinabalu and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) in conjunction with UMS orientation week here today. - BERNAMA