Diplomat Magazine

Ladislav Hamran, President of Eurojust

JUDICIAL COOPERATION:

IT ALL STARTS WITH TRUST

ADDRESSING A GLOBAL

CHALLENGE FROM THE HAGUE

Queen Noor , Dowager Queen of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

LE FRANÇAIS…MAIS POURQUOI DONC?

Philippe Couvreur , Juge ad hoc

WORLD VS. CORONA:

“CHINA SETS EXAMPLE” Rustam Minnikhanov , President of Tatarstan

TATARSTAN IS THE CROSSROAD OF TRADE ROUTES AND CIVILIZATIONS

BRIDGING THE GENDER GAP IN INTERNATIONAL LAW

BY AND FOR DIPLOMATS - THE FIRST DIPLOMATIC MAGAZINE IN THE NETHERLANDS’ HISTORY DIPLOMATMAGAZINE.EU

BE EFFECTIVE IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE

IMPROVE YOUR LANGUAGE SKILLS

Highly effective language training You can rapidly improve your language skills with us at Regina Coeli. Our team of trainers are happy to design a training programme for you which allows you to learn a language at your level, in a way that suits you and your needs.

Your course takes place at our institute in the peaceful, country town of Vught in the southern part of the Netherlands. Here, you can retreat from the world and fully focus on learning a language. Our modern building features numerous amenities to pamper you while you study and during your stay.

Learn a language at Language Institute Regina Coeli • Individual, tailor-made courses focused on your language goals • Tried and tested method based on scientific insights • The language trainers are all native speakers • Extensive experience in training both beginners and advanced speakers with a range of professional backgrounds

Arabic • Chinese • Dutch • English • French • German • Italian • Portuguese • Russian • Spanish

More information | Please send an email to hello@reginacoeli.nl or call us at +31 (0)73 684 87 90 | www.reginacoeli.com

Colophon DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE

By Diplomats for Diplomats Year 7, No 1, June 2020 ISSN: 2468-3469

HEADS OF DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS, FOUNDERS OF DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE IN JUNE 2013

Dr. Mayelinne De Lara Photography: Luis Ariel Gomez

H.E. Carlos Jose Arguello, Ambassador of Nicaragua, Dean of the Diplomatic corps H.E. Roberto Canzadilla, Ambassador of Bolivia, vice-Dean of the Diplomatic corps H.E. James Lambert, Ambassador of Canada H.E. Huynh Minh Chinh, Ambassador of Vietnam H.E. Martin Valentino, Ambassador of Malta H.E. Yasumasa Nagamine, Ambassador of Japan Dr. Eugenio Matos, Chargé d’affaires a.i. Embassy of Dominican Republic

PUBLISHER EDITOR

Dr. Mayelinne De Lara Roy Lie Atjam

DIPLOMATIC ADVISER Baron Henri Estramant

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Guido Lanfranchi, Sciences Politiques, Paris

JUNIOR EDITOR Eugene Matos De Lara, University of Ottawa

JUNIOR PUBLISHER Duke Michael of Mecklenburg, University of Leiden

PHOTOGRAPHERS Kim Vermaat Robert Huiberts Roy Strik Chris Ronteltap

Hester Dijkstra Marian van Noort Naldo Peverelli

Photo on the cover: Ladislav Hamran, President of Eurojust Photography: Eurojust Stichting Diplomat Magazine is a non-profit Dutch foundation. It is the first diplomatic magazine in the Netherlands’ history, published by and for diplomats in collaboration with experts in international relations and diplomacy, the academia and dedicated volunteers from the Netherlands and overseas.

A broader selection of articles and contributions can be found in our free online version at: www.diplomatmagazine.eu The editors do their best to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine. However, mistakes and omissions are, regrettably, possible. No rights may therefore be derived from the material published.

All rights reserved. Nothing in this edition may be reproduced, stored in an automated database, or made public, in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, by photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher.

At this particular moment in our history, the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging us all, affecting the population of 212 countries and territories, impacting not only our health, but also the global economy and our way of working and living at large.

While the COVID-19 pandemic is posing many personal challenges to all, the impact of the pandemic on the diplomatic community has been tremendous. As flights got cancelled, hundreds of foreign citizens found themselves stranded in the Netherlands, and the diplomatic community swiftly mobilized to provide them with repatriation assistance. At the same time, however, diplomats themselves were not able to join their families back home – not even in order to mourn the loss of family members.

The pandemic will change the course of many aspects of our lives, including those of international politics, diplomacy, and the economy, as well as the planning of events, businesses, and institutions, locally and internationally.

During the last months, Diplomat Magazine has made the necessary adjustments to keep providing you with quality information, giving space to the best articles in order to keep the Magazine’s high standards, remaining in touch with ambassadors and our diplomatic community regardless of the need to remain at home.

In the cover of this issue we feature Ladislav Hamran, President of Eurojust, talking about judicial cooperation at large. As special contributor, we have then the articles of Queen Noor, Dowager Queen of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the President of Tartarstan, the ministers of foreign affairs of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Croatia, as well as many ambassadors from different countries.

This issue also features a French section, in which we open the possibility to expose relevant global issues in French, “la langue par excellence de la diplomatie et du droit”.

Instrumental in this regard has been the direction of H.E. Philippe Couvreur, judge ad hoc and former Registrar at the International Court of Justice, as well as the support of the ambassador of Armenia, H.E. Tigran Balayan, as president of the “Groupe des ambassadeurs francophones à La Haye”.

We hope you will enjoy the opinions of prestigious academics and diplomats talking to you from the pages of Diplomat Magazine.

As we wait for the developments of this crisis, the current historical moment is characterized by major uncertainties. Fortunately, we have an amazing community that is working hard to keep the diplomatic work going and preparing for whatever will come next. Let us get through this first phase and be prepared for a more invigorating future.

Thanks to Diplomat Magazine’s resilient team, whose members have kept on working every day from their homes across different countries, thus making this outstanding issue of Diplomat Magazine possible.

Dr Mayelinne De Lara .

Publisher publisher@diplomatmagazine.nl

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE Zuid-Hollandlaan 7 2596 AL The Hague, the Netherlands www.diplomatmagazine.eu publisher@diplomatmagazine.nl For all the very latest diplomatic news, views, photos, events and more, go to: diplomatmagazine.eu

3

advertorial BE EFFECTIVE IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE BE EFFECTIVE IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE

IMPROVE YOUR LANGUAGE SKILLS IMPROVE YOUR Highly effective language training LANGUAGE SKILLS

Highly effective language training You can rapidly improve your language skills with us at Learn a language at Language Institute Regina Coeli Regina Coeli. Our team of trainers are happy to design a training programme for you which allows you to learn You can rapidly improve your language skills with us at a language at your level, in a way that suits you and your Regina Coeli. Our team of trainers are happy to design needs. a training programme for you which allows you to learn a language at your level, in a way that suits you and your Your course takes place at our institute in the peaceful, needs. country town of Vught in the southern part of the Netherlands. Here, you can retreat from the world and Your course takes place at our institute in the peaceful, fully focus on learning a language. Our modern building country town of Vught in the southern part of the features numerous amenities to pamper you while you Netherlands. Here, you can retreat from the world and study and during your stay. fully focus on learning a language. Our modern building features numerous amenities to pamper you while you study and during your stay.

• Individual, tailor-made courses focused on your Learn a language at Language Institute Regina Coeli language goals • Tried and tested method based on scientific insights • Individual, tailor-made courses focused on your • The language trainers are all native speakers language goals • Extensive experience in training both beginners • Tried and tested method based on scientific insights and advanced speakers with a range of professional • The language trainers are all native speakers backgrounds • Extensive experience in training both beginners and advanced speakers with a range of professional backgrounds

LANGUAGE IS THE ESSENCE OF DIPLOMACY are no longer taught by sisters but by native speakers from all “If you want in-depth knowledge of a country and its people, corners of the globe. You have intensive one-to-one lessons you have to be able to speak its language. Only then will a with a dedicated team of language trainers whose only aim whole new world and its culture open up for you.” These are is to help you fulfill your personal learning goals. In addition the words of Joost Flamand, Dutch Ambassador in Rome. “In Arabic Chinese • Dutch • English • language; French • German Italian lessons, • Portuguese • specific Russianassignments • Spanish to your•individual you work on Italy, they• almost embrace you if you speak their given to you by your trainers. There is also time for self-study they really appreciate it.” and to meet other course members.

Arabic Chinese • to Dutch • English • French • German • Italian • Portuguese • Russian • Spanish Shortly• before he left take up his new post in Rome, In their own kitchen, a professional team of caterers prepare Flamand did an intensive Italian training course because he healthy meals for you using locally grown, fresh products. wanted to be able to communicate fully in Italian during his Good food provides the energy you need for such an time there. And he succeeded. He came to Regina Coeli, intensive learning process. Furthermore, our course members a language institute where, historically and to this day, have their own rooms at the institute and are able to enjoy ambassadors and diplomats have learned their languages. a peaceful environment conducive to learning, away from distractions.

Christian missionaries were the very first course members to be taught by the ‘Nuns of Vught’. Very soon, this was the name Language Institute Regina Coeli became known Due to the many different nationalities in as. The missionaries achieved such good results that it was house, the language institute in Vught has not long before ambassadors and diplomats followed their an international flavour which enables course example and found their way to the ‘Nuns’.

Regina Coeli has developed over the years into the renowned institute it is today; the perfect place to learn to speak a foreign language well in a relatively short period of time. You

members to learn easily from and with each other. If you would like to improve your skills in a foreign language, we would be happy to welcome you to our institute!

More information | Please send an email to hello@reginacoeli.nl or call us at +31 (0)73 684 87 90 | www.reginacoeli.com

diplomatmagazine

10 8

36

MAIN ARTICLES

Ladislav Hamran, President of Eurojust Judicial cooperation: it all starts with trust Her Majesty Queen Noor Addressing a Global Challenge from The Hague

MAGAZINE DIPLOMATIQUE 6 8

DIPLOMAT VIP

H.E. Mr. Rustam Minnikhanov President of the Republic of Tatarstan 10 H.E. Mr. Elmar Mammadyarov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan 12 H.E. Dr. Gordan Grlić Radman, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia 14 H.E. Ambassador Nicolas Bideau head of Presence Switzerland 15 H.E. Mr. Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry ,Director General of Ajman Tourism Development Department 16 Honorable Pete Ricketts Governor of the US state of Nebraska 17 Sawsan Chebli, Plenipotentiary of the City-State Berlin to the German Federation & State Secretary for Civil Commitment and International Affairs 18 Europa Nostra 19 H.E. Baron Albrecht von Boeselager, Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta 20

DIPLOMAT Ambassadorial BELGIUM H.E. Mr. Dirk Lodewijk M. Achten CHINA H.E. Dr. Xu Hong AZERBAIJAN H.E. Mr. Firkat Akhundov VIET NAM H.E. Ms. Ngo Thi Hoa GREECE H.E. Mr. Nicolas Plexidas NORWAY H.E. Martin Sørby BELARUS Dr. Stanislav Vassilevsky UAE H.E. Ms. Hissa Abdulla Ahmed Alotaiba MEXICO H.E. Mr. José Antonio Zabalgoitia GHANA H.E. Ms. Sophia Horner-Sam BANGLADESH H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Belal IRAQ H.E. Dr Hisham Al-Alawi MALTA H.E. Ms. Marlene Bonnici

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

62

22 23 24 25 26 28 29 30 31 32 34 35 36

M. Philippe Couvreur Le français…mais pourquoi donc?

40 H.E. M. Zohrab Matsakanyan L’Arménie en tete de la Francophone 42 S. Exc. Juge Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade La Préservation de l’héritage des Archives du Tribunal de Nuremberg 44 Tereza Neuwirthova La BD Francophonie : une célébration de la langue française et de la culture des bandes dessinées 45 François Roux, Avocat Honoraire Plaidoyer pour la Justice Pénale Internationale 46 H.E. Ambassadeur William Roelants de Stappers La Belgique et les organisations internationales à La Haye 48 36e conférence ministérielle de la Francophonie 50 Guy Beauchamp « Je tiens la route! » Projet pour la santé mentale positive des jeunes en milieu scolaire 52

DIPLOMAT POUCH

Women in International Law Network Igor Rybakov Hanneke Eggels MA Marco Pizzorno Martina Maschauer Guido Lanfranchi Eric van de Beek Marco Pizzorno Priscilla C.X. de Leede, LL.M. & Jan Dop, LL.M. Guido Lanfranchi

54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63,64,65

and much more!

5

diplomatmagazine

JUDICIAL COOPERATION: IT ALL STARTS WITH TRUST LADISLAV HAMRAN Photography: Eurojust A fellow prosecutor recently reminded me of what it was like to send out a request for judicial cooperation to another European country some twenty years ago. “I felt a bit like Robinson Crusoe”, he said. “It seemed like putting a message in a bottle and throwing it in the sea, not knowing where it would end up and when. Luckily we now have Eurojust.”

To me, this perfectly illustrates the incredible progress we have made in the field of judicial cooperation since then.

When I started working as a prosecutor over two decades ago, crime was much more

6

confined within national borders than it is today. As a consequence, so were prosecutors and judges. Whenever there was a need to work together, we had to rely on lengthy, often unpredictable diplomatic channels. We stayed within our own borders, followed our own legal procedures and faced many challenges in the exchange of information and evidence. In an increasingly globalised world, we knew that something had to change. Organised crime and terrorism started to rapidly expand across borders and the need for better cooperation between EU Member States became ever more apparent.

“Whenever I am asked about the secret of our success, I limit my answer to one simple word: trust. Trust means making the conscious decision to work together despite of our differences.”

diplomatmagazine

TRUST At Eurojust’s premises in The Hague, you will find prosecutors from 27 EU Member States and 8 third countries working together under one roof. In many of our cases, they join forces with Eurojust Contact Points located in 52 countries all over the world. Each of these legal professionals comes from a different national jurisdiction, with its own legal system, customs, traditions and practices. So how do we manage to bridge the gap between so many different jurisdictions? How do we make judicial cooperation work in this highly complex playing field?

Whenever I am asked about the secret of our success, I limit my answer to one simple word: trust. Trust means making the conscious decision to work together despite of our differences. It means respecting each other’s sovereignty and being open to compromise.

It means acknowledging that we may have different ways of working, but all share the same ambition of protecting our citizens and making this world a safer place.

At the same time, establishing trust cannot be done overnight. It is a delicate process that requires tact and, above all, diplomacy. In fact, one can easily argue that 50% of our work at Eurojust is based on our legal expertise and the other 50% on judicial diplomacy. Our support may take the shape of a highly detailed legal analysis, but can equally be as practical as providing translation by specialised interpreters to make sure that prosecutors and judges can communicate freely with each other. It is therefore only fitting that Eurojust is located in the City of Peace and Justice, where we have created the right environment to foster dialogue and remove practical barriers to cooperation.

PROGRESS I am convinced that the careful cultivation of trust through judicial diplomacy is at the root of the major progress we have seen in the field of judicial cooperation in the past two decades. Because of the increased trust between countries, the efforts to fight cross-border organised crime and terrorism have moved from individual to joint, from isolated to coordinated, and from local to regional or even global.

In parallel with this increase in trust, we witness a continuous growth of Eurojust’s casework. In 2019 alone, we dealt with more than 8 000 cases – a 17% increase compared to the year before. These are not just numbers,

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

because each case has a direct impact on the safety of our citizens. Making it concrete: in one years’ time, Eurojust’s support contributed to the arrests of nearly 2700 suspects, the seizure or freezing of €2 billion in criminal assets and the end of drug trades worth €2.7 billion.

It is fair to conclude that what we do at Eurojust works. The level of judicial cooperation we have achieved in the EU is unprecedented and we regularly receive prosecutors and judges from all over the world who want to learn from our experience. I sincerely hope that our model will form a blueprint for similar cooperation in other continents, making it easier for judicial authorities to join forces at a global level.

LOOKING AHEAD While I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved so far, I am also acutely aware of the many challenges still ahead of us.

Digitalisation, for instance, is profoundly affecting the criminal justice field. On a global level, cybercrime is the most rapidly expanding form of organised crime.

Becoming a victim of cybercrime is no longer a remote risk and geopolitical tensions may well have repercussions for our virtual security. But digitalisation is not just a catalyst of cross-border crime, it is also part of the solution. The coming year will be decisive for Eurojust’s Digital Criminal Justice initiative, with which we aim to give prosecutors across the EU the modern digital tools they need to work together even better.

Further globalisation is equally inevitable.

It will not only lead to an increasing interconnectedness in the political, economic and cultural domain, but also have a significant impact on how easily criminals join forces and what we can do to stop them. Eurojust will continue to bring together prosecutors and judges from all over the world. Our goal is to carefully cultivate trust amongst them, with full respect for each other’s national jurisdictions and legal traditions. Judicial diplomacy plays a key role in this process, and I consider it an absolute privilege to be working closely together with the diplomatic community in The Hague. By promoting the work of Eurojust and connecting us to the judicial authorities in their home countries, our colleagues from the embassies and international organisations are making a vital contribution to ensuring that justice is done.

I can only hope to continue this excellent cooperation in the future.

Photography: Eurojust

EUROJUST It was with great foresight that the European Council decided to step up judicial cooperation and create Eurojust back in 1999. The EU Heads of State and Government clearly understood that providing a safe and secure environment to live, work and trade together is one of the core tasks of the European Union. Moreover, they understood that cross-border cooperation between judges and prosecutors was going to be a crucial factor in holding criminals accountable for their acts and giving victims of crime the justice that they deserve.

The role of Eurojust is to facilitate this cooperation. We share our unique expertise with national authorities through legal advice and analytical support. We assist with the execution of European Arrest Warrants (EAWs) and European Investigation Orders (EIOs). We set up coordination meetings, allowing prosecutors from different countries to meet in person and agree on the most effective prosecution strategy. We organise coordination centres, enabling the execution of arrests, searches and seizures in several countries at the same time during joint action days.

Furthermore, we provide legal, practical and financial support to Joint Investigation Teams in major cross-border cases.

7

diplomatmagazine

ADDRESSING A GLOBAL CHALLENGE FROM THE HAGUE

BY HER MAJESTY QUEEN NOOR, DOWAGER QUEEN OF THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN

Photography: ICMP

Climate change has created challenges – including natural disasters, conflict over resources, and irregular mass migration – that compound deep-seated problems already facing the global community. This can seem overwhelming, yet, just as danger is generated by a world in flux, human ingenuity and resolve can deliver effective responses. And these responses can often be located at source – by addressing social, political, cultural and environmental issues, we can off-set geopolitical challenges further down the line.

For much of my adult life I have worked to promote sustainable development, cross-cultural understanding and conflict prevention and recovery. My work in Jordan and the Arab world has focused on national and regional human security in areas such as education, conservation, poverty eradication, human rights and family and refugee health. Initiatives advanced by the Noor Al Hussein and King Hussein Foundations have introduced best practice programs addressing women, youth and community empowerment, microfinance, and health, as well as the arts as a medium for social development and cross-cultural exchange. Internationally,

8

I have focused on climate change and environmental conservation, refugees and Middle East peacebuilding, disarmament, and human security through various organizations and institutions and a stint as a UN expert advisor on implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.

visited the Balkans in 1996 to bring aid from Jordan to the survivors of the Srebrenica genocide. Since then, I have worked closely with families of the missing from Srebrenica and the Western Balkans as a Commissioner of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP).

My Princeton degree in Architecture and Urban Planning, no doubt, has influenced my unorthodox, more holistic, integrated approach to the resolution of any of these distinct challenges over the past 40 years. This has certainly been the hallmark of the most successful post-conflict recovery work in the field of missing persons, a global challenge that I first became acquainted with when I

For more than two decades, ICMP has been helping countries and communities to respond – systematically and effectively – to the challenge of large numbers of missing persons. In 2015, ICMP moved its Headquarters to The Hague, where it is an active member of the diplomatic and intergovernmental community in the City of Peace.

Her Majesty Queen Noor is an international public servant and advocate for crosscultural understanding and conflict prevention and recovery issues such as refugees, missing persons, poverty, climate change and disarmament. Her peace-building work has focused on the Middle East, the Balkans, Central and Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa. Her Majesty has been a Commissioner of the International Commission on Missing Persons since June 2001.

diplomatmagazine Although it was established in 1996 to help authorities in the Western Balkans account for the 40,000 people who were missing as a result of the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, in 2003, ICMP’s mandate was expanded, enabling it to work throughout the world and to deal with the issue of missing persons arising from disasters, human rights abuses, organized crime, irregular migration and other causes, as well as conflict.

In 2015, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg were the founding signatories to the Agreement on the Status and Functions of the ICMP, and it was under the terms of the Agreement that the organization established its new Headquarters in The Hague.

There are many reasons to choose the Netherlands as a base of operations. Logistics and efficient infrastructure, of course – not to mention the extraordinarily positive character of Dutch society and the Dutch people. ICMP’s move to The Hague, however, was determined by a more specific consideration. Its mandate to secure the cooperation of governments required its relocation to a diplomatic hub.

As an intergovernmental organization with a global remit, The Hague is ICMP’s natural home.

Today, ICMP has programs in the Western Balkans, Iraq, Syria, Colombia and Mexico.

It is also working to address the issue of missing Mediterranean migrants. In addition to its country programs, ICMP deploys cross-cutting core programs in and from its Hague Headquarters. Institution and Civil Society Development, Science & Technology, Data Systems & Data Coordination, and Assistance to Justice, are complemented by ICMP’s Center for Excellence and Learning (CEL), which facilitates the transfer of knowledge and expertise to government and civil society stakeholders around the world. In September this year, the CEL was formally named after the late Wim Kok, the former Dutch Prime Minister, who died in October 2018 and who had been an ICMP Commissioner since 2002.

The Commissioners wanted to honor Wim Kok because not only did he bring remarkable energy and commitment to ICMP’s mission, as an experienced political leader he consistently made the case for a systemic response to the complex global challenge of missing persons.

In the Balkans, ICMP led an effort that has made it possible to account for more than 70 percent of those who were missing, including 7,000 of the 8,000 who went missing after the fall of Srebrenica in July 1995. The legacy of missing persons in other countries is even greater – as many as 100,000 may be missing from the conflict in Syria, more than 100,000 from the conflict in Colombia, between 250,000 and one million missing in Iraq – and this is just a snapshot. Societies across Africa and Asia are struggling to address huge numbers missing as a result of conflict, migration and disaster.

The nature and the scale of the problem goes far beyond a short-term, humanitarian response.

It has to be tackled in an integrated and sustained way over a long period and it has to have the needs and aspirations of victims at its center. I know this from my own experience.

I have been in mass graves. I am still haunted by the memory. But I have also witnessed the courage and determination of those who were bereaved by those mass graves. Working for more than two decades with the Mothers of Srebrenica, I have witnessed and supported their proactive and resolute search for justice and truth. The experience of families in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been mirrored across the Western Balkans and indeed across the world, where conflict or disaster or other causes have resulted in large numbers of missing persons.

The need for truth, the need for justice is universal, and survivors will work across ethnic, religious, political and economic divides – often more willingly and creatively than their political representatives – in order to establish what happened to the missing and to secure justice.

Societies recovering from trauma will not make progress as long as large numbers of people are missing. Peace building efforts will be confounded as long as families of the missing do not know the fate of their loved ones. Governments will not secure and maintain the confidence of citizens if they fail to uphold the right to truth, to justice, and to compensation.

ICMP has developed an approach that is fundamentally embedded in upholding the rule of law and this is one of the things that make its mandate so distinct.

In November 2018, at the Peace Forum organized by French President Emmanuel Macron, ICMP unveiled a set of eight Paris Principles derived from the Declaration on the Role of the State in Addressing the Issue of Persons Missing as a Consequence of Armed Conflict and Human Rights Abuse, which was signed by four heads of government from Southeast Europe in the summer of 2014.

The Paris Principles assert that resolving the fate of missing and disappeared persons and protecting persons against disappearance are integral to fulfilling the responsibility of states to support peace, reconciliation and social cohesion, and are key elements in upholding basic human rights. The Principles highlight the fact that missing persons investigations must be capable of establishing the facts, and that cooperation among states and international institutions is indispensable. They also emphasize that persons who go missing or are victims of enforced disappearance are entitled to protection under the law, regardless of citizenship or residence status, and that all measures to address the issue of missing migrants, for example, must uphold and advance the rule of law.

“Accounting for the missing is a moral obligation, but it is also – and this is crucial – a legal obligation; fulfilling this obligation advances and strengthens the rule of law. This is ICMP’s operating principle: it is a principle entirely consistent with the ethos embraced by the community of organizations that, like ICMP, have their Headquarters in The Hague. ”

DIPLOMATMAGAZINE MAGAZINE #11 #10 DIPLOMAT

9

diplomatVIP

The Republic of Tatarstan is one of the leading, industrially developed and innovative regions of the Russian Federation, the territory of intercultural and interfaith dialogue, where East and West meet, trade routes intersect, Islam and Christianity successfully develop and interact.

T

By H.E. Mr. Rustam Minnikhanov, President of the Republic of Tatarstan

Photography: Government of Tatarstan

TATARSTAN IS THE CROSSROAD OF TRADE ROUTES AND CIVILIZATIONS

The unique location of the region in the centre of Russia, at the confluence of the two largest rivers: the Volga and the Kama, where the Great Silk Road and the Furry Road merged, connecting the north and the south of Eurasia, since ancient times it had become one of the reasons for the formation of a large civilization centre in this part of the world.

It was here that in 922, Islam was officially adopted by the ancestors of modern Tatars in the ancient city of Bolgar. For over a thousand years, a unique culture of Christian-Islamic dialogue and harmony has been developed in our land. Today, the Tatars being the second largest ethnicity in Russia and making up more than half of the population of the Republic of Tatarstan practice mainly Islam. The rest of the population – Russians (about 40% of the people residing in the republic), as well as the Chuvash, Mari, Udmurt, Mordovians – as a

10

rule, profess Orthodoxy. Representatives of 173 nationalities live on the territory of the republic in the spirit of neighbourliness and friendship.

This largely explains the diversity of Tatarstan’s cultural wealth. The republic has a unique tangible and intangible heritage. The capital of Tatarstan, Kazan, has more than a thousand-year history. There are three sites in the republic inscribed by UNESCO onto the List of World Cultural and Natural Heritage: the Kazan Kremlin (inscribed in 2000), the Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex, the place of the adoption of Islam in the region of Tatarstan (inscribed in 2014), the Assumption Cathedral and the Monastery of the Island-town of Sviyazhsk of the Russian Orthodox Church (inscribed in 2017). 2017 saw the opening of the Bolgar Islamic Academy, as well as restoration of the

Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. The foundation stone of the interfaith harmony in the republic is well-observed balance of the interests of two major faiths and the equality of all religions before the law.

The centuries-old experience of friendship and cooperation of various religions and cultures has proved to be highly demanded nowadays. In accordance with the order of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin since 2014 President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov heads the Strategic Vision Group “Russia – the Islamic World”, aimed at facilitating the processes of dialogue and cooperation between our country and Muslim states on a cultural and civilizational basis. As part of the Group activities, there are dozens of economic and humanitarian projects being implemented.

diplomatVIP Today Tatarstan has trade relations with more than 150 countries of the world. The development of international cooperation is one of the priorities of the Republic while maintaining a good balance of cooperation with Western and Eastern partners. Tatarstan is deeply integrated into global economic relations. About half of the manufactured products are export-oriented toward foreign markets.

The leading industries are oil production and petrochemistry, aircraft manufacturing, mechanical engineering and instrument making. The republic produces helicopters, airplanes, heavy vehicles, petrochemicals, tires, ships, compressor and refrigeration equipment, polyethylene, synthetic rubbers, medical and optical devices, detergents and medicines, as well as other products, a significant part of which are exported.

Tatarstan has developed one of the best infrastructures in Russia for establishment of joint ventures and innovations. There are two special economic zones on the territory of the republic, namely “Alabuga”, which is the largest industrial and production type zone in Russia, and “Innopolis” – the zone of the technical-innovative type, as well as about 100 industrial sites of various kinds. Dozens of overseas companies are implementing their investment projects in Tatarstan.

The republic is well known for the high level of scientific development. For over 200 years, Kazan has been one of the leading research centres in Eastern Europe. Over 16 thousand foreign students from 120 countries study here. Tatarstan is recognized as one of the sports and tourist leaders of Russia. Largescale

sporting events of the second decade of the 21st century were held in Kazan: the World Summer Universiade in 2013, the FINA Championships in 2015, the FIFA World Cup Games in 2018 and the WorldSkills Competition in 2019. Number of tourists visiting Tatarstan in 2019 is estimated at around 3.5 million people.

diplomatic EVENTS

COLOMBIAN RHYTHMS IN THE HAGUE

BY ROY LIE ATJAM

Photography: Kim Vermaat

In 2020, Tatarstan is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the modern statehood of the republic, as in May 1920 there were defined the borders of the territory and the Autonomous Tatar Socialist Soviet Republic was established as part of the Russian Soviet Federative Republic.

In the Republic of Tatarstan, there was developed a model of a multicultural, multi-confessional society, which is the most palatable for a multinational state. The most important values are high production and personnel capacity, social and political stability, interethnic and inter-confessional peace and harmony, which are the basis for further progressive development of the republic and improvement of the quality of life of its population.

Welcome to the Republic of Tatarstan!

Photography: Government of Tatarstan

Theatre Diligentia was full to capacity. The Embassy of Colombia in The Hague had organized a special cultural event of the renowned Colombian ensemble Ensalsate.

A real Colombian experience, it was full of glamour, flavour, art and magical realism. Truly, an international salsa show.

Four talented dancers, stylishly dressed, put on a dazzling rumba show which was partly interactive and the diverse audience loved it. They danced to the pulsating tunes of rumba.

“The talent of the best salsa dancers and musicians in our region adds to an impeccable, emotional and impactful show.” Explained the representative from the embassy of Colombia in The Hague.

It is good to note that apart from rumba other famous Latin-Caribbean rhythms are: bolero, chachachá, mambo, son, merengue and the more modern bachata.

Without a doubt, all left the Theatre Diligentia with a heart full with joy.

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

11

diplomatVIP

A

AZERBAIJAN AND THE NETHERLANDS:

MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL COOPERATION RELATIONS AND THEIR PROSPECTS

By H.E. Mr. Elmar Mammadyarov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Photography: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan

The year of 2019 was an important milestone for the Republic of Azerbaijan in terms of its foreign policy. Thus, hundred years ago, on 9 July 1919, the Government of the Azerbaijan People’s (Democratic) Republic (ADR) adopted a temporary instruction on the Secretariat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to a Decree of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, this date was taken as the basis for the establishment of the Day of employees of the Diplomatic Service of Azerbaijan.

12

One century separates us from a time when the ADR was taking its first steps in the international arena. It was an incredibly hectic century which encompassed the collapse of former empires which perished in the fire of World War One, Azerbaijan’s state independence (1918-1920) in the form of the first republic in the Muslim East, the loss of this independence, seven decades within the USSR, and the new historic achievement – the proclamation in 1991 of the Republic of Azerbaijan which, for almost three decades, has consistently strengthened its positions in the region and the world as a whole.

Today, under the able leadership of the country’s highest political authorities, Azerbaijani diplomats continue to successfully uphold its national interests worldwide, enhancing political cooperation networks and launching new dimensions. The Netherlands are one of traditional partners for Azerbaijan since we’ve regained independence. Two countries enjoy full-fledged agenda of mutually beneficial cooperation. And that’s why the celebration of centenary of diplomatic service also provides a good opportunity to look back at the bilateral relations and take stock of the progress achieved so far.

Azerbaijan considers the Netherlands a close ally and a reliable partner in both bilateral and multilateral field. The relations between the Netherlands and Azerbaijan have been growing on a positive scale for the last twenty-seven years – ever since the establishment of diplomatic relations on April 1, 1992. The relations are built on mutual respect to territorial integrity and sovereignty and existing cooperation cover areas such as trade, logistics, agriculture, education, tourism and etc.

The scale of trade and investment between the two countries attest to the importance of economic relations. For instance, foreign trade turnover between the Netherlands and Azerbaijan in 2018 was 181.83 million USD, of which 77.9 million USD was export of Azerbaijani products to the Netherlands and 103.8 USD was import of Dutch products to Azerbaijan.

The Netherlands continues to remain as one of the top investors in the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan. Dutch companies implement large-scale projects in fields such as logistics, transport, environmental protection and agriculture. Among the

diplomatVIP successfully implemented projects, we can name the planning, design, engineering and construction of Baku International Sea Trade Port, providing environmental solutions to pollution of lakes by oil spills and urbanisation in Absheron peninsula, construction of a model farm in Azerbaijan based on Dutch agricultural experience and know-how.

Cooperation in the logistics field is of great importance at the moment. In 2019, a delegation of Baku International Sea Trade Port visited the Netherlands, where a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation was signed with a number of Dutch logistics. A first test container from Venlo to China via Baku, Azerbaijan was sent later this year, as a follow-up of this visit. It is also envisaged to open representation of Baku International Sea Trade Port in Venlo, the Netherlands to oversee the cooperation in the logistics field.

Tourism has also been increasing steadily for the last years. More and more Dutch tourists opt to enjoy the beauty and landscape of Azerbaijan during their holidays. Holding of Formula 1 Grand-Prix games has especially contributed to the increased interest of Dutch Formula 1 fans to Azerbaijan. The simplification of Azerbaijan’s visa system, which makes it possible to receive visas within just a few hours, is particularly appreciated by Dutch people, who can easily and effortlessly

travel to Azerbaijan. The direct cargo flights have been operational between Maastricht and Baku since 2016 and negotiations are underway to open direct passenger flights between Baku and Amsterdam.

So, the development of mutually beneficial cooperation with the Netherlands as one of the founding countries of the EU fully fits into the paradigm of a balanced foreign policy of Azerbaijan.

In the education field, there is a growing cooperation between the two countries.

ADA University in Baku has been offering dual-degree MBA programme with Maastricht University of Management in the Netherlands, where graduates receive both ADA and Maastricht University diplomas.

Wageningen University and Research of the Netherlands and ADA University of Azerbaijan have created a master plan for promoting investments in agricultural sector in Azerbaijan. An agreement is underway with Fontys University in the Netherlands for training of Azerbaijani professionals in logistics field.

Today, the foreign policy achievements of our country, which is regarded as a reliable partner, are of course based on establishing good cooperative relations with neighboring countries and other countries of the world, as well as implementing equal dialogue and cooperation based on mutual interests. Our foreign policy priorities include the strengthening of sovereignty and independence of the country, elimination of consequences of military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan and restoration of its territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders, as well as, the continuation of large-scale infrastructure projects implemented with the initiative and participation of Azerbaijan, further development of mutually beneficial cooperation with all international actors, including states, associations and international organizations.

These are just a few examples of successful cooperation between the Netherlands and Azerbaijan. A lot has been done, yet there is a vast potential of cooperation which still remains untapped. Therefore, the focus for the upcoming years would be to continue bringing tangible and measurable results in the bilateral relations through fostering business to business cooperation, increased trade turnover and successful implementation of economic projects.

And on the way to the realization of these constructive goals, we hope to continue a true partnership with our largest economic partners represented by the EU countries, including the Netherlands.

diplomat Magazine events

DEAR RACHEL, BEST BOOK OF THE HAGUE 2019

Live Rachel Price € 21.95, 228 pages, ISBN 9789082495133.

Experienced reporter and the most known diplomatic editor in the Netherlands, Leo van der Velde not only writes about the diplomatic life and The Hague society news but also a weekly letter in AD Haagsche Courant to granddaughter Rachel (8) about The Hague then and now. On the launch of Lieve Rachel, his new book, last November in Pagan Bookshop, Rachel van der Velde received the first copy from grandpa Leo.

For information about the book and shipment: John Nieuwenhuizen, mail to john@hncom.nl or call 06-17110758.

Paagman bookstore has made a selection of 12 of the best books published in 2019. ‘Dear Rachel’ won first place.

Leo’s successful column have been bundled by AD Haagsche Courant’s publisher, together with previously unpublished stories and photos, in the book ‘Dear Rachel’. In the columns of Dear Rachel, a world that we don’t longer know comes to life.

He takes his granddaughter by the hand, telling her about the past and listen to her daily experiences.

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

“I still write a full-page letter every week on Friday to Rachel, in which I take her to The Hague from my younger years,” says van der Velde. “Wandering through the city with her and her little sister Chlöe is the best thing I have ever have done.” According to colleagues, his section is among the best-read and highly appreciated among readers of the newspaper.

In short, a beautiful book about the unique atmosphere of The Hague, Leo van Der Velde and Rachel discovering, for all mothers and fathers, grandfathers and grandmothers, children and grandchildren. Van der Velde has previously written paperbacks for Fuiven & Kuiven and Happen & Stappen.

Leo van de Velde, received a Royal Decoration, the Order of Orange Nassau for his longstanding commitment to journalism.

Photography: Frank Jansen

13

diplomatVIP

Croatia’s Presidency comes at a time of great changes for the European Union; the beginning of a new institutional and legislative cycle following the new multiannual financial framework, as well as the challenges resulting from the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, uneven economic development, climate change, increased migrations, dissemination of disinformation and growing populism.

The Republic of Croatia is proud to take over the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first time in the first half of 2020. During the six-month period, Croatia is determined to promote the interests of the European Union and its citizens and position itself on the European and international political, economic and cultural scene. Croatia believes that strong and united Europe is the only answer to the challenges of today’s world.

Hence, under the motto “A strong Europe in the world of challenges” Croatia is preparing a presidency agenda based on four priorities.

The first priority of the Croatian Presidency is “Europe that is developing” in a balanced, sustainable and inclusive way.

This development includes strengthening competitiveness and skills adjusted to the jobs of the future, promoting balanced regional development while at the same time taking into account the sustainability of that growth,

C

CROATIAN PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION:

A STRONG EUROPE IN A WORLD OF CHALLENGES

By H.E. Dr. Gordan Grlić Radman, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia

protecting the environment and combating climate change that is becoming one of the Union’s key tasks. Croatia will also encourage horizontal debate on demographic challenges, which is a problem affecting not only Croatia, but also many other Member States.

The second priority is “Europe that connects” in terms of development of transport, energy and digital infrastructure and responding appropriately to all challenges posed by the new technologies and digitalization.

In order to achieve full social, economic and territorial cohesion, there is a need for transport, energy and digital infrastructure to be further developed. Croatian Presidency will encourage policies that strengthen infrastructural connectivity of the Union and bring together its citizens, primarily through education, culture and sports.

With the third priority, “Europe that protects”, Croatian Presidency is determined

Photography: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Croatia

14

to further establish the Union as an area of freedom, security, and justice founded on common values, democracy and the rule of law. This includes strengthening internal security, protecting freedoms and democracy, ensuring full interoperability of IT systems, strengthening resilience to external threats and malicious cyber activities, and active work on comprehensive and sustainable migration policy. Croatia is decisive to advocate for a coherent and comprehensive approach to external and internal aspects of migration, including legal migration.

“An influential Europe” is the final priority of the Croatian Presidency. Croatia intends to promote multilateralism and international development while promoting European values and interests as the main point of reference for the Union’s external action. Its credibility in international relations is also reflected in a responsible approach towards its neighborhood, including the Western Balkans in its immediate surroundings. During Croatia’s Presidency, an EU-Western Balkans Summit will be organized between the leaders of the EU and Southeastern European countries aspiring to become EU Member States. Croatia will advocate for revitalization and strengthening of the EU prospects for Southeast Europe, based on the complete fulfillment of membership criteria.

Croatia’s priorities have been attentively chosen to address the challenges the European Union is facing today. In today’s complex setting, Croatia is confident in taking an important role at the helm of the joint European project in further building a strong Europe in a challenging world. Croatia is dedicated to conducting its Presidency as a mediator and builder of compromise based on shared values and respect for mutual interests between Member States: by enhancing dialogue, promoting consensus, and seeking compromise rather than creating divisions.

N

diplomatVIP

NATION BRANDING – A COMMUNICATION OPPORTUNITY

By H.E. Ambassador Nicolas Bideau, head of Presence Switzerland

Photography: Government of Switzerland

At Expo 2021, which will be held in Dubai from October 2021 to April 2022, the Swiss pavilion will take centre stage, promoting Switzerland’s traditional image as well as its innovative strengths.

In recent decades, countries have become aware of the value of their image and have put strategies in place to shape, alter or strengthen their reputation. Communication wonks call this ‘nation branding’ and Switzerland is by no means exempt.

World expos have therefore become essential communication platforms. Participating countries can provide an emotive experience for visitors and present themselves in surprising ways. Such exhibitions provide an ideal platform for discovery and dialogue.

Participation in such an event sends a strong signal to the international community and confirms a country’s interest in working with other nations to find solutions to global challenges, to strengthen trade and to create new partnerships. And, Switzerland was one of the first countries to announce its participation in Expo 2021.

Countries are now increasingly subject to scrutiny from the media, NGOs and the public, and are judged and compared on the basis of their economic prowess, political stability, sense of international responsibility and cultural interest. For this reason, world expos are important communication opportunities.

World expos enjoy a high profile in the media and among the public, both internationally and locally. In terms of nation branding, they are effective in reaching a wide audience, both directly and indirectly, via new and traditional media channels.

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

The national pavilion will provide the Swiss government with an attractive platform to showcase its priority themes in international communication: business, science, education, the environment and culture. It will cast the country as innovative, competitive and responsible, while at the same time highlighting its deep-rooted traditions.

In order to maximise a country’s pull factor, nation branding experts capitalise on the perceptions of their country and its symbols to promote the brand image. Switzerland’s most important brand identity drivers are the products it exports. The ‘Swiss made’ label is viewed by many consumers to be a guarantee of quality, whether in the machine industry, the agri-food sector or the luxury goods sector. The challenge for communicators is how best to use this perception to get the message across. Chocolate, for example, is one thing people spontaneously associate with Switzerland and can be used as a communication lever to explain how without Swiss innovation chocolate would not even exist.

Switzerland enjoys a positive and stable image abroad and is regarded as an important player in the global economy. However, this positive image cannot last forever without constant attention: we have to maintain the high quality of the offer and invest in presenting it in a positive light. Using communication to best leverage your assets is a challenge for all countries. That is the secret of nation branding – capitalising on your country’s known strengths to generate positivity towards it.

These communication dynamics are at the forefront of world expos. Each country presents itself through a national pavilion, and while general perceptions of a country play a crucial role in drawing the crowds, once inside the pavilion, visitors expect a memorable experience. Providing that experience is the only way to ensure a long-term impact on the perception of visitors.

As a founding member of the Bureau International des Expositions, Switzerland has taken part in most world expos. Over the years, the Swiss pavilion has gradually established itself as an attractive brand, often drawing some of the biggest crowds and gaining much media coverage. Regular surveys among visitors confirm that the pavilions leave a positive impression of Switzerland.

At Expo 2021 in Dubai, Switzerland aims to present itself as a country of innovation which remains true to its traditions. The pavilion has therefore been modelled on a journey, travelling through Switzerland the hub of innovation and Switzerland the land of bucolic splendour. Along the way, visitors will discover Switzerland’s values, its strengths in terms of education, research, innovation and business, but also the qualities and savoir-faire specific to Switzerland that give it the ability to provide answers to the challenges of the future.

Expo 2021 is an important communication opportunity in the region.

See you in Dubai in October 2021!

15

diplomatic EVENTS

diplomatVIP

RESIDENTIE ORKEST BUSINESS CIRCLE – NEW YEAR CONCERT

BY ROY LIE ATJAM.

The Hague Philarmonic Orchestra New Year’ Concert – The Hague Philharmonic Orchestra/The Residentie Orkest, enthusiastically welcome the new year 2020 no doubt will be a musical year.

The Zuiderstrand theater was full for this festive occasion. The program details: Mr Kazem Abdullah (USA), conductor, Kari Postma (Norway) soprano and Hermine Deurloo (Dutch) harmonica player. Master of ceremony was Mr Ab Nieuwdorp. The concert selection of pieces: Strauss Jr. – Overture ‘The Gypsy Baron.Gershwin – Suite Porgy and Bess, Gershwin – American in Paris, Amber – Overture ‘West Side Story.

The main focus was on Strauss and Gershwin. Furthermore, Various waltzes, polkas and arias. The concert was nothing if not fascinating, the audience responded with a standing ovation. Conductor Kazem Abdullah thanked the audience for coming out in such large numbers.

He went on to say, we will start 2020 with music in our hearts.

Photography: Hester Dijkstra Mr Peter Arensman, president of the Residentie Orkest Business Circle cordially invited members of the circle to join him at a special concert at the Zuiderstrand theater. Following the concert, the Business Circle held a reception for its members and invitees at the Haven Foyer.

The Rabobank, a member of the Business Circle donated a cheque worth Euro 10,000 to the Residentie Orkest. A student Efe Fargane, who is affiliated with the Residentie Orkest, also received a cheque from the Rabobank to pursue his education.

The theme of the 2020 new year concert was “A new Light”, the light will keep on shining all year long.

16

A AJMAN’S

RAPIDLY DEVELOPING

TOURISM SECTOR

By H.E. Mr. Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General of Ajman Tourism Development Department

The Emirate of Ajman lies on the coast of the Arabian Gulf in the northern UAE between Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain.

Renowned for its warm hospitality, Ajman is competitively priced with world-class infrastructure, unique landscapes, attractive destinations and events that offer something for everyone. The Emirate appeals to tourists of all ages and nationalities, including visitors who are interested in luxury beach holidays, adventure breaks and cultural heritage.

Ajman Tourism Development Department (ATDD) was established in 2012 to highlight the Emirate of Ajman’s tourist attractions and to formulate strategies to promote tourism locally, regionally and internationally.

Tourism contributes significantly to Ajman’s economy, and ATDD works with its partners in the tourism sector to develop, enhance and promote attractions, events and destinations in order to boost this contribution and support Ajman’s growth and prosperity.

ATDD also showcases Ajman as a destination for tourism and investment by participating in international campaigns, roadshows and regional and global conferences and exhibitions, including ITB Berlin and the WTM London. In addition to networking extensively with travel trade professionals and tour operators, ATDD partners with leading international tourism agencies and tour companies.

An increasing number of tourists are visiting the Emirate, and Ajman’s pristine beaches are popular with both domestic and international visitors who can choose from luxurious 5-star resorts and a variety of hotel facilities.

Photography: Ajman Tourism Development Department

The Emirate’s diverse landscapes include a stunning coastline, mountain villages and Al Zorah Nature Reserve, a Wetland of International Importance. With one million square metres of mangrove forests, creeks and lagoons, the Reserve is ideal for water-based activities including kayak and canoe tours. Nature-lovers will marvel at the incredible variety of marine and plant life and approximately 58 species of birds, including the pink flamingo.

Outdoor enthusiasts can also opt to enjoy the 18-hole championship golf course at Al Zorah Golf Club and hiking in Masfout, a small enclave in the Hajar Mountains less than two hours from the city centre.

The Emirate showcases its wealth of heritage and culture in attractions such as Ajman Museum, which is housed in a beautifully restored 18th century fort. The soon to be opened Ajman Heritage District, a multipurpose project adjacent to Ajman Museum, will feature entertainment, retail and F&B outlets.

The most recent of ATDD’s many achievements include launching the Ajman Sea Festival, the Ajman Philatelic and Numismatic Exhibition and the Modama Award. By rewarding the tourism sector for practices that help to preserve Ajman’s environment and natural resources, ATDD aims to establish Ajman as a leading international destination for sustainable tourism. ATDD became the first government organisation in Ajman to be awarded international certification for its Digital Platform for People of Determination and, last year, ATDD opened its first overseas office in the United Kingdom, an important tourist market for Ajman.

diplomatVIP

With their devotion to the land, our state’s farmers and ranchers are the original conservationists. They know their land better than anyone else and have a vested stake in its conservation. They want to pass on the family farm or ranch to the next generation, so they care for the land in a sustainable way. For this reason, agriculture and conservation go hand in hand in Nebraska.

Nebraska is a global leader in agriculture, producing world-class crops and manufacturing innovative farming technologies. Among U.S. states, Nebraska ranks first in beef and veal exports, second in ethanol production, third in corn exports, fourth in total cash receipts from all farm commodities, and fifth in soybean exports.

Our state has 2.5 million cattle on feed and harvested 1.8 billion bushels of corn in 2019.

Many people are surprised to learn that Nebraska’s prolific production comes primarily from family farms. Ninety-five percent of the farms in our state are family-owned. Nebraska’s farmers and ranchers have been cultivating the land and tending livestock for generations. It’s common to find farms or ranches that have remained in the same family for over one hundred years.

Each year, I present the Leopold Conservation Award to recognize a farmer or rancher who has displayed innovation in conservation. The award is named after Aldo Leopold, a renowned naturalist, conservationist, and author. He developed the concept of the “land ethic”— the idea that we have a moral duty to care for the natural world. The most recent Leopold Award winner, Russ Sundstrom, exemplifies this caretaking attitude toward the land and wildlife that is common to Nebraskans.

Like many of Nebraska’s ranchers, Russ is deeply rooted in the land. His great-grandfather immigrated to Nebraska from Sweden in 1904. Russ and his brother, Neil, are the fourth generation in their family to take care of their ranchland. Russ thoughtfully stewards the land to restore and conserve it. He practices mob grazing, where cows bunch together and graze intensely in one spot, before moving to another area. This rotational strategy gives the pastureland more than a year’s worth of rest before it is grazed again. The grazing technique benefits local wildlife as well as allowing the main forage plants ample time to replenish.

Russ also uses controlled fires to burn invasive species, like red cedar trees, from his land. His work has restored thousands of hectares of lands to their original habitat. His conservation efforts have also been a tremendous benefit to local wildlife that depends on the native grasses and shrubs for food and shelter.

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

N

NEBRASKA’S

SUSTAINABLE FAMILY FARMS FEED THE WORLD By the Honorable Pete Ricketts, Governor of the US state of Nebraska

Cattlemen like Russ are producing significant quantities of beef for the European market.

Nebraska has expanded its share of American beef exported to the European Union (EU) from five percent in 2005 to 53 percent in 2018. Last year, President Trump and the European Union reached agreement to allow the U.S. to more than double the amount of beef it exports to the EU in the coming years. The trade deal ensures that Nebraska beef will become even more widely available in grocery stores and restaurants in the EU.

Though a landlocked state, Nebraska is now home to an innovative Dutch-German joint venture working to replenish sea life. In June, Veramaris, established by Royal DSM and Evonik, opened a brand-new production facility in rural Nebraska. Veramaris CEO Karim Kurmaly is a marine biologist who is passionate about stewarding our oceans’ resources.

His company is producing omega-3 fatty acids using fermented algae and dextrose from Nebraska-grown corn.

Producing the omega-3s in Nebraska allows fish farmers to give salmon the nutrition they need without having to use wild fish as feed. In turn, reducing reliance on wild fish prevents the depletion of marine life.

Photography: The state of Nebraska

In November, Avansya—a joint venture between Cargill and Royal DSM—began producing a zero-calorie sugar substitute from dextrose at a fermentation facility in Nebraska. The sweetener, made from the stevia plant, gives consumers a healthy way to reduce their sugar intake without sacrificing flavor. Veramaris and Avansya join other global bioscience companies, such as the Danish firm Novozymes, that have chosen to operate in Nebraska. They’ve selected Nebraska on account of our business friendly climate, abundant natural resources, agricultural expertise, and highly educated workforce.

In November, I led a trade mission to Germany and met with leaders from Evonik, Bayer, Claas, and other German companies to thank them for investing in Nebraska.

Farmers and ranchers from Nebraska joined me to offer firsthand testimony of the high-quality crops and livestock grown in Nebraska. Our state is deeply appreciative of our European partners, and—as Governor—I am committed to growing our friendship with the EU.

17

diplomatVIP

S

“SOLIDARITY CITIES”:

THE ROLE OF CITIES IN FOSTERING DEMOCRACY

By Sawsan Chebli, Plenipotentiary of the City-State Berlin to the German Federation & State Secretary for Civil Commitment and International Affairs

Photography: Sharon Back But many large cities are fighting back. Not alone but collectively. We are organized in multilateral city networks, maintain bilateral partnerships with each other and have the power to confront nationalism and right-wing populism not only at the individual, but also at the national level.

As Berlin’s Permanent Secretary for International Relations, I am proud to say that Berlin stands for freedom, openness and diversity. So much so that big NGOs such as the Open Society Foundations are moving their European headquarters here from places where they were under pressure from antidemocrats. Berlin actively fosters democracy, not only here, but also internationally.

When national governments curb democratic rights, racists and rightwing extremists walk the streets and dominate the conversation online, they are taking over both physical and societal space. And when this happens, words turn into deeds very soon. To stop this, democratic cities must support each other.

And that’s what we do. Berlin supports Warsaw, Budapest, Prague and Bratislava, the capitals of the Visegrád states. They recently formed the Pact of Free Cities. Where? In Berlin. The pro-European mayors of these cities will now work together even more closely to promote

18

I wish I could start on a positive note. But I can’t. What we experienced in the past few years in Germany, in Europe and in the world is far too alarming. What we are currently fighting for is nothing less than the very existence of our democracies.

Because wherever we look, we see how fundamental democratic values are being questioned. We see how politicians and civil society actors who fight for human rights, refugees and minorities are being threatened with their lives. We see how scientists, journalists and artists who just want to do their jobs are under repression. And we see how racism is spreading throughout our country. The horrific attack in Hanau last week, where ten people were murdered, is unfortunately no exception.

democracy, freedom and the rule of law in their countries. Last month, they asked Berlin to sign a letter to the European Commission’s President Ursula von der Leyen, which we did.

The four mayors requested that EU funding be paid directly to cities – rather than via national governments – to support the European Green Deal, a project they embrace, in contrast to the national governments of the Visegrád states.

And this is only one example of many. Two years ago, we created the fellowship program “Weltoffenes Berlin” (cosmopolitan Berlin) to offer a safe haven to artists and academics who are being persecuted in their countries because of their political beliefs.

Cities have to stand up for each other. More than ever. Only when we form alliances can we make our voices heard. Cities must understand their crucial role as strongholds of democracy and against right-wing nationalism.

Metropolises can send important signals and be antipodes to right-wing movements.

If we do not start full-on fostering of democracy as solidarity cities, I am afraid our democracies and basic democratic rights are at risk. Losing them is a real possibility.

Antidemocratic ideologies and extremists are strong, but we are stronger. It is in our hands now.

Photography: Europa Nostra,2020 Photography: Europa Nostra. The ‘7 Most Endangered’ sites in Europe 2018

diplomatVIP From left to right: Europa Nostra Secretary General Sneska-Quaedvlieg-Mihailovic, European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, Europa Nostra Vice-President Androulla Vassiliou and Head of Brussels Office Jimmy Jamar.

Photography: EC - Audiovisual Service

E

Europe is confronted with unprecedent challenges, including a public health emergency, a deep environmental crisis and a dangerous rise of extremism and populism. At a time when Europe is at a crossroads, we must change the course of action to shape its future.

If Europe is to become a force for good in a complex and vulnerable world, Europa Nostra - Europe’s leading citizens’ movement for cultural heritage - deeply believes that we have to rediscover and reaffirm our shared cultural values and heritage.

In its Paris Manifesto “Relançons l’Europe par la culture et le patrimoine culturel!’ (2019), Europa Nostra asserts that cultural heritage is an undeniable part of Europe’s identity and urges European leaders to place it where it belongs: at the heart of the European project.

Cultural heritage bridges generations, connects people to places and fosters a sense of belonging. The study Cultural Heritage Counts For Europe Report 1 (2015), demonstrates that heritage positively contributes to the Union’s key priorities in terms of social cohesion, citizens’ well-being and sustainable development.

For almost six decades, Europa Nostra has raised awareness on the value of cultural heritage for Europe; advocating for heritage at all levels; celebrating excellence in heritage protection and mobilising to save Europe’s endangered heritage.

Europa Nostra was founded in 1963 by 17 civil society organisations from 10 different countries, inspired by the ideals of European integration and solidarity. Today, Europa Nostra is Europe’s largest and most representative civil society network committed to cultural heritage.2 It is not accidental that Europa Nostra’s headquarters are located in The Hague, the

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

EUROPAFORGING NOSTRA: A NEW EUROPEAN DEAL FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE

International City of Peace and Justice, and its Brussels Liaison Office at the heart of EU decision-making. For decades, we have forged partnerships with key international actors such as the UNESCO, the Council of Europe and key non-governmental stakeholders, and have become the major civil society partner of the EU institutions in the heritage field .3

One of the many highlights was the first-ever 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage; a real proof that heritage is gradually given a higher priority on the EU political agenda. Not only did Europa Nostra advocate for its designation - together with other civil society stakeholders like the European Heritage Alliance 3.3 4- but also actively contributed to its preparation, implementation and success. The European Year gave a strong impetus to EU heritage action and funding, mainstreaming it across different policies. Europa Nostra is now fully committed to sustain the legacy of this Year and to upscale its achievements.

Since 2018, many things have changed.

Europe has new leadership: at the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Council and the European Central Bank. Europa Nostra has already been meeting with and advocating towards new EU leaders to forge a New European Deal for Cultural Heritage built on the solid foundations of the European Year.

Such a “European Heritage Deal”, in combination with the EU Green Deal, will result in a renewed and sustainable commitment to cultural heritage. We are convinced that it will significantly contribute to Europe’s socioeconomic recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemics.

Europe indeed needs to invest in its human and cultural capital to face the complex challenges ahead. Cultural heritage has the power to bring Europeans together and renew their enthusiasm for the European project. Our Europe needs education, culture and heritage to fulfil its promise of being a continent of peace, stability and prosperity in today’s turbulent world.

1Europa Nostra, ENCATC, Heritage Europe, the Heritage Alliance, the

International Cultural Centre and the Raymond Lemaire International Centre for Conservation at the University of Leuven.

2 Europa Nostra assembles 340 member organisations - including nongovernmental and public bodies, foundations, museums universities, etc.-, and nearly 1,000 individuals from over 40 countries.

3 Europa Nostra runs two successful programmes with the EU: the 7 Most Endangered with the European Investment Bank Institute since

2013, and the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards scheme with the European Commission since 2002.

4The European Heritage Alliance 3.3 is an informal platform of 49 European and international heritage networks.

19

diplomatVIP

The government of the Sovereign Order of Malta, as well as our entities and embassies, have all mobilized to deal with the emergency, first of all by training medical and non medical staff to guarantee assistance in safe conditions.

Our programs have been reinforced to respond to the enormous pressure on the national health systems; support has been provided to hospitals, health centres, ambulance services and, at the same time, assistance has been increased to the care system for the elderly and disabled, many of whom suffer isolation, and to other groups such as migrants and the homeless. The Order’s scope of action in Europe was already fully operational throughout the continent.

Now our greatest concern is mainly towards Africa, the Middle East, South-East Asia and South America, fragile areas

By H.E. Baron Albrecht von Boeselager, Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of where the contagion of Covid-19 could Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta. have unimaginable consequences.

c

Covid-19 and future

challenges for diplomacy

For over 900 years, the Sovereign Order of Malta has turned its gaze to those most in need and brought them help, following the Christian principles that constitute its main trait. Its mission has been expressed over the centuries during wars, famine, natural disasters, migrations, but also during periods of peace, with daily assistance to the weakest, in the developing world as well as in the wealthiest societies. Present in over 120 countries, the Order of Malta is a centuries-old oak tree.

Thanks to its deep roots in the fertile humus of voluntary work, the Order is able to use the strength of its diplomacy trunk and cover with its rich foliage the most marginalized sections of society.

The importance of the diplomatic network that has been laboriously woven over the years with 110 countries is put into evidence

20

Photography: Order of Malta

by the dramatic situation brought about today

by Covid-19. The Sovereign Order of Malta’s ambassadors - deployed in many countries around the world, and its representatives at the UN, the EU and other international organisations - are permanently engaged in what is known as “Humanitarian Diplomacy”.

They are committed to raising awareness about problems, risks and threats in the humanitarian field among the public and decision-makers. This pandemic, which suddenly reminded us of the power of nature, is forcing us to consider the challenges we will face in the near future, all of them inextricably linked: poverty, health challenges, diseases, migrations. We affirm, with ever greater conviction, that the only weapon in our hands is solidarity, on a social, political and economic level.

The Order of Malta is already present in many of these realities and now it is promoting a new strategy of prevention and risk reduction through the development of interactions on several levels, becoming an advocate of various projects: among them, the Doctors to Doctors program, which aims to share the best practices to stop the spread of Covid-19.

The initiative creates an online platform for the exchange of knowledge between Order of Malta experts in Europe and those facing Covid-19 in Middle East countries.

I conclude by expressing a wish for a movement of global solidarity, the only road to overcoming this dramatic emergency.

diplomat Magazine events

Photography: Naldo Peverelli

THE HAGUE’S AMBASSADORS GATHER AT THE PEACE PALACE Many of the Ambassadors accredited in The Hague came to the city’s emblematic Peace Palace, a symbol of Peace and Justice in the world, and took a memorable picture all together.

The meeting, which wants to symbolize the need for cooperation and solidarity in the struggle for peace among all countries in the world, was organized by the Peace Palace and Diplomat Magazine.

Mr. Erik de Baedts, Director of the Peace Palace and the Carnegie Foundation, welcomed the Ambassadors at their arrival.

The gathering was attended by the Ambassadors of the Republic of Albania, H.E. Ms. Adia Sakiqi, Republic of Angola, H.E. Ms. Maria Isabel Ecoge, Argentine Republic, H.E. Mr. Hector Horacio Salvador, Republic of Armenia, H.E. Mr. Tigran Balayan, People’s Republic of Bangladesh, H.E. Mr. Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Plurinational State of Bolivia, H.E. Mr. Enrique Eduardo Rodriguez Veltze, Bosnia & Herzegovina, H.E Ms. Mirsada Colakovic, Federative Republic of Brazil, H.E. Ms. Regina Maria

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

Cordeiro Dunlop, Republic of Bulgaria, H.E. Mr. Rumen Alexandrov, Republic of Chile, H.E. Ms. Maria Teresa de Jesus Infante Caffi, People’s Republic of China, H.E. Mr. Dr. Hong Xu, Republic of Cuba, H.E. Ms. Soraya Elena Alvarez Nunez, Czech Republic, H.E. Ms. Katerina Sequensova, Denmark, H.E. Mr. Jens-Otto Horslund, Arab Republic of Egypt, H.E. Mr. Amgad Maher Abdel Ghaffar, Republic of El Salvador, H.E. Mr. Agustin Vazquez Gomez, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, H.E. Mr. Million Samuel Gebre, Republic of Finland, H.E. Ms. Paivi Marjaana Kaukoranta, Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Mr. Dirk Brengelmann, Republic of Ghana, H.E. Ms. Sophia Horner-Sam, Holy See, H.E. Mr. Aldo Cavalli, Republic of India, H.E. Mr. Venu Rajamony, Islamic Republic of Iran, H.E. Mr. Ali Reza Kazemi Abadi, Republic of Iraq, H.E. Mr. Hisham Al-Alawi, Ireland, H.E. Mr, Kevin Kelly, State of Israel, H.E. Mr. Naor Itzhak Gilon, Italian Republic, H.E. Mr. Andrea Perugini, Japan, H.E. Mr. Hidehisa Horinouchi, Republic of Latvia, H.E. Ms. Aiga Liepina, Republic of Lebanon, H.E. Mr. Abdel Sattar Issa, Republic of Lithuania, H.E. Mr. Vidmantas Purlys, Grand Duchy of

Luxembourg, H.E. Mr. Jean-Marc Hoscheit, Malaysia, H.E. Mr. Ahmad Nazri Bin Yusof, Republic of Malta, H.E. Ms. Marlene Bonnici, United Mexico States, H.E. Mr. Jose Antonio Zabalgoitia Trejo, Kingdom of Morocco, H.E. Mr. Abdelouahab Bellouki, Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Mr. Oji Nyimenuate Ngofa, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, H.E. Mr. Shujjat Ali Rathore, Republic of Portugal, H.E. Ms. Rosa Maria Bettencourt Amarante de Ataide Batoreu Salvadore e Brito, Romania, H.E. Ms. Brândușa Predescu, Russian Federation, H.E. Mr. Alexander Vasilievich Shulgin, Slovak Republic, H.E. Mr. Roman Buzek, Republic of South Africa, Chargé d’affaires, Ms. Olitha Lebelo, Embassy of the Republic of Suriname, Chargé d’affaires Mr. Oquemele Denz, Republic of Korea, H.E. Mr. Yun Young Lee, Kingdom of Sweden, H.E. Ms. Annika Lisa Markovic, United Republic of Tanzania, H.E. Ms. Irene Florence Mkwawa Kasyanju, Uganda, H.E. Ms. Mirjam Blaak, Ukraine, H.E. Mr. Vsevolod Chentsov, Oriental Republic of Uruguay, H.E. Ms. Laura Dupuy Lasserre, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, H.E. Ms. Haifa Aissami Madah, Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, H.E. Ms. Ngo Thi Hoa, Republic of Yemen, H.E. Ms. Sahar Ghanem.

21

diplomatAMBASSADORIAL

BELGIUM A DIFFERENT TYPE OF EMBASSY

By H.E. Mr. Dirk Lodewijk M. Achten, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to the Kingdom of The Netherlands.

Photography: Embassy of Belgium in The Hague

Being a bilateral ambassador in a neighbouring country with which one shares so much history and culture, is a very peculiar mission. Since the cooperation has reached an unprecedented level of intensity in many areas, it is more than a full time job. Belgium and The Netherlands cooperate in all fields of governance, too much to cover in any comprehensive article. Therefore today we will share some insights on two priorities in our bilateral security cooperation. Namely the defence cooperation and cross-border cooperation against drug related crime.

The past year was an historic testimony of our long standing security cooperation, as The Netherlands celebrated its 75 years of liberation. Belgian soldiers from the Piron Brigade and the Special Air Service liberated several areas, and my presence was required in many places (more places than there were days available).

DEFENCE One of the areas with very intense Dutch-Belgian cooperation is defence. This cooperation, especially in the naval domain, already dates back to 1948 just after the end of the Second World War. The cooperation intensified over the years and lead to the current situation where we have an integrated naval command structure operating from Den Helder.

Today Belgium and the Netherlands are developing and procuring important weapon systems together such as the new generation mine counter measure vessels and the new frigates. Each country has the lead in the procurement of one weapon system and all decisions are made in consensus and full transparency.

As ambassador, I try to facilitate these projects where I can. Last year the theme of the annual King’s Day reception in my residence was precisely this naval cooperation symbolised by the presence of both naval commanders, an exhibition and the musical tunes of an ensemble of the Belgian Navy band.

22

Of course there are other opportunities to intensify the cooperation as Belgium and the Netherlands have both procured the same airplane (F-35) to replace their current F-16 fleet. Although Belgium opted in the land domain for a strategic partnership with France and the Netherlands intensified its cooperation with Germany, there still are lots of opportunities available such as the cooperation of our special forces. All this was recognized by the decision of our Minister of Defence to open a resident Defence Attaché post in The Hague last summer.

CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION AGAINST DRUG RELATED CRIME The Belgian-Dutch cooperation in the field of drugs and crime is long standing, in-depth and exhaustive. A plethora of cooperation initiatives exist, ranging from cross border local police contacts, to structured strategic consultations by the top of both police forces.

The philosophy behind the cooperation is that national borders no longer exist when it comes to security issues. Hence, cooperation agreements were concluded for a more synchronized judicial approach to organized and subversive crimes related to drugs. This synchronisation is essential in countering the so called waterbed effect: to avoid stricter laws and regulations in one country, criminals hop the border and operate from the other side.

Illustrative examples of our cooperation are the international cocaine traffic network,

which brings together public and private partners of the port communities of Antwerp and Rotterdam, including the sharing and exchanges of personnel. Police and customs services work together to better identify illegal flows of drugs. A multidisciplinary team composed of representatives of various public and private partners from both countries cooperate on the fight against illegal financial flows, money laundering and more practical issues with a big safety impact, such as the dumping of chemical waste from drug labs.

In 2018 a new Benelux treaty on police cooperation was signed, which offers far-reaching possibilities for cross-border action, including consulting each other’s police databases and setting up joint police patrols and controls. The new treaty even allows to deploy special police intervention units on each other’s territory, and it is a big step forward in the bilateral police cooperation.

As ambassador, I continue to build on this good cooperation through regular contacts with the Minister of Justice and Security and his ministry, and with the Dutch Embassy in Belgium. Simultaneously I maintain relations and facilitate meetings between crime experts from the academic, bilateral and multilateral institutions as well as the public and the private sector.

Ultimately, it is my goal that our continuous diplomatic efforts from both sides can contribute to the flourishing and dynamic security cooperation between Belgium and The Netherlands.

diplomatAMBASSADORIAL

CHINA

CHINA RECEIVES THE NEW DUTCH MEASURES ON TELECOMMUNICATION SAFETY AND

INTEGRITY

The Dutch government has recently issued an administrative order on Safety and Integrity of Telecommunications.

Speaking to the press, China’s Ambassador to the Netherlands rejected speculations claiming that the order would negatively affect Chinese companies like Huawei.

The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate has recently issued an administrative order concerning the Safety and Integrity of Telecommunications. The order stipulates that “critical parts” of the Dutch telecommunications network must be provided by so-called “trusted suppliers” – a limitation that would kick out of the game providers suspected of being engaged in espionage activities, either directly or through ties with third-party agencies.

The implications of this order could be rather significant – especially in the framework of the debate around Huawei’s role in building the new 5G infrastructure in Europe and beyond.

Over the last months, the United States have conducted a diplomatic campaign – led by State Department’s Robert Strayer – aimed at establishing strict regulations on the supply of parts used to build 5G infrastructure.

While the US has officially stated that such regulations should not target any specific country, the campaign is widely seen as an effort to curb the role of the powerful Chinese multinational Huawei in the provision of 5G equipment.

National Intelligence Law. The law’s Article 7 stipulates that “any Chinese organization or citizen should support, assist and cooperate with state intelligence work in accordance with Chinese law” – the Ambassador clarified, stressing that the article should be read in the context of the entire Chinese legal system, rather than in standalone mode. Such laws, the Ambassador argued, are present in other countries too, including the Netherlands.

To the contrary, he stressed, China is less invasive than other countries when it comes to collecting information overseas. “Unlike a few countries using long-arm jurisdiction, China is cautious on applying extraterritorial jurisdiction” – the Ambassador noted, highlighting how other countries, such as the United States and Australia, employ laws requiring companies “to provide the government or intelligence agencies with trans-border access to communications data”. “China opposes to such practice” – the Ambassador stressed, also underscoring his country’s opposition to “the use of cyber facilities for espionage” more at large.

Seeking to reassure those who may still be worried, the Chinese Ambassador underscored the willingness expressed by Chinese companies such as Huawei to take

preventive approaches in order to mitigate risks. Dr. Xu Hong praised the positive performance of Huawei during the strict scrutiny undergone recently, as well as its willingness to accept further third-party tests and supervisions with a “frank and open attitude”.

In light of these observation, Ambassador Xu Hong voiced his country’s expectations on the implementation of the Dutch administrative order. “We hope that the Netherlands will make assessments on an objective and fair basis, and provide a fair, just and nondiscriminative environment for the normal investment and business between enterprises”.

Photography: Kim Vermaat

In a press conference with Chinese and Dutch journalists, China’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, Dr. Xu Hong, sought to explain how the new administrative order issued by the Dutch government would not target Chinese companies. In a thinly veiled reference to the US diplomatic campaign, the Ambassador accused those lobbying against Chinese companies of failing to provide “any solid evidence”, as well as of working against the spirit of law and fair competition.

Those who fear China’s espionage – Dr. Xu Hong said – generally misread China’s

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

23

diplomatAMBASSADORIAL

AZERBAIJAN

IN EUROPE WE TRUST

By H.E. Mr. Fikrat Akhundov, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Kingdom of The Netherlands Photography: Roy Strik

In the world where ethnic and religious discrimination has become a regular phenomenon, Azerbaijan has remained as a model of intercultural and religious tolerance. In fact, multiculturalism and tolerance is a lifestyle of multinational and multiconfessional Azerbaijani people, as well as an integral part of the state policy, preserved throughout the centuries. .

A clear example is the first Parliament of Azerbaijan in 1918, which united members of different ethnicities: Azerbaijanis, Russians, Armenians, Jews and even one German.

Today, Baku International Center for Multiculturalism operates in Azerbaijan to research and promotes multiculturalism. In addition, there is a special counsellor to the government on multiculturalism, inter-ethnic and religious issues. Furthermore, the Azerbaijani government, together with international organizations regularly hosts Intercultural Dialogue Forum and Baku International Humanitarian Forum in Azerbaijan.

Religious freedom is present throughout the country. Islam, Christianity, Jewism, as well as other religions are freely exercised in the country. There are practically all currents of Christianity present in Azerbaijan, such as Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, Armenian-Gregorian, as well as historical Albanian church. More than 2 thousand mosques, 13 churches and 7 synagogues operate in Azerbaijan and this number is increasing on a yearly basis.

Azerbaijan is also a home for many ethnicities, such as Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Kurds, Jews, Armenians, Greeks, Germans and Tatars. There are many settlements of ethnic minorities in Azerbaijan, like the village of a Jewish community in Azerbaijan – Red Town, a village of Molokans - Ivanovka, a village of Udins - Nij, and the Khinalig village of Guba. Ethnic minorities in the country have their own schools, cultural centers, mass media and internet resources.

24

The government takes necessary measures to ensure that the children of ethnic minorities learn their native languages.

Among these ethnic minorities, the population of Khinalig village is unique in the world for its language. This ethnic minority has descended from the inhabitants of historical Caucasian Albania – a state that covered the lands that now form the Republic of Azerbaijan. Today, the government ensures preservation of the language of this unique population.

Another example of religious and cultural diversity in Azerbaijan is Red Town in Guba.

This is one of the largest compact settlements of Jews in the world, outside of Israel. This settlement is also referred as “The Jerusalem of the Caucasus”. Red Town is a model for tolerance and respect for diversity.

It is worth mentioning that there are also German settlements in Azerbaijan, dating back to the beginning of the 19th century. The historical and cultural monument of these settlements - German Lutheran Church from 1854 is still preserved in Goygol, Azerbaijan.

Another German Lutheran Church was built in Baku in 1899. This church currently operates as the Chamber and Organ Music Hall of the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic.

Various events and concerts are regularly held here. In 2017, 200th anniversary of the resettlement of the Schwab Germans was celebrated in Azerbaijan, with the decision of UNESCO. Last, but not least, Azerbaijan is also home to approximately 30 thousand ethnic Armenians,

despite the fact that more than 20% of territory of Azerbaijan has been occupied by Armenia.

This clearly demonstrates the tolerance of Azerbaijani people for ethnic and religious minorities and diverse cultures. It also disproves the false Armenian propaganda that Azerbaijanis and Armenians are incapable of peaceful co-existence.

PEACE PALACE WELCOME AMBASSADORS

The Peace Palace, a symbol of Peace and Justice in the world, was the venue for a memorable gathering of head of diplomatic missions, which took place in October.

On Monday October 7th, Fifty-three Ambassadors accredited in The Hague came to the city’s emblematic Peace Palace and took a picture all together.

Mr. Erik de Baedts, Director General of the Carnegie Foundation and Treasurer of the Hague Academy of International Law, with the company of Dr. Mayelinne De Lara, Diplomat Magazine’s Publisher, received the heads of diplomatic missions.

A group picture poster was taken by Diplomat Magazine’s photographer Naldo Peverelli, which will be kept as an institutional souvenir and exposed during the upcoming New Year’s reception in the Palace.

diplomatAMBASSADORIAL

VIET NAM

EVFTA AND EVIPA:

NEW HIGHWAY FOR EU-VIET NAM TRADE AND INVESTMENT RELATIONS

By H.E. Ms. Ngo Thi Hoa, Ambassador of Viet Nam to the Kingdom of The Netherlands.

Photography: Kim Vermaat

diplomat Magazine events

Photography: Diplomat Magazine photographer, Mr. Naldo Peverelli and Mr. Erik de Baedts, Director General of the Carnegie Foundation

“This poster represents the efforts of countries around the world to keep peace and understanding among all nations”, said Mr. Baedts.

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

On 12/2/2020, at the Plenary Session in Strasbourg, France, the European Parliament (EP) ratified with a majority the Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) between the European Union (EU) and Viet Nam. These are the most ambitious deals ever between the EU and a developing country, which not only eliminate over 99% of customs duties on goods, but also also open up Vietnamese services markets to EU companies and strengthen protection of EU investments in the country.

The ratification of EVFTA and EVIPA is an important milestone in the30th anniversary of the establishment of Viet Nam-EU diplomatic relations, bringing the EU-Viet Nam partnership to a new level. EVFTA and EVIPA have marked an important transformation in Viet Nam-EUcomprehensive partnership and cooperation while affirming the two sides’ mutual benefits and commitment to facilitating international economic connectivity, free trade and equal and transparent investment.

EVFTA AND EVIPA CREATE BENEFITS FOR BOTH SIDES As an agreement with a deep and comprehensive level of commitment covering economic, trade, investment and sustainable

development issues, EVFTA and EVIPA will open up great opportunities for both sides, maximizing the potential and complementarity, thereby contributing to deepening and creating long-term benefits between the two sides.

The EVFTA will unlock a market with huge potential for EU firms. Viet Nam is a fast-growing economy of more than 100 million consumers with a growing middle class and a young and dynamic workforce.

Its market offers numerous opportunities for the EU’s agricultural, industrial and services exports. Viet Nam market also serves as a gateway for deeper access to ASEAN and regional markets. The European Commission has projected the EU’s GDP to increase by USD 29.5 billion and its exports to Viet Nam by 29 percent by 2035.

For Viet Nam, the agreement is opening a great opportunity for Viet Nam ese businesses to access to a potential market with 508 million people and a gross domestic product (GDP) of roughly US$18 trillion. (accounting for 22% of global GDP). A research by the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Viet Nam shows that Viet Nam ’s export turnover to the EU will increase by about 20% in 2020, 42.7% in 2025 and 44.37% in 2030, compared to the non-EVFTA scenario.

GOLDEN OPPOTURNITIES BUSINESSES

FOR

EU

Viet Nam is a fast-growing and competitive economy whose bilateral trade with the EU has increased fivefold over the past 10 years.

At the regional level, Viet Nam is now the EU’s second largest trade partner in ASEAN, accounting for 20.7% merchandise goods.

The growing trade between the EU and Viet Nam also helps to solidify ASEAN’s position as the EU’s third-largest trading partner in the worlds. 2019 marks a new phase of Viet Nam ’s international economic integration as Viet Nam participate in new-generation FTAs, particularly the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and EVFTA. The newly approved EVFTA and EVIPA will bolster Viet Nam ’s importance as a trading hub between Southeast Asia and Europe.

With the ratified EVFTA and EVIPA, many European businesses will benefit, especially those doing in the field of machinery and appliances, automobile, pharmaceuticals, chemical, wine and spirits, IT, sevices operators… Given many challenges and uncertainties due to protectionism, trade tensions, and the looming effects of Brexit, it is now the golden oppoturnity for EU companies to accelerate and expand their business activities in Viet Nam.

25

diplomatAMBASSADORIAL

PASSPORTS TO

PARAGUAY

BY JOHN DUNKELGRÜN The Embassy of Poland in the Netherlands and the Liberal Jewish Community (LJG) in The Hague organized a screening of the astonishing movie ‘Passports to Paraguay’ in the glass reception hall of the old Portuguese synagogue now the home of the LJG. The evening was attended by Mr. Markus Blechner, Honorary Consul of Poland in Berne, Dr. Mateusz Szpytma of the Institute of National Remembrance and above all Mr. Uri Strauss, one of the original recipients of a Polish organized Paraguayan passport.

GREECE SHARES WITH

THE NETHERLANDSVERY OLD AND CLOSE FRIENDLY TIES

By H.E. Mr. Nicolas Plexidas, Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to the Kingdom of The Netherlands Photography: Marian van Noort

Since the Greek government has entrusted me, almost 5 months ago, to represent the Hellenic Republic to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and to the important international organizations based in the country, I feel twice as happy.

Firstly, because the Netherlands belong to a group of countries, with which Greece shares very old and close friendly ties, dating back to the proclamation of independence of our modern state. The two countries also share the same values and principles and enjoy long-lasting privileged relations, as partners in the EU family and allies in NATO. And secondly, for a rather more personal reason, as I do admire this country and its people and I try to savour it, as much as the busy everyday life of a diplomat allows for it.

The assumption of my duties as Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands coincides with a positive momentum in my country.

Greece is finally leaving behind her a dramatic decade of a merciless economic crisis and enters the new decade with optimism and

26

self-confidence. The tough times my people went through serve now as a guide to better times ahead and the mistakes of the past as a tangible, realistic plan for a better present and future. A new Greece is on the rise.

It also coincides with the timing of formation of a new Greek government, with a strong mandate, able to safeguard political stability for the next four years and promote an ambitious, innovative reform agenda; a government particularly friendly to investments, that has already began restoring creditors and investors’ trust, as new opportunities appear for the Greek economy. This is the most important challenge for my mission as Ambassador of Greece here: to contribute to strengthening of our bilateral economic relations with the Netherlands, so as to match the current level of our excellent political relations.

It is a fact that the new decade brings us face to face with unprecedented challenges, be it the global geopolitical instability, the climate crisis or the consequences of technology booming. Amidst this context, Greece will rise to its height. Not only as depositary of the eternal values our ancestors have bequeathed to humanity, but also as a modern democracy,

sensitive to the calls of a dramatically ever changing modern world. Greece will continue to constitute an island of stability in a volatile security environment surrounding her, a bastion of peace in the region and a bridge of friendship between the East and the West, the North and the South.

Against all these challenges ahead of us, Greece will walk hand in hand with her partner and ally the Netherlands, in the name of the long-lasting friendship of our two peoples, which is further invigorated lately by the presence of more than 35.000 Greeks, residing and offering their services in the country. This all but inconsiderable number certainly guarantees the sustainability and deeper forging of this close friendship.

Dear friends, It is truly an honour to serve my country in the world capital of international peace and justice. I am inspired by this and this inspiration will steer the performance of my duties as Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

diplomatic EVENTS The Polish ambassador H.E. Dr. Marcin Czepelak in an impassioned speech pointed out that so much has been written about the Holocaust that we tend to think that everything about it is already known, that we can put a full stop at the end of the research and close the book. However, this tragedy is so enormous, so inexplicable that each of us needs to come to terms with it, within him or herself.

And then, every so often new facts come up; facts of evil and facts of goodness. One of the latter is the story of the Paraguayan passports.

From the beginning of the war the Polish Legation in Bern was buying blank passports from a Bernese notary Rudolph Hügli, who was the honorary consul for Paraguay. The embassy staff under Ambassador Ładoś would get the necessary information and photos of people to be saved. Consul Konstanty Rokicki would fill out the passports by hand and return them to Mr. Hügli for signing and stamping. The people involved in the Embassy were the ambassador, Juliusz Kühl, and Stefan Ryniewicz. Together with the consul, they were known as the ‘Bernese Group’. This operation was started by Mr. Kühl but soon gained more and more helpers.

They received names of people to be saved through Jewish organizations and funds to purchase the blank passports through the World Jewish Congress funded by the

orthodox Jewish help organization Agudath Yisrael, whose representative in Bern was Chaim Eiss. Resources indicate that some part of this activity has also been secretly financed by the Polish government in exile.

The passports were expensive, 500 to 2000 Swiss francs each depending on the number of family members they contained.

This system became so successful that other Latin American consulates came into the game, e.g. Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Peru.

In Poland, the longing for freedom in Latin America became so strong the famous poet Władysław Szlenger wrote a poem about it, ‘Paszporty’, which was even set to music.

The Germans became aware of the operation and pending authentication of the passports by the ‘issuing’ countries interned the holders in various places but mainly in the Palace Hotel in Vittel, France. Several organizations involved in trying to save Jews from the slaughter put pressure on President Roosevelt to ask Paraguay and the other countries involved to authenticate the passports. As this was not a priority for him, the action came too late and early 1944 all but twelve of the hundreds of people locked up in the Palace Hotel were deported and murdered in Auschwitz. The twelve survivors were hidden in the enormous hotel oven, which was still hot from the morning’s baking!

DIPLOMATS ONLY SEMINAR In collaboration with Diplomat Magazine, Russell Advocaten recently hosted a diplomats only - seminar in The Hague. The subject of this well-attended event was “Dutch labour law – an update for Diplomats”.

The agenda contained the following: •(New)Dutch dismissal law •Labour Market in Balance Act •Employee illness The highly interactive meeting focused in particular on Dutch dismissal law and the mandatory transition compensation.

Photography: John Dunkelgrün

Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp reminded the audience in a closing statement that not just evil is contagious, but so is bravery and goodness.

diplomat Magazine events

Key issues for Embassies include: •As from year 2020, every employee who does not quit himself is entitled to a transition allowance from day 1, even in the event of a temporary contract. Even though this obligation does not apply to termination agreements, a minimum comparable compensation will have to be paid in that case too.

Russell Advocaten regularly publishes updates for Embassies in Diplomat Magazine and on www.embassydesk.nl

•As from 2020, you may conclude three-year contracts in a row.

•Every employer, including Embassies,must call in an occupational health and

•A wage sanction may be imposed in the event of inadequate supervision of ill employees.

Photography: Naldo Peverelli

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

Whereas the honorary consuls made fortunes out of this, the Polish diplomats did not touch a frank or even a few rappen. Breaking all sorts of laws and regulations with the knowledge and blessing of the Polish government in exile under general Sikorski, they acted purely on humanitarian grounds. They were all recognized by Had Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations for the thousands of people saved, Poles, Germans, Belgians, and Dutch.

safety officer/company doctor in the event of illness of employees.

•It will be possible to combine reasons for dismissal.

Diplomats from Finland, Turkey, Kazakhstan, US, Armenia, Iraq, Lebanon, Ecuador, Tanzania, Surinam, Hungary, Nicaragua, Georgia, Singapore, Yemen, South Africa, Italy, Tunisia, Spain, Kosovo, Brazil, Ukraine, Slovenia, Malaysia, Ghana, Estonia, among others attended the seminar. During the seminar that started earlier in the morning, many asked questions and Russel’s team composed by Jan Dop, Ranier and Paul Russell came back with practical counselling and solutions.

27

diplomatAMBASSADORIAL

NORWAY

IS A STEADFAST DEFENDER OF

HUMAN RIGHTS AND GENDER EQUALITY

By H. E. Mr. Martin Sørby, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to the Kingdom of The Netherlands.

Our values require us ensure that all people are able to live in freedom and security, regardless of where they are and to stand up against hateful and discriminatory behaviour. Putting human rights and gender equality at the forefront of our efforts is key to reaching these goals.

International cooperation is crucial to Norway’s security, economy and prosperity.

Human rights and gender equality lie at the core of Norwegian society – and the Norwegian Government’s foreign policy.

The world is facing a number of challenges that are too great and complex for any one country to tackle alone. These must be addressed through joint efforts. Effective international cooperation is needed to address challenges such as climate change, marine litter and new security threats.

Until recently, it has been easier to take international cooperation for granted, but now we see that states are less inclined to turn to multilateral organisations to solve common challenges through compromise and cooperation. The world has become less predictable, and there is a need to work in a slightly different way in order to safeguard Norwegian, as well as global, interests.

Multilateral organisations are our first line of defence. We must prioritise strengthening the institutions that matter the most to our security, economy and welfare – such as the UN, the WTO and NATO. We must defend what we have. This involves strengthening the institutions that are already established, rather than developing new, competing organisations.

As a long-standing partner of the United Nations with a record of consistency in supporting human rights and peaceful negotiations, we are ready to again take our turn in the United Nations Security Council in 2021-2022.

28

Photography: Catherine Dailey

The fundamental principle of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – to leave no one behind – strikes at the very core of the fundamental principles of human rights; namely, non-discrimination, equal rights and dignity. By respecting human rights, states will also take a major step towards implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.

Countries that deny women their rights, deny their societies prosperity. We know that investment in girls and women has a positive effect on productivity, sustainable economic growth and efforts to eradicate poverty.

Females make up half of society. If a girl is illiterate, it means a society is incomplete and missing out on opportunities.

The participation of women helps to ensure that the results of decision-making processes are more legitimate and that the needs and priorities of a greater share of the population are being taken into account. Increasing the participation of women is thus not only important in itself; it also increases the chances of securing lasting prosperity and development.

The SheDecides movement believes in the fundamental right of every girl and every woman - everywhere - to make decisions about her body, her life and her future. The Norwegian Government is committed to a world where SheDecides. SheDecides conveys a positive message of empowerment, agency and a comprehensive, integrated approach to health and sexuality. Violence and discrimination against girls and women is not cultural; it is criminal.

This year, 2020, marks 20 years since the establishment of the United Nations Women, Peace and Security mandate. Notwithstanding two decades of concerted efforts by UN organisations and partners to address sexual violence in conflicts, this mandate continues to be deployed as part of a broader strategy towards conflicts that severely affect women, men, girls and boys – and society as a whole.

I have promoted the agenda for Women, Peace and Security consistently with partners here in The Hague, including the Head Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and the organisation Gender for Justice. The latter presented in December last year The Hague Principles on Sexual Violence – Translating the lived experience of sexual violence survivors into law and policy. This month, we will also organise an event addressing this topic, focusing on the UN’s peacekeeping operations and work to prevent and combat sexual violence in conflicts.

As the Norwegian Ambassador to the Netherlands and as a Gender Champion, I am strongly devoted and committed to my Government’s efforts to promote multilateral institutions by putting human rights and gender equality at the forefront of our efforts.

diplomatAMBASSADORIAL

BELARUS

IS TURNING TO A NEW DECADE

By Dr. Stanislav Vassilevsky, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Republic of Belarus in the Kingdom of the Netherlands Belarusian-Dutch bilateral political dialogue in recent years has become more active and promising, since a higher level of contact reflects a strong common interest and a broader agenda. We have held two informative sessions of political consultations at the level of Deputy Foreign Ministers and organized the first ever visit of the Dutch parliamentarians to Belarus in 2019 communicating regularly at the multilateral fora. Recent developments have created a favorable background for further intensification of contacts.

We welcome the positive trend in our bilateral trade and investment cooperation and strive to raise the awareness of the Dutch business community about investment opportunities in Belarus. A number of joint projects have been already implemented, such as in beer (Heineken), lamp (Philips) or robotic milking systems production (Lely Industries), while other FDI projects are being presently considered. The priority areas are logistics, agriculture, IT, energy, petrochemistry, pharmaceuticals, etc. It is especially relevant given the favorable geographical position and membership of the country in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), a spacious growing market of 180 mln. people, where Belarus presides in 2020 – 2023.

Apart from geographical position, other benefits of entering Belarus include unique privatization opportunities, attractive taxation environment, well-developed logistics infrastructure and highly qualified workforce.

Recently, to facilitate communication, we introduced a 30-day visa-free regime for the Dutch and other citizens of 80 countries arriving in Belarus through the international airport of Minsk.

We regard the Eastern Partnership (EaP), a joint policy initiative of the EU and six Eastern European post-Soviet states, as a tool for pragmatic cooperation building bridges and developing interpersonal contacts.

Belarus has developed its own vision of the improvements that need to be made to the EaP and which, in our opinion, would be in the interests of the Netherlands and all EU partners. We pay special attention to the economic sector. Both Belarus and partners are particularly interested in comprehensive

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

cooperation in trade including certification of exporting enterprises, standardization, metrology, harmonization and mutual recognition of compliance systems, as well as in simplification of trade procedures like sanitary and phytosanitary regulations in agricultural production.

It is time to think about a comprehensive approach to border improvement, taking into account the security and mobility of people and goods, including the further modernization of customs checkpoints and information exchange between the customs services. We believe that both sides would benefit from closer cooperation in customs administration and easier terms of cargo transportation and control.

We suggest making technological innovations a priority in cooperation. To this end, Minsk is ready to host an Eastern Partnership IT School to train digital sector specialists for all its partners.

Obviously, transport and energy infrastructure is vitally important for both the EU and its partners. The focus should be made on the development of international digital transport corridors. We hope that a similar action plan will be soon developed to invest in energy inter-connectors in the EU. It is also of particular importance to bring into line transportation networks of the EAEU, the EU and the Belt and Road project initiated by China.

Belarus is a member of the EaP initiative that also comprises another EAEU participating state, Armenia, and also a EAEU observer state, Moldova. Therefore, Belarus suggests using the EaP format for looking for solutions to the most burning issues at the junction of the two unions and cooperation forms. These tasks will be high on the agenda of Belarus’ chairmanship in the EAEU. We are very interested in promoting the new and positive agenda for international relations in Belarus and invite you to Minsk.

Belarus is in favor of establishing a permanent format of dialogue between the EU and the EAEU. We oppose any new dividing lines in Europe. The idea of cooperation of integrations is about making the EU – EAEU cooperation a systemic process aimed at achieving meaningful and appreciable results for both unions. Such a rapprochement will help build trust and dismantle the myth about incompatibility and rivalry of the eastern and western systems. Let`s share a common vision of the future of Eurasia as a single space of peace, cooperation and interaction, realizing a free, fair, nondiscriminatory, transparent and predictable trade and investment environment.

Photography: Marian van Noort

29

diplomatAMBASSADORIAL

UAE

2020 YEAR OF PREPARATION FOR

THE GOLDEN JUBILEE

By H.E. Ms. Hissa Abdulla Ahmed Alotaiba, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the Kingdom of The Netherlands

This approach establishes a culture of excellence and participation in decisionmaking, and enhancing the spirit of initiative in building the country and achieving this vision through active participation in the upcoming development and qualitative leaps in the national economy, in addition to consolidating the soft power of the UAE.

Photography: Catherine Dailey HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, recently announced that 2020 will be the “year of preparation for the Golden Jubilee” through Launching the largest national strategy of its kind to prepare for the next fifty years of the UAE in 2021, stating that all Emirati community spectrum; including citizens, residents, the public, private and community sectors, will participate in shaping life in the UAE the next fifty years.

During the past five decades, the Emirates managed to win the admiration, appreciation and respect of the world, through accomplishments whose main pillar was a leadership that invested in the human being and harnessed all efforts to empower them.

The year 2021 is the golden jubilee of the UAE, a milestone that calls for setting the new development model for the country. The UAE looks forward to making the country - during the next fifty years- the most distinguished and top quality in terms of living standards globally, by creating a vision that encompasses

30

all groups of society, and preparing all the ingredients to ensure the achievement of the goals of the Emirates Centenary, as HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan assures that: «The UAE is on the verge of an important stage in its modern history, as it prepares to reach its golden jubilee, full of hope And ambition, to put its own civilized mark on the path of human history. ” For that purpose, two committees will be formed affiliated with the Council of Ministers, the first of which will be the committee to set the comprehensive development plan for the next fifty years headed by HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. And another committee to supervise the activities of celebrating the golden jubilee of the UAE, headed by HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to prepare with various sectors and entities to implement the giant strategy and enter the second phase of the union’s life, keeping pace with the aspirations of a country that knows no impossible.

The successful and inspiring experience of the UAE exceeds its geographical limits to the world, and it is a source of hope and a catalyst for people and governments on the international scene, and this unique experience is a model of human and cultural progress achieved during a short period of time, which will be transferred to the world through a national project to innovate and design a visual identity for the Emirates.

It embodies the historical, cultural, human and economic elements of its people, translates its value system, transmits its inspiring story to the world, shares its exceptional experience as a country that has no ceiling for its aspirations, dreams and ambitions. Its goal is to motivate people to take inspiration from the Emirates experience in their development process, as HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum says: « We seek to establish the beautiful image of our homeland in the global mindset. Designing a media identity is a new step in the journey to establish a global media presence for the UAE.” Adding:

“In 2020 we want to build the UAE of the future as one team. Our team is one. In the spirit of the union, in the spirit of Zayed, with a spirit that belongs to peaks and thrive on building. Our ongoing building battle continues and it will remain.”

diplomatAMBASSADORIAL

Mexico fascinates, conquers and amazes everyone who visits it, but it also faces stereotyped perceptions from those who have never been there. Let me try to convince you to go, or to return one more time.

Perhaps you have heard about its wonderful tourist destinations, its rich and delicious gastronomy, or its natural diversity and eye-catching landscapes. From a relaxed stay at the blue Caribbean Sea to an eco-touristic adventure through the whale sanctuaries in Baja California, Mexico has traditionally been an attractive tourist destination. In 2018, the country reached the 7th position in the World Tourism Organization’s Ranking, receiving a total of 41 million foreign visitors.

When talking about food, it is not only about tequila and tacos, but an extensive list of traditional dishes whose cultural richness and value begins well before the kitchen: at the hands of Mexican farmers. In 2010, Mexico’s traditional cuisine was inscribed on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list, recognizing not only its flavors but the ancestral practices and skills that surround every meal. The experience is about the colors, the fragrances, and the richness of taste of every dish in the different regions of the country.

Mexico is all of this and more. Beyond the mariachi and increasingly renowned festivities like Día de Muertos, Mexico is a leading country in a variety of industries. We are the 15th largest economy in the world, deeply integrated into global production and value chains. With 13 free trade agreements signed with 52 countries, Mexico provides preferential access to a market of 1.3 billion consumers in all corners of the world.

Mexico promotes international trade based on rules. We are huge exporters: 450 billion dollars in 2018, of which 397 billion were manufactures. Mexico is the number one producer and exporter of avocados, tomatoes, papaya, berries, lemons, and beer. We are also leaders in exports of flat-screen TVs, two-door refrigerators and smartphones. This is possible thanks to Mexico’s greatest asset, our people. Mexicans are creative, productive and hardworking; committed to making our country a reference in reliable and innovative manufacturing. In fact, every year Mexico graduates more engineers than Germany, France, the UK or Brazil.

Furthermore, Mexico is strategically integrated into the North American region.

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

MEXICO

MUCH MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

By H.E. Mr. José Antonio Zabalgoitia, Ambassador of Mexico to the Kingdom of the Netherlands Photography: Embassy of Mexico in The Hague

Along with our partners, Canada and the United States, we jointly manufacture a wide diversity of products. For example, any car sold by Mexico, Canada, or the United States, crossed the borders between these countries at least 7 times during the production process.

With the signing and ratification of the new USMCA, Mexico and its North American partners will continue growing as a highly competitive region and providing certainty for foreign investors and local entrepreneurs.

On this side of the Atlantic, Mexico and the European Union are currently in the final stages of modernizing their Global Agreement, which not only will continue expanding commercial opportunities, but will also allow us to face together a series of pressing world challenges. Mexico is committed to an international system that fosters cooperation in important matters such as climate change, human rights, economic development, and the rule of law, to name a few.

On a bilateral level, Mexico and the Netherlands have a strong and dynamic relationship being both gateways to bigger markets in North America and Europe. The Netherlands are the 16th trading partner for Mexico and the 5th among members of the European Union. Dutch firms are the 6th source of foreign direct investment in Mexico

at the global level and the 3rd within the EU. Mexico offers important opportunities for Dutch companies in key sectors such as logistics, transport, maritime, agroindustry, innovation, and life sciences and health. Our deep friendship is also based on our shared values and a solid commitment to collaborate at the bilateral and multilateral levels.

Finally, it must be said that Mexico, like every country, faces its own set of challenges. We acknowledge that there is still work to do in terms of economic growth, reduction of inequality among our population, eradication of poverty, and improvement of security.

These are all areas of opportunity in which the Mexican government committedly works every day. Mexico will overcome these challenges putting together both governmental and society’s resources. Key to this task is our openness to the world and our drive to use our competitive advantages, such as our strategic geographic position, our open economy, and our young, diverse, and hard-working population.

I sincerely hope that, after reading this, you realize that when talking about Mexico, there is much more than meets the eye.

31

diplomatic EVENTS

diplomatAMBASSADORIAL

ICC ASSIGNS VENEZUELA’S CASES TO

PRE-TRIAL CHAMBER III On February 19th, 2020, the International Criminal Court decided to assign its two ongoing cases regarding the situation in Venezuela to the Pre-Trial Chamber III. A first investigation on Venezuela had been opened by the Court in 2018, after six American states (Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru) filed a request in which they accused the Venezuelan government of committing crimes during its repression of opposition movements.

These claims were compounded by accusations levied from groups such as Human Rights Watch, who condemned the Venezuelan government for the use of excessive force against civilian protestors. At the same time, it has also been reported that some groups of protestors used violent methods too, leading to casualties among the security forces.

A second investigation was then opened this February under the initiative of the Venezuelan government, this time acting as the plaintiff rather than as the accused. In a visit to The Hague earlier this year, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza requested the Court to investigate the unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuela, claiming that these measures amount to crimes against humanity. Talking to the press, the Minister defined the sanctions as “a death sentence for thousands of Venezuelans per year”.

32

Over the last years, Washington has markedly increased its pressure on Venezuela, imposing crippling sanctions on the government, while stepping up its support for opposition movements within the country. While the US argues that the sanctions are targeted against government officials, the government has been complaining about their severe impact on the country’s population, notably in terms of health, food, and economic development.

The first of these two cases had been previously assigned by the Court to the Pre-Trial Chamber I. However, as the Court decide to start an investigation on the second case too, both cases have now been assigned to the Pre-Trial Chamber III.

GHANA The Republic of Ghana and the Kingdom of the Netherlands have maintained long-standing and occasionally intricate economic, historical, political and cultural relations, which have evolved between the two countries since 1598 when the Dutch established a trading post at Fort Nassau, in Moree.

In the competition with other European companies on the coast, having a powerful ally in the interior was of great importance. To this end, the Dutch sent the first European envoy to the Asante Kingdom in Kumasi in November 1701. This relation, which endured for over 170 years, marked the formal beginning of the existing relationship between the Netherlands and Ghana.

Although Ghana and the Netherlands have been trading in many products for centuries, the commodities involved have varied over time. In the 16th century, the trading relationship flourished on the exchange of Ghanaian gold, ivory and spices for Dutch textiles, firearms, gunpowder, metal ware and alcoholic beverages. As the transatlantic slave trade took central stage by the 18th century, slaves rather than gold became the most valuable commodity for the West Indian Company until slavery’s abolition in the 19th century, after which a decline in bilateral trade followed. Despite the sordid past, by the mid-20th century legitimate trade between the two sides rejuvenated and imports of Dutch commodities shifted to processed foods, alcoholic beverages, textiles and footwear.

In exchange, gold, timber logs, rubber, and palm oil became Ghana’s major exports to the Netherlands.

At the onset of 21st century and in recent times, the Netherlands has become the fifth destination for Ghana’s exports for cocoa beans and cocoa products, wood, aluminum, fruits, vegetables, oil seeds, fish and fish products as well as flowers, valued at US$ 829.4 million in 2017. Conversely Ghana is the Netherlands’ fourth export destination in sub-Saharan Africa for used vehicles and parts, electrical and electronic equipment, machinery, nuclear reactors, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles and food products, amounting to US$ 667.1 million in 2017.

diplomatAMBASSADORIAL

FOUR CENTURIES OF GHANA -NETHERLANDS RELATIONS:

A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

By H.E. Ms. Sophia Horner-Sam, Ambassador of the Republic of Ghana to the Kingdom of The Netherlands

The Netherlands and Ghana have retained largely uninterrupted and cordial diplomatic relations since 1701 and throughout the political changes in Ghana to date. From 1982 to 1997, Ghana closed down its Mission in The Hague due to a re-alignment exercise of Ghana’s diplomatic Missions at the time. However, the critical and deep rooted relationship between the two countries could not sustain the absence of a diplomatic mission in The Hague, leading to the reopening of Ghana’s Mission in 1998. The Netherlands, however, had kept its Mission in Accra opened at the level of Charge d’ affaires until 1991, when it was upgraded to the Ambassadorial level.

Development cooperation advanced to a level where the Netherlands became one of Ghana’s most important development partners, as the Ghanaian government benefited from the Dutch government’s loans and grants for a wide array of social and economic programmes. Currently, however, the relationship between Ghana and the Netherlands is speedily moving from aid to trade, in line with the “Ghana Beyond Aid” Policy initiative of the Government of Ghana, which seeks to effectively harness Ghana’s own resources to finance sustainable development and economic growth, whilst minimising or completely eliminating the country’s reliance on official development assistance.

In this regard, the Dutch policy focuses on the promotion of the private sector in order to enhance mutually beneficial trade and investments between the two countries.

Similarly, the Government of Ghana continues to promote incentives to support micro and small businesses which constitute over 70 percent of all businesses in Ghana to enable them to become competitive locally and internationally and contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.

Under the presidential Business Support Programme for instance, 1,350 entrepreneurs across all the 16 regions of Ghana have received training and financial support to start or scale up their businesses.

Additionally, the current Government under the leadership of H.E. the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has embarked on priority programmes to speed up Ghana’s DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

developmental process. Notable among these initiatives are the “one district, one factory” (1D1F), “planting for food and jobs” (PFFJ), and the digitalisation of the economy. The private sector has also been positioned as the main actor and a beneficiary of these initiatives, which it is believed will lead to efficient delivery of goods and services and increase productivity in the economy.

The longstanding relationship between Ghana and the Netherlands, which began with Dutch traders frequenting the shores of Ghana, triggered reverse migration from Ghana to the Netherlands from the last quarter of the 20th century, mostly driven by the same economic motives that attracted the early Dutch traders to sail to the Gold Coast 400 years earlier. Whereas an estimated 800 Dutch nationals currently live in Ghana, an approximately 20,000 Ghanaians are legally resident in the Netherlands, comprising diverse professionals, workers and students who not only contribute to push the wheels of the Dutch economy, but also assist to keep alive a relationship that began four centuries ago. The Government of Ghana, through the Ghana Embassy in The Hague, has continued to collaborate with other organisations to employ and channel the potentials and resources of Ghanaian expatriates for the socio-economic development of Ghana as well as for their own benefit. Furthermore, the two governments keep up cooperation to address challenges relating to cases of undocumented Ghanaian migrants and illegal migration.

Photography: Embassy of Ghana in The Hague

•Ghana is a beacon of democracy, political stability and peace in Africa; •Ghana is endowed with rich natural resources such as gold, diamonds, bauxite, limestone, oil, timber, wildlife, marine resources and vast expanse of arable land that offer investment opportunities in all the key sectors; •there is an already existing industrial base coupled with a burgeoning and competitive start-up sector that is ripe for investment in areas ranging from IT solutions to agriculture; •there is abundant, adaptable and easily trainable labour force, the people are hospitable and friendly;

As Ghana continues to make strides towards the advancement of its economy, the country no doubt is still confronted with some challenges relating to among others, the modernisation of agriculture and agroprocessing, expansion of the industrial and manufacturing base, infrastructural, real estate development, waste management as well as railway development. However, all these challenges are surmountable.

•Ghana’s strategic location, with excellent sea and air connections with Europe and USA, provides access to the ECOWAS market of 349 million people, and potential market of 1.3 billion in the newly created African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), headquartered in Ghana’s capital city of Accra;

Currently, Ghana seeks external partnerships to team up with Ghanaian companies and new investors to take advantage of the numerous investment opportunities in the country.

Ghana is certainly a favourable destination for investments and trade for several factors, notably:

As Ghana and the Netherlands continue to share similar aspirations and developmental goals, the bilateral relations between the two countries can only grow from strength to strength and trade will remain an important medium of cooperation in the 21st century and beyond just as it was in the 16th century.

•above all, Ghana is among the fastest growing economies in the world.

33

diplomatAMBASSADORIAL

BANGLADESH

AMBASSADOR BELAL ELECTED AS NEXT

MD OF CFC

After the election, Ambassador Belal said that his country archeived an important progress through the leadership of the Pime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He is proud that Bangladesh is now seen as a model for development by the international community.

Photography: Marian van Noort Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal got elected as the next Managing Director of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) during the Governing Council Meeting of the CFC, in The Hague. Bangladesh Ambassador to the Netherlands Sheikh Mohammed Belal will, therefore, be the Managing Director of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC).

This autonomous intergovernmental financial institution has been established within the framework of the United Nations for the next four years. It includes 101 states, such as the Netherlands, UK, China and 9 organizations.

The CFC is mandated to enhance the socio-economic development of commodity producers and contribute to make society better as a whole through various projects.

This election represents the appreciation by the international community of Bangladesh’s

diplomatic EVENTS

VIENNESE COFFEE VIENNESE COFFEE CULTURE RECREATED! CULTURE RECREATED!

BY CATHERINE DAILEY H. E. Ambassador Dr. Phil. Heidemaria Gürer transformed the salons of her residence into an authentic Viennese Coffee House last Friday. As a tribute to the Viennese Coffee Culture, listed as one of Austria’s contributions to UNESCO’s intangible world cultural heritage since 2011. She provided an introduction to guests of the centuries-old coffee house tradition.

Ambassador Gürer’s guests were awed by the authenticity of her Viennese Coffee House. Beneath the elegant Bohemian crystal chandeliers, classical music performances were given both by a pianist and a cellist throughout the evening. Seated at tables featuring marble

34

successes in socio-economic emancipation alongside its commitment to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Furthermore, the CFC-members have a high trust and confidence on Ambassador Belal’s diplomatic brilliance and sagacity.

During his campaign, the ambassador highlighted the necessity for developing countries to learn from innovation and technologies of developed countries. He sees the commitment to SDGs, under any circumstances, as crucial for all countries.

This goal should be archived through the creation on interregional partnership between the developed and the third world.

For the next four years, Ambassador Belal will, therefore, be working as Managing Director of the CFC, based in Amsterdam, after completing his tenure as Ambassador of

Bangladesh to the Netherlands, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. His election has renewed the devotion of the organization to the upliftment of marginalized communities.

He will now focus on working to fund projects in various countries, reduce poverty worldwide and try to enhance global solidarity. The ambassador pledged to work hard to improve the efficiency of CFC and the implementation of its targets.

It is worth mentioning that Ambassador Belal has also been elected as Chairperson of the prestigious Committee of the Whole of the Conference of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention this month. In addition, he has been working as a member of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims of the International Criminal Court.

tabletops and on authentic bentwood chairs, guests were offered a selection of famous Viennese patisseries such as mohnstrudel or apfelstrudel, which are typically featured on traditional coffee house menus.

Ambassador Gürer also invited Reinildis van Ditzhuyzen, a well-known specialist on the Dutch royal house, etiquette expert, and historian who provided a presentation on Viennese Coffee Culture.

Van Ditzhuyzen also briefly referred to Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) during her presentation. Modern Austrians remember “Sisi” as the “Lady Diana of the 18th Century – one of history’s tragic figures whose life, and death, has inspired countless poems, stories and films. The empress was even the subject of a recent musical bearing her name – Sisi. Even centuries after her death, interest in her life remains strong, and today’s visitors to Vienna follow Sisi’s tourist trail and visit Habsburg Court landmarks, which were part of her life.

Photography: Catherine Dailey The Ambassador of Austria, H.E. Dr. Heidemaria Gürer and The Ambassador of Chile, H.E. Dr. Maria Teresa de Jesus Infante Caffi When planning a weekend to visit Vienna, do allow time to research and enjoy the city’s coffee house culture. Café Central, Café Landtmann, Café Sperl and Café Mozart are four well-established coffee houses boasting more than a century of tradition. Visitors to the seat of the House of Habsburg will enjoy the historic, UNESCO listed capital city for palaces, parks, museums, and experience life with the locals by participating in Viennese coffee house culture.

diplomatAMBASSADORIAL

Diplomats are definitely still needed, but what we need are good diplomats. Diplomats are necessary to preserve world peace, and maintain and promote friendly relations between states. Apart from what is required of diplomats in the past, diplomats of the 21st century must follow the latest developments of IT technology and make full use of them.

HISTORY OF DIPLOMACY: Diplomacy is a profession like medicine or law; its goal is to advance the national interests of a country through dialogue, negotiation and cooperation with the governments of other countries. It was only in the 18th Century that the organization and administration of Diplomacy within a single entity i.e. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), run by a Minister, came into force (Berridge, 2005).

The Foreign Office in UK was created in 1782 and the US State Department in 1789.

Between 1840 and 1880, the world witnessed the emergence of more such ministries in China, Japan and Turkey. The role of MFA has expanded greatly over the years as a result of the multiplicity of actors and factors affecting international politics, international relations and, therefore, the formulation and conduct of Foreign Policy.

Traditional diplomacy was highly formal, institutional, slow, interpersonal, and usually protected by secrecy. In his famous “Fourteen Points” speech of 1918, US President Woodrow Wilson advocated “open covenants of peace, openly arrived at, after which there shall be no private international understandings of any kind but diplomacy shall proceed always frankly and in the public view” (Wilson, 1918), thus heralding what came to be known as the “new diplomacy”.

Interrelated changes in politics, international relations, and mass communication that occurred in the last few decades have greatly expanded the media’s role in world events. The revolution in communication and information technologies (IT), the capability to broadcast – often live-world events to almost every place on our globe, and the creation and expansion of the internet, have led to the globalization of electronic communication and journalism and to substantial growth in networks, stations and consumers worldwide. The communication and IT revolution also made the politics of international relations more interactive and enhanced the role of non-state actors (Marshall, 1999).

These revolutionary changes have altered the meaning of power in contemporary world politics. “Soft power”, defined as the ability DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

IRAQ

QUALITIES OF A

GOOD DIPLOMAT

By H.E. Dr Hisham Al-Alawi, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to The Netherlands

to achieve desired outcomes in international affairs through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion, is gradually replacing the more traditional forms of power (Bennis, 2006).

Governments have had to focus on multilateral cooperation and adopt new tools to deal with the new challenges of international terrorism, drugs trafficking, money laundering, global organised crime, illegal immigration, enforced migration, environmental degradation and cyber terrorism.

QUALITIES OF A GOOD DIPLOMAT: The main functions of diplomats are representation, negotiation, promotion of friendly relations, protection of the interests of citizens living abroad, and information gathering, analysis and distribution.

In my view, the most important and relevant topics that diplomatic training courses should cover are the qualities and functions of a good diplomat, how diplomats perform their duties, the risks they are exposed to and the means/ tools they can use to protect themselves, negotiation and communication skills, the relation and interaction between diplomats and the media as well as the impact of IT on diplomacy.

creating useful knowledge. Knowledge is the combination of information, training, experience and intuition. In Diplomacy, Knowledge takes different forms: the general knowledge gathered in education and upbringing, knowledge of Special Subjects gathered through specific Diplomatic training, knowledge gained through experience (knowledge of religions, cultures, procedures…etc.). It is this knowledge that enables Diplomats to act appropriately in unpredictable situations.

Diplomacy these days has many new partners, but no single substitute. Political leaders and policy makers may get news of a crisis first from CNN rather than the relevant embassy cables, but diplomats are still necessary to provide the detailed political reporting from foreign lands. Adequate training of diplomats is very important. To meet the challenges of “new” diplomacy, diplomats must be diverse, well-rounded, active, and able to carry out multiple tasks. Diplomacy in the 21st Century requires that the right people have the right skills in the right place at the right time.

Continued training and career development programs will better prepare diplomats and advance their expertise.

Photography: Kim Vermaat

Diplomats are now required to be expert in at least two regions and fluent in two languages in order to be promoted to senior ranks.

Currently, record numbers of diplomats are being trained in critical languages like Chinese, Urdu, Arabic and Farsi. Public diplomacy is now an important part of every diplomat’s job description. In the absence of clearly defined structures and predictable operational context, Diplomats rely on their Knowledge in all its variety, as their ultimate resource.

Information is increasingly available. The main question is how to process all the information that has become available in the era of information explosion and even saturation, in order to obtain value-added elements. This is the process known as Data-Mining. It entails combining Data, corroborating information related to them, drawing the analytical conclusions and thus,

35

diplomatAMBASSADORIAL

CHINA BETTER SAFEGUARD NATIONAL SECURITY,

BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR

HONG KONG

By H.E. Dr. Xu Hong, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China

China’s legislation to safeguard its own national security is absolutely justified, and is purely China’s internal affair. However, a few countries in the world turn a blind eye to the will of the Chinese people, and make unwarranted accusations against the decision. Very few countries even threat to impose sanctions on China.

Since the turbulence over the amendment bill last June, the “Hong Kong independence” organizations and radical localists have been colluding with external forces to create frequent riots in Hong Kong. And the situation has become more and more intense, posing an increasing threat to China’s national security. In response to this situation, in late May, the National People’s Congress, China’s highest legislative body, passed a “Decision on Establishing and Improving the Legal System and Enforcement Mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to Safeguard National Security”, which was warmly supported by the Chinese people, including Hong Kong compatriots.

China’s legislation to safeguard its own national security is absolutely justified, and is purely China’s internal affair. However, a few countries in the world turn a blind eye to the will of the Chinese people, and make unwarranted accusations against the decision.

Very few countries even threat to impose sanctions on China.

It’s known to all that for every country, national security is the fundamental prerequisite for its survival and an important manifestation of sovereign independence. All countries, be they unitary or federal, attach great importance to national security legislation, with no exception. In the US, there are more than 20 legislations on national security, of which the wide coverage and strict implementation measures of the legislations are incomparable to other countries in the world. Since similar

36

Photography: Frank Jansen legislation could be done by every country in the world, why does it become a problem in HKSAR of China?

One of the arguments is that China’s practice violates its international obligations under the international agreement (that is, the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration). This is, however, completely a pseudo-proposition.

People with this argument simply cannot even point out which clause of the Joint Declaration China has violated. The core essence of the Joint Statement is the realization of Hong Kong’s return to China, and this historical mission has been completed already. Although in the Joint Declaration were basic policies of the Chinese government toward Hong Kong mentioned (as elaborated in Paragraph 3 and Annex I of the Joint Declaration), it should be noted that these were policies announced by China on its own in the form of “unilateral declaration of the Chinese government”, and by no means aroused any

international obligation to the British side.

China had clearly pointed out to the British side in the negotiation that neither the issue of sovereignty was negotiable, nor was the issue of jurisdiction; and the implementation of the policies were purely internal affairs of China, which had nothing to do with the British side. In fact, the policies declared by the Chinese side had been incorporated into the Basic Law of the HKSAR and had been comprehensively and effectively implemented through laws. There is no single word—in the Basic Law or the Joint Declaration and its annexes—to deprive or weaken the power and responsibility of the Central Government to maintain national security in the HKSAR. It is totally groundless to say that China violates the international agreement.

The “supervision” of the implementation of the Joint Declaration claimed by the UK, however, is the typical mentality of colonialism. Human history has entered the

diplomatAMBASSADORIAL

the 21st century. The era when one country could wantonly interfere in the internal affairs of other countries is gone for ever. However, some countries still attempt to interfere in China’s Hong Kong affairs by misinterpreting the Joint Declaration. This is severely against basic principles of international law and norms governing international relations, including mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and non-interference in internal affairs. The UK should deeply rethink its words and deeds, and stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs. Instead, it should listen to the just appeal of most countries in the world, implement the advisory opinion delivered by the International Court of Justice on the Chagos Islands in 2019 as soon as possible, and return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius at an early date to complete the decolonization of Mauritius.

The second argument is that the legislative power for national security has been granted to the HKSAR, so it is in the purview of the HKSAR’s autonomy, and is therefore no longer within the central authority.

However, this is purely misleading. National security is closely related to sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Central Government is responsible for upholding national security, as is the case in any country. This is basic common sense which is self-evident. This has also been reflected in the existing laws of HKSAR. For example, according to the 1997 Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance of the HKSAR, the HKSAR should give notice to the Central Government in relation to every Hong Kong requests and external requests on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. On the ground that “the interests of China in matters of sovereignty, security or public order would be significantly affected” by such mutual legal assistance, the Central Government has the power to issue instructions which the government of HKSAR should comply with.

It must be made clear that the Article 23 of the Basic Law — stating that Hong Kong shall enact laws on its own to prohibit seven types of acts that endanger national security — is a constitutional duty of HKSAR, instead of an exclusive power. The Central Government’s developing national security legislation and applying it to the HKSAR is an inherent power of the top legislature in a sovereign country and is fully in compliance with the Constitution of China and the Basic Law. In the 23 years since the return of Hong Kong, due to the obstruction of internal and external

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

anti-China forces, HKSAR has not completed the legislative task stipulated in Article 23 of the Basic Law. In fact, Hong Kong has become a rare case in the world without any national security legislation, which is extremely abnormal and must not continue any more.

It is against this background that the National People’s Congress decisively exercised its legislative power and fill up the loophole at this critical and urgent time. There is no conflict between the NPC’s legislation and Article 23 of the Basic Law, which means HKSAR still needs to fulfill its duty of local legislation following the Basic Law in order to cooperate with national law to form a institutional assurance that effectively maintain national security in the Hong Kong SAR. The third argument they raise is that the legislation by Beijing and the establishment of a national security agency in Hong Kong will restrict Hong Kong’s human rights and freedom, impair Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, and lead to “One Country, One System”. This worry is completely unnecessary.

First, the implementation of “One Country, Two Systems”, “Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong”, and a high degree of autonomy are basic national policies independently chosen by China, not imposed by any foreign country. No other country, more than China itself, wants Hong Kong to maintain long-term prosperity and stability and it hopes that “One Country, Two Systems” will be stable and far-reaching. The enactment of Hong Kong-related national security legislation will only improve the “One Country, Two Systems” system and will not affect its capitalist system or independent judicial power, or derogate the rights and freedom of expression, press and assembly enjoyed by Hong Kong residents according to law. Second, the Decision of National People’s Congress pointed out clearly that the Hong Kong-related national security legislation targets only very few acts that seriously endanger national security, such as secession, subversion against the Central People’s Government, organizing and carrying out terrorist activities and foreign interventions in affairs of the Hong Kong SAR. After all, only a handful of people may engage in these activities. For other people who do not, there is nothing to worry about.

The situation in Hong Kong in the past year has fully demonstrated that the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong cannot be achieved without maintenance of national security.

Some thugs now openly advocate “Hong Kong independence”, smash and burn everywhere, indiscriminately attack innocent civilians, destroy public facilities, challenge rule-based governance. Violent terrorist activities continue to escalate, and illegal interference by external forces is more emboldened, which have seriously threatened the lives and property of residents, and greatly affected investors’ confidence in Hong Kong. The main reason for these chaos is the weak foundation of national security. Therefore, taking the NPC legislation as an opportunity to improve Hong Kong’s legal system and enforcement mechanism for safeguarding national security will better protect the rights and freedom enjoyed by Hong Kong residents according to law, better protect the high degree of autonomy of Hong Kong, so that to create conditions to solve deep-seated problems such as the economy and livelihood and create a more stable and reliable rule of law and business environment. And only under this premise Photography: Frank Jansen

No other country, more than China itself, wants Hong Kong to maintain long-term prosperity and stability and it hopes that “One Country, Two Systems” will be stable and far-reaching.

37

diplomatAMBASSADORIAL However, maintaining national security concerns China’s core interests and is a just and necessary move by a sovereign country, therefore no room for compromise.

Photography: Frank Jansen can the concern of the business community about “violent terrorist activities”,“mutual destruction” and other chaos be eliminated, so that to create more favorable conditions for people from abroad who intend to work, invest, and live in Hong Kong.

It seems that for certain country intending to use Hong Kong as a bridgehead to contain, infiltrate and destroy China, it is good to keep Hong Kong “undefended” in national security so that they can do whatever they want. And

that is why they react so strongly toward Chinese legislation. However, maintaining national security concerns China’s core interests and is a just and necessary move by a sovereign country, therefore no room for compromise. No matter under what pressure, the Chinese government remains unwavering in its determination to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, implement “One Country, Two Systems” policy, and oppose external interference in Hong Kong affairs.

We have also noticed that not all countries that have expressed concerns on China’s above-mentioned legislation intend to endanger China’s national security. Some are misled and coerced. I would suggest these countries be calm and not parrot others to rush into conclusions, get blinded by ideological prejudice, or line up with camps and ignore the truth and facts. In the next step, the Chinese legislature will start drafting and formulating specific national security laws concerning Hong Kong in accordance with the Decision of the National People’s Congress. In the process, it will also consult the people of different sectors in Hong Kong in an appropriate manner. It is hoped that all countries could adopt an objective and fair approach, understand, respect and support the efforts of the Chinese government to maintain national security, and not interfere in China’s internal affairs in any way.

diplomatIC EVENTS

CYPRUS’ TOURISM MINISTER PRESENTS STRATEGIC PLAN TO DUTCH TOUR OPERATORS AT CYPRUS EXHIBITION IN ANTIQUITIES MUSEUM LEIDEN The Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Savvas Perdios, toured Europe to present his ambitious 10-year national strategic plan with the objective of placing Cyprus among the 30 main tourist destinations in the world by 2030. Cyprus currently ranks 44th in the world, while Spain is number one, France in 3rd place and Italy in 8th place. Portugal is in 12th place and Greece 25th. The first European presentation the minister gave was in The Netherlands.

Minister Perdios presented his plan to Dutch tour operators and travel agents during a special dinner organized at the exhibition ‘Cyprus: A Dynamic Island’ at the Museum of Antiquities in Leiden. This is the largest exhibition ever organized in the Netherlands on ancient Cyprus, one of the most important crossroads of ancient cultures in the Mediterranean region.

38

During his presentation in the presence of among others Ambassador Elpidoros Economou of Cyprus, the tourism minister told his audience his plan comprises five key pillars. The first is to increase the seasonality of tourism in Cyprus by making Cyprus a tourist destination throughout the year, the second is to have the whole island benefit from tourism, not just the coastal areas, the third pillar is to establish Cyprus as a destination for quality by being more competitive, the fourth pillar is a better use of data-driven decisions and the fifth is to make Cyprus perceived as a climate friendly destination by taking into account climate change and sustainable growth.

Next to the traditional countries of origin of tourists, the UK and Russia, Cyprus will take measures to increase tourist arrivals from new markets such as the Netherlands and the Nordic countries.

After the dinner and the presentation, the invited tour operators and travel agents were given a guided tour by museum director Wim Weijland.

diplomatIC EVENTS

PRESIDENT OF THE DUTCH SENATE ATTENDED THE RECEPTION ORGANIZED TO MARK 71ST REPUBLIC DAY OF INDIA IN THE HAGUE President of the Senate of the Netherlands Prof. Dr. Jan Anthonie Bruijn was the Guest of Honor at a diplomatic reception hosted

by Ambassador of India to the Netherlands, H.E. Mr. Venu Rajamony, on January 27 to mark the 71st Republic Day of India.

The reception was held at the historic Grote Kerk - one of the oldest buildings in The Hague dating to 14th century. Members of the Royal Household of the Netherlands including, H.M. King Willem-Alexander and his daughter Catharina-Amalia, Princess of Orange were baptized in this church.

Dutch dignitaries, Ambassadors of various countries stationed in The Hague, senior officials of the Dutch Government and prominent members of the Indian community were among the 250 guests who attended the reception. Noble Laureate Kailash Stayarthi was among the guests attending the reception in The Hague.

The President of Senate in his speech praised India as the largest democracy in the world.

He said that values of democracy, rule of law and pluralism are at the heart of Indian society and both India and the Netherlands share these values. The Senate President said India has become a global player in information technology and Indian migrants to the Netherlands, which include students, entrepreneurs and IT professionals have doubled in numbers. He said that many innovations in the medical field are coming from India and there is a growing interest in traditional medicine system of India. Yoga enthusiasts from all over the Netherlands filled the DAM Square in the Netherlands on International Day of Yoga last year. He described the book India and the NetherlandsPast, Present and Future by Ambassador Venu Rajamony as a strong testimony to IndiaNetherlands friendship.

President of Dutch Senate and Ambassador Venu Rajamony at the deplomatic Reception

The celebrations included beautiful Bolllywood and traditional dances and vocal performances by Indian communities in The Netherlands.

The guests at the reception had an opportunity to view an exhibition on the “State Visit to India by their Majesties King WillemAlexander and Queen Maxima to India and snapshots from India- Netherlands Relations”.

The exhibition featured highlights of the first ever State Visit by their Majesties to India in 2019 and presented little known historical facts about India –Netherlands relations.

71ST REPUBLIC DAY AT THE INDIA HOUSE

BY CATHERINE DAILEY

Some 600 guests gathered outdoors, under sunny skies, to celebrate India’s 71st Republic Day at the “India House”, the 104-year-old monumental property in Wassenaar owned by the Indian government since 1953, the residence of India’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, His Excellency Ambassador Venu Rajamony.

The program opened with a flag-raising ceremony and the playing of the National Anthem, “Jana Gana Mana.”

Ambassador Rajamony, read President Shri Ram Nath Kovind’s annual Republic Day address, which emphasized the rights of his people as “citizens of a free and democratic nation”. He also called for an accompanying responsibility to “always adhere to the central tenets of our (Indian) democracy – justice, liberty, equality and fraternity.”

Photography: Catherine Dailey

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

Noteworthy for the guests, was the President’s reference to the recently created “Ministry of Jalshakti” which has been tasked with prioritizing water conservation and water management to meet current and future requirements for the world’s most populous, diverse and multi-lingual democracy.

The President’s address also placed a strong emphasis on the government’s continued commitment to providing access to health and education and that both are “often considered the foundation of good governance.” The availability of quality generic medicines, available at affordable prices to the “common people in the country” are but one example of his government’s ambitious goals towards improving the lives of India’s 1.3 billion-plus citizens.

Ambassador Rajamony also commented on the state visit of Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima to India in 2019. Four Dutch ministers and a trade mission of over 250 persons accompanied the King and Queen to New Delhi, Mumbai and the State of Kerala.

The delegation was, according to Ambassador Rajamony, by far, the largest in Dutch history.

The 71st Republic Day tradition at the India House concluded with a cultural program featuring music performed by the Madras Chorus and a classical dance performance by dancers from the Laya School of Dance and Arts and finished with an Indian “breakfast buffet” for all.

39

diplomatAMBASSADORIAL

MALTA

DREAM MALTA NOW…..

VISIT LATER…..

By H.E. Ms. Marlene Bonnici, Ambassador of the Republic of Malta to the Kingdom of The Netherlands

Photography: Embassy of Malta in The Hague

Malta is well known in many countries as a prime tourist destination. The Netherlands is no exception. Tens of thousands of Dutch people continue to flock to our Islands to get a slice of the Mediterranean life, food and culture. I have yet to meet a Dutch person who has been on holiday to Malta and that has not enjoyed the stay. Right now is not an ideal time for tourism.but we can still dream and travel soon hopefully……..

Tourism is one of the pillars of the Maltese economy and we are very proud of the Malta product which, despite the many Islands and tourist destinations in the Mediterranean, is actually quite distinctive. First of all Malta is an all year destination – many Mediterranean Islands are not. Malta is a country where most people will be able to communicate in at least three languages (Maltese, English and Italian) from three totally different families of language, so tourists, whether from Europe, the wider Mediterranean region and the Gulf or further afar, feel comfortable visiting our Islands, and some even making the archipelago their home. Today, Malta’s population of almost half a million people has about 14% of expatriates, around half of which come from EU Member States.

40

The Republic of Malta sits right in the middle of the Mediterranean so our language, culture, food are a real mix of our European and Christian heritage and our proximity to North Africa and Arab Neighbours. Our geography makes us a very special and eclectic bunch of people, having been destined to be at the cross roads of European and Arab civilisations.

In this sense the Malta experience is very unique to the visitor which belies its size.

The density of cultural heritage - three UNESCO world heritage sites (one of which consists of 7 individual sites) in 316 square kilometres, a monument at every corner and a church for every day of the year - as well as mild weather throughout the year with hardly a day without sunshine; topped with the surrounding azure Mediterranean sea, sets these Islands apart from any other.

Traditional Maltese hospitality for which we have been renowned for many centuries will continue to be the highlight of this experience.

Rabbit is our national dish but of course fish and citrus fruits are favourites too. Expect to be invited to people’s homes where you will not be allowed to leave before you have sampled all the food set before you (and it is a lot).

Over 2.6 million tourists visit Malta every year, largely as a result of the excellent work being done by the Malta Tourism Authority and their representatives around the world, including here in the Netherlands; as well as the good air and sea connections between Malta and its main tourist destinations,

including from the Netherlands - from Schiphol but also from other parts of the country including Eindhoven and Maastricht.

Tourism is only but one of the industries that underpin this largely “small” service oriented economy of ours. In the last 25 years or so our country has been slowly putting together the building blocks for a sound and diversified economy. Traditional industries such as the hospitality sector, the maritime services sector, as well as a relatively sizeable manufacturing sector continue to grow alongside more innovative and modern industries such as financial services and fintech, i-Gaming, aviation maintenance and the creative sector. Several of these sectors also attract a steady flow of Dutch workers and young people seeking internships.

My tour of duty in The Netherlands is soon coming to an end. I have felt very welcome here and made so many new friends, Dutch friends but also from within the diplomatic community and beyond. I will always treasure this time in my heart and I hope I have planted a seed of curiosity in your hearts too and who knows- maybe I shall meet some of you on one of the promenades along the Maltese coast.

meettheambassador MADE POSSIBLE BY HOTEL DES INDES

Hotel des Indes is an emblematic historic hotel in The Hague, symbol of Dutch beauty, tradition and class, charm and character, elegance and grandeur with more than 132 years of credentials: www.hoteldesindes.nl

ISRAEL

Photography: Naldo Peverelli

The new Israeli Ambassador to the Netherlands, H.E. Mr. Naor Gilon, explained to Diplomat Magazine during lunch at the emblematic Des Indes Hotel, his view on the relationship between the two countries. Singling out economic cooperation as a cornerstone of this partnership, the Ambassador vowed to step up his commitment towards innovation and his interaction with the youth.

Israel and the Netherlands have strong and long-standing diplomatic relations. The new Israeli Ambassador in The Hague, H.E. Mr. Naor Gilon, is now ready to do his best to further strengthen the partnership between the two countries – he explained in a conversation with Diplomat Magazine.

Ambassador Gilon singled out economic cooperation as a cornerstone of the relationship between his country and the Netherlands.

Commerce between the two sides amounts to around 5 billion – a significant amount, considered the relatively small size of both countries. In this context, Mr. Gilon pledged to further deepen such ties, with a specific focus on the issue of innovation.

“Israel is called the ‘start-up nation’” – he explained, proudly noting that his country has the highest number of start-ups per

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

DUTCH-ISRAELI RELATIONS: A LOOK AHEAD capita in the world. The fresh ideas of Israeli entrepreneurs might well find a fertile ground in the Netherlands – the Ambassador suggested – where entrepreneurs have developed over the centuries the skills needed to upscale businesses and expand them to a global level. As a result, further cooperation in this field between Israeli and Dutch businesses could prove very profitable.

In particular, the Ambassador singled out the field of logistics and transportation security.

In this domain – crucial for the Netherlands due to the presence of major transportation hubs such as Schiphol Airport and the Port of Rotterdam – Israeli companies have interesting ideas to offer. The role of the Ambassador will thus be to help the two sides to kick-start new instances of cooperation – something that he plans to do, for instance, through a business fair in the coming times.

While economic issues are a very important part of Israeli-Dutch relations, the partnership between the two countries goes well beyond the economy. At the political level, the Ambassador stressed that the two countries’ Prime Ministers, Mr. Mark Rutte and Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, enjoy “very good relations”, as proved by their fruitful annual meetings.

Ambassador Gilon voiced his will to further strengthen these political relations – including through high-level visits in the coming year.

The Israeli Embassy’s duties, however, go even beyond the two realms of economy and politics. During his tenure as Ambassador, for instance, Mr. Gilon plans on further strengthening bilateral relations in the field of culture, as well as on increasing Dutch-Israeli cooperation in the domain of multilateral governance.

Finally, a crucial duty of Mr. Gilon will be to manage the relations between the Embassy and the Jewish community in the Netherlands – which he defined as “a bridge between the two countries”. Although the members of the community are Dutch citizens – the Ambassador explained – Israel does feel a responsibility to provide for their wellbeing, including for instance by ensuring that Jews will not suffer from antisemitism.

In order to do strengthen Dutch-Israeli relations, short-term cooperation will not be enough – Ambassador Gilon noted. Rather, he pledged to adopt a more long-sighted approach, with a strong focus on speaking with young people.

“Young people are more open to new ideas” – he stressed – and therefore working with them can be much more efficient in the medium-term. In this way, relations between the Netherlands and Israel will greatly benefit not only now, but also

41

diplomaticspouses

Just a diplomatic spouse

By Alexandra Paucescu Photography: David Stamatescu

Most of our life as diplomatic wives, we are completely associated with our husbands, the ‘plus one’ on the invitations, highly regarded or not, many times only depending on our husbands’ diplomatic rank. Few people bother to see behind the titles...

But we are not just diplomatic spouses, we are educated women from all over the world, we dedicate our time and efforts to best represent our countries, setting sometimes our own dreams and aspirations aside, giving up a certain level of esteem and recognition that society most often shows when you are a professionally accomplished person. We may not have any officially acknowledged titles but we always have the best intentions at heart and the desire to honour our origins and homeland.

One should never underestimate the diplomatic power of spouses!

When it comes to trailing diplomatic spouses, as we are most often called, it seems there are quite a lot of clichés, inspired of course also by decades of Hollywood glamour.

Most movies still picture us, the life partners of Foreign Office servants, as ever smiling, glamourous women, an epitome of elegance and grace, perfect housewives, polite hosts, raising perfect children, drinking cocktails at sophisticated parties every night... ‘la dolce vita’!

Indeed, looking from outside it is definitely a privileged life. You get to see the world, meet lots of interesting and powerful people, and have lifetime experiences. You live in a protected world, that gives you immunity, only diplomatic though... not for your feelings and soul!

There is certainly more to it than just tax-free, nice housing, less parking tickets and a special status, and it is not always that idyllic, as people often think. ‘Worry free’ life, they say...

I also remember someone asked me once, half joking but half serious: ‘Oh, you have diplomatic immunity, so you basically could kill me and

42

get away with it?’... Another example of the totally wrong ideas people might have about us.

Besides the obvious advantages (though most of them clearly exaggerated by people outside this circle) there is a whole roller coaster of emotions and mixed feelings. The fact that you move every couple of years to a completely new country puts you under an enormous amount of stress. After all, moving is rated as the third most stressful situation in life, after death of someone close and divorce.

Everything you knew and was familiar to you is suddenly gone: new house, new rules, new language, new neighbours...You’ve got to be strong to adapt, to get to know the insides of this kind of life and be able to make the best out of it. When you move you leave not only your family and friends behind, but also, most often, your job and career. Let’s be honest, regardless of the high academic level and training, that most of diplomatic wives have, many of us are still regarded as ‘housewives’, which try to reinvent themselves and try to stay professionally relevant.

Some of us do freelance, consulting work, some became recognized bloggers and influencers or

do volunteer work, myself included. But don’t be fooled by appearances... most of the time this professional reconversion may be quite difficult, tedious and not all that successful.

I recently put down on paper my thoughts and adventures, as a diplomatic spouse over the last more than ten years. My book, ‘Just a diplomatic spouse’ (available on Amazon), is a collection of events, rules of diplomatic protocol and ranking, advices to other women at the beginning of a similar journey, funny stories and deep emotions.

About the author: Alexandra Paucescu (42) Romanian, born in Bucharest. Former exchange high-school student in the USA, has a university degree in Management and a Master in Business, she speaks Romanian, English, French, German and Italian. Turned diplomatic spouse by the age of 30, mother of two, active volunteer for UNICEF and United Nations Women’s Guild, author of ‘Just a diplomatic spouse’ book. Loves music, skiing and tennis.

next generation diplomats

Ken Francisco Bucheli Nakagawa

A marriage of cultures, turned global citizen

By Aurore Heugas.

Photography: Roy Strik

Ken Francisco Bucheli Nakagawa. His name alone is a hint to his international roots. At 21 years old, Ken has lived in at least five countries, and speaks English, Spanish, French, German and understands Japanese. He also happens to be the son of Ecuadorian diplomat Fernando Bucheli, currently Ambassador of Ecuador to The Netherlands. Being a son of a diplomat certainly came with downsides, but with those arose countless opportunities and experiences.

Ken was born in Japan. His father is from Ecuador and his mother from Japan.

Two cultures that are seemingly complete opposites, yet work harmoniously together.

“My parents come from completely different cultures and I’m really in the middle. On my mother’s side, Japanese people are known as hardworking, serious, always on time, polite.

But on the other side, my dad is Ecuadorian and I have lived the first few years of my life in South America. The Ecuadorian people are known as very friendly and open people, to

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

whom family is very important. It turns out I inherited a mix of both cultures”.

Being a part of two different cultures, you would think could only be beneficial. While it certainly helped Ken in several aspects, it isn’t without its challenges.

“I’ve lived most of my life in Europe so I actually don’t feel Ecuadorian nor Japanese.

I actually feel more European than either of my home countries. But at the same time, I don’t have an EU passport so I always have to deal with visas and residence permits. It does put a weight on me and sometime I feel and having lived in Switzerland, Germany, Brussels and The Netherlands really brought him the ability to feel integrated anywhere and in any culture. “I don’t get this culture shock when I move countries. I’m not scared, I’m happy to see something new. At University, different ethnicities or nationalities tends to stay together and I don’t think that’s how it should be. I never really looked at being part of a specific group.

My friends were just my friends, I talked to whoever”.

Living most of his life in Europe, Ken’s life was influenced by his father’s profession for the better. “I barely ever lived in either of my home countries. I always knew I would build a career and a life in Europe, whether in Germany or in France”. After doing a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management in Brussels, Ken is taking a gap year to gain some work experience before starting his master’s in Dublin. During that year, he did an audit internship at Mazars in Berlin, before joining a new finance targeted internship at the oil and gas company Total in The Netherlands.

“I learned from my dad how important it is to make contacts and stay in touch with people. That actually really helped me in my career since I learned to be open with everyone. I wouldn’t have gotten my internships without the contacts I made and the relationships I’ve sustained over the years”.

43

magazineDIPLOMATIQUE

On ne peut que se féliciter que Diplomat Magazine, dont le nombre de lecteurs n’a cessé de croître, et qui est désormais diffusé dans l’ensemble du Bénélux, ait décidé d’ouvrir ses colonnes, de façon plus pérenne que par le passé, à des contributions en langue française. L’auteur de ces lignes se sent honoré d’avoir été invité à participer au lancement de cette heureuse initiative.

le FRANÇAIS…

MAIS POURQUOI DONC?

PAR S. EXC. M. PHILIPPE COUVREUR, JUGE AD HOC ET ANCIEN GREFFIER DE LA COUR INTERNATIONALE DE JUSTICE. Aucune occasion n’eût pu être plus opportune pour rappeler brièvement comment, historiquement, le français a émergé et s’est progressivement répandu, non seulement comme grande langue de culture, mais aussi comme langue par excellence de la diplomatie et du droit, et d’exposer pourquoi il est aussi juste que nécessaire qu’il garde aujourd’hui une place de choix dans ces domaines, aux côtés d’autres langues.

Nul ne contestera qu’une « langue » est – et doit être – , comme telle, bien plus qu’un simple moyen de communication, comme l’a si à propos observé la philologue et académicienne Barbara Cassin. La langue est l’instrument privilégié de l’élaboration et de l’expression d’une pensée, elle-même toujours en interaction avec un contexte culturel donné.

La phrase fameuse de Hegel, selon laquelle « c’est dans les mots que nous pensons », n’avait d’autre objet que de formuler, de façon ramassée, cette évidence. La pensée ne peut, tout naturellement, qu’être marquée par les concepts et les mots que la langue choisie met à sa disposition et, en définitive, lui impose.

Utiliser une langue déterminée à l’effet d’exprimer une idée n’est partant jamais une démarche neutre. Si la langue infléchit la pensée, celle-ci influe aussi indubitablement sur celle-là, si bien qu’elles sont toujours inextricablement liées.

Il s’ensuit que le multilinguisme, loin de constituer un facteur de fragmentation et d’ériger des frontières, est un puissant

44

Photography: Hester Dijkstra

instrument d’ouverture de l’esprit, d’intelligence et d’écoute d’autrui, générateur d’échanges authentiques et responsables, et donc d’enrichissement général dans la durée.

Sur la scène internationale, il tend, avec le multilatéralisme, à la création d’espaces de dialogue hors des logiques de domination et dans le respect de la diversité, c’est-à-dire, en définitive, des espaces de convivialité et de paix. C’est pourquoi il échet d’œuvrer sans relâche à sa promotion. Goethe n’écrivait-il pas que celui qui ignore les langues étrangères ne connaît rien de sa propre langue? Et Wittgenstein que les limites de la langue de chacun sont les limites de son univers?

Hélas, le monde « globalisé » qui tend à s’imposer à nous aujourd’hui, et qui, comme le voudrait la logique de l’émergence d’un cadre de vie plus authentiquement universel, devrait être porteur de libre épanouissement des langues et des cultures, apparaît au contraire, à cet égard, par trop souvent réducteur.

C’est que, bien plus que d’un souci d’avoir raison des barrières qui engendrent méfiance et incompréhension entre les peuples, il procède à la base d’une volonté davantage matérialiste de favoriser les « affaires », au sens le plus large du terme. Non que celles-ci constituent inéluctablement, en elles-mêmes, un obstacle à l’ouverture, au dialogue et à l’enrichissement mutuel. Tout au contraire, et l’histoire nous le prouve à suffisance! Mais le véritable problème réside dans l’emprise sociétale aussi généralisée qu’insoupçonnée qu’a si vite et si radicalement acquis l’esprit

« affairiste » qui semble animer ce monde. « Globalisation » est ainsi à maints égards devenu synonyme, notamment, d’aspiration quasi-obsessionnelle à une uniformité et à une simplicité aussi artificielles qu’excessives de tous les comportements humains, à un formatage des individus cédant invariablement à des impératifs utilitaristes de conformisme superficiel, d’opportunité et d’immédiateté, qui ne sont jamais neutres, ni politiquement, ni culturellement, ni éthiquement.

Et l’on est en droit de se demander, sans verser dans un apocalyptisme démesuré, si la chasse faite dans un tel cadre – volontairement ou involontairement – à toute forme de singularité et de différence, voire de réflexion quelque peu approfondie sur la véritable nature des choses, et finalement d’humanisme, peut réalistement connaître, à terme, un point d’aboutissement autre que la réduction ultime de l’homme au statut inconscient d’ « objet planétarisé » autant dépourvu de spiritualité que de racines et de valeurs propres, et désormais incapable de s’interroger comme de s’exprimer, de façon libre et autonome, sur les problèmes fondamentaux de son être.

Cet inquiétant processus s’accommode de l’avènement progressif d’une manière de langage inter-individuel « formalisé », lui aussi prétendument « global », et, pour reprendre les mots très parlants du philosophe Jean-Luc Marion, « sans littérature, sans lieu, sans peuple, qui résulte d’une abstraction utilitariste googlisée et ne vise qu’à permette le commerce d’informations, qui n’informent que pour le commerce ».

magazineDIPLOMATIQUE L’apprentissage des langues et l’ouverture à l’infinie richesse des cultures sont plus nécessaires que jamais aux fins de se prémunir de semblables affres; et, sur une note plus positive, on doit assurément se réjouir que notre monde mette aussi à notre disposition des instruments de communication éminemment performants pour ce faire. Dans ce contexte, la langue française ne laisse de présenter, encore à ce jour, un intérêt indéniable. Non seulement parce que, de par sa riche histoire, elle continue d’imprégner, bien au-delà des espaces francophones, des aspects très divers de l’activité humaine, mais aussi compte tenu de ses remarquables propriétés intrinsèques.

Au XVIème siècle, l’usage du français était déjà très répandu dans toutes les cours d’Europe. De l’aveu même de Charles Quint, souverain polyglotte d’un empire cosmopolite « sur lequel le soleil ne se couchait jamais », s’il parlait espagnol – la langue de l’âme de son peuple – avec Dieu et italien – celle de la séduction – avec les dames, c’est en français qu’il réglait avec les hommes les affaires d’Etat…En France, la célèbre ordonnance de Villers- Cotterêts, signée par François Ier en 1539, fixa définitivement le français comme langue du droit et de l’administration; il y allait certes d’un choix politique, traduisant la volonté du monarque d’unifier son royaume, mais il s’agissait aussi et surtout d’assurer la bonne administration du droit et de la justice ( « que les arretz soient clers et entendibles » ), ainsi que la sécurité juridique, à un moment où la connaissance du latin déclinait et où les erreurs d’interprétation des textes conçus dans cette langue se multipliaient.

Le « grand siècle » ( XVIIème ) vit quant à lui le français s’imposer dans les salons et le monde lettré, ainsi que dans les cercles diplomatiques, en même temps qu’était créée l’Académie française (1635) pour lui « donner des règles certaines…et…le rendre pur, éloquent, et capable de traiter les Arts et les Sciences ». La langue française devint langue diplomatique auxiliaire du latin à Nimègue (1678-79), où le traité entre la France et les Pays-Bas fut conclu en français seulement. Elle fut définitivement consacrée comme langue diplomatique par excellence à partir du XVIIIème siècle. Ainsi, dès 1714, la version française du traité de Rastatt entre la France et l’Autriche, qui mettait fin à la guerre de succession d’Espagne, fut reconnue comme unique version officielle.

Cette réalité nouvelle fit écrire bien plus tard au grand juriste américain James Brown Scott: « en laissant tomber le sceptre de la puissance matérielle, la France était devenue le porte-drapeau du monde intellectuel…

La défaite de Louis XIV fut en fait la plus éclatante victoire de la France… ».

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

Le français consolida sa suprématie comme langue diplomatique tout au long du XIXème siècle, le « siècle des Congrès » ( Vienne (1815), Paris (1856), Berlin (1875), etc. ).

En même temps, il devint le véhicule des systèmes de droit écrit, garants du respect de l’égalité des individus, et assura la diffusion quasi-universelle des grands textes hérités des Lumières, tels la Déclaration des droits de l’homme et le Code civil, auxquels leurs caractères de clarté et de concision ont conféré une force particulière.

On dit que Stendhal aimait à parcourir le Code civil, tant il aspirait à s’imprégner de ses exceptionnelles vertus stylistiques…

Le doyen Savatier décrivait pour sa part le « style Bonaparte » comme constitué de « phrases, brèves, nettes, coupantes, qui font image, qui parlent…des traits de feu… ».

De fait, aucun code n’allait connaître de rayonnement si prodigieux que le Code Napoléon. Rien d’étonnant donc à ce que le droit international moderne, issu des réflexions suscitées par des phénomènes tels que l’émancipation des colonies espagnoles ou les processus d’unification allemande et italienne, se développe en français, et se nourrisse aux sources des valeurs et des concepts consacrés par les instruments juridiques dont cette langue était le vecteur.

Voltaire n’avait-il pas déjà soutenu que le droit des gens constituait le « droit civil de l’univers, dans le sens que chaque peuple est un citoyen »? C’est ainsi à la « logique civiliste » que répondent encore aujourd’hui maintes règles de base du droit international, dans des domaines aussi variés que les sources ( primauté de facto des sources écrites, garantes de la sécurité juridique, et interdiction pour le juge de rendre des arrêts de règlement ), le droit des traités ( emprunté à la théorie des contrats ou obligations, et consacrant l’autonomie de la volonté, sous réserve des impératifs d’« ordre public » ), ou encore le droit de la responsabilité internationale ( « corollaire de l’égalité » ( De Visscher ) des sujets, même si l’on s’emploie désormais à affranchir ce droit du « dommage » fondant traditionnellement la responsabilité civile ).

Au XXème siècle, l’anglais est apparu comme langue diplomatique auxiliaire à Versailles, en 1919, comme conséquence immédiate de l’effort de guerre aussi considérable que décisif fourni par la Grande Bretagne et les Etats-Unis; l’italien n’a pas connu la même fortune, en dépit des énormes sacrifices consentis par l’Italie durant le conflit et de l’opiniâtreté de Vittorio Emanuele Orlando.

Il s’ensuivit que le français et l’anglais constituèrent, dans cet ordre, les langues officielles de la Société des Nations et organes assimilés ( y compris la Cour permanente de Justice internationale ) tout au long de l’entre- deux guerres. La rupture assez radicale avec l’ancien ordre global et la diversification progressive de la société internationale à partir de 1945 eurent raison de la suprématie absolue du français comme langue des relations internationales.

En 1947, le premier cours en anglais fut donné à l’Académie de droit international de La Haye par Hersch Lauterpacht. Jusqu’à ce jour, le français n’en est pas moins demeuré, aux côtés d’autres, langue officielle et de travail de toutes les organisations universelles, ainsi que de maintes organisations régionales et institutions académiques et scientifiques internationales.

Son autorité et son poids comme langue diplomatique et juridique en ce début de XXIème siècle sont encore indubitables ( ainsi, la Cour de Justice de l’Union européenne continue de ne délibérer qu’en français ), même s’il est parfois des velléités de les réduire, pour des motifs variés, tenant souvent, officiellement, à des considérations de « pragmatisme », mais qui cachent mal certaines frustrations diffuses, d’ordre politique ou culturel, aussi réelles qu’inexprimées. Sans parler, bien sûr, des efforts indéniables qu’exigent l’apprentissage et le bon usage d’une langue rigoureuse et relativement peu flexible, obéissant à des règles souvent quelque peu complexes. Le regretté Kofi Annan observait, non sans réalisme, et avec une pointe d’humour désabusé, qu’à l’Organisation des Nations Unies la langue française, pour ne pas être toujours « châtiée », n’en était pas moins fréquemment « punie »…

Que conclure alors de ces quelques brèves réflexions? Assurément, que le multilinguisme est une nécessité impérieuse pour préserver la diversité des cultures et leur coexistence harmonieuse. Mais aussi que le français y a sa place. Et que, dans certains domaines, comme celui du droit, cette place est même privilégiée car c’est une conception propre et éminente de cette discipline que véhicule la tradition juridique d’expression française: l’idée, si magistralement exposée par Portalis dans le Discours préliminaire du Code civil , que le droit doit être formulé dans un langage direct et clair, apte à décrire des règles générales et impersonnelles, accessibles et intelligibles, et garantissant tout à la fois la sécurité juridique et la flexibilité de leur application.

45

magazineDIPLOMATIQUE

Le 27 novembre 2016, lors du Sommet d’Antananarivo (Madagascar), les Chefs d’Etat et de gouvernement de la Francophonie ont désigné l’Arménie comme pays hôte du prochain Sommet de la Francophonie. L’Arménie était honorée de cette confiance qu’on lui avait témoignée en lui confiant la responsabilité de l’organisation de ce Sommet.

La XVIIème Conférence des Chefs d’Etat et de gouvernement ayant le français en partage s’est tenue à Erevan, les 11 et 12 octobre 2018.

Toutes les institutions étatiques nationales se sont pleinement mobilisées pour faire de la Conférence un succès pour toute la famille francophone. Aujourd’hui, nous éprouvons une satisfaction et une fierté d’avoir été en mesure d’organiser, dans les meilleures conditions, cet évènement aussi important pour la Francophonie.

Nous avons démontré notre capacité de mener à bien les travaux préparatoires du Sommet dans le contexte des changements politiques considérables survenus en Arménie au mois d’avril/mai 2018 et marqués par l’aboutissement de la révolution de velours, démocratique, pacifique et citoyenne. Durant cette transition politique qui a concerné tous les niveaux institutionnels, l’Arménie a témoigné la force de son engagement en faveur de la Francophonie et ses valeurs et a continué à se mobiliser en vue d’assurer la réussite du Sommet.

La révolution de velours arménienne fondée sur les valeurs de paix, de solidarité et de partage a bien mis en exergue la thématique du « « Vivre ensemble » qui a été choisie par l’Arménie comme thème du Sommet : « Vivre ensemble dans la solidarité, le partage des valeurs humanistes et le respect de la diversité : Source de paix et de prospérité pour l’espace francophone ; convaincus que le Vivre ensemble autour des valeurs humanistes partagées peut contribuer au renforcement de la cohésion des sociétés et apporter la paix et la prospérité dans l’espace francophone.

En marge du Sommet, le Village de la Francophonie, situé en plein centre de notre capitale, a fait rayonner la diversité culturelle de la Francophonie. De nombreux pays francophones porteurs des différentes cultures

46

L’ARMÉNIE EN TETE DE LA

FRANCOPHONE PAR H.E. M. ZOHRAB MATSAKANYAN, MINISTRE DES AFFAIRES ÉTRANGÈRES DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE D’ARMÉNIE y étaient représentés et ont animé, avec l’OIF, la vie du Village. La population arménienne, notamment la jeunesse, a participé activement aux événements organisés dans le cadre du Village de la Francophonie. C’était une semaine festive pour tout le monde. Je voudrais aussi mentionner le concert de Gala organisé par notre pays le soir de l’inauguration du Sommet, le 11 octobre, qui a réuni plusieurs dizaines de milliers de spectateurs, en présence des Chefs d’Etat et de gouvernement de la Francophonie.

De grands artistes francophones s’y sont produits et honoré la mémoire de Charles AZNAVOUR, le grand artiste et ambassadeur de la langue française qui nous avait quitté quelques jours seulement avant la tenue du Sommet.

En marge du Sommet d’Erevan, un Forum économique et numérique francophone a eu lieu le 10 octobre au Centre Tumo pour les technologies créatives d’Erevan auxquels ont participé de nombreuses personnalités des milieux d’affaires des pays francophones et des représentants d’organisations internationales.

Le Forum fut l’occasion de lancer le Réseau francophone des ministres chargés de l’économie numérique.

Le Sommet a également été un succès d’un point de vue de sa substance ; les Chefs d’Etat

et de Gouvernement de la Francophonie ont ainsi adopté la Déclaration d’Erevan et six résolutions et lancé l’Appel francophone pour le Vivre ensemble. La famille francophone s’est élargie à l’issue du Sommet avec l’adhésion de nouveaux observateurs, la Gambie, l’Irlande, Malte et la Louisiane, tandis que les Émirats arabes unis, le Kosovo et la Serbie sont passés du statut d’observateur à celui de membre associé.

Le Sommet d’Erevan a aussi été marqué par l’élection de S. E. Mme Louise MUSHIKIWABO en tant que Secrétaire générale de la Francophonie pour un mandat de quatre ans, qui a obtenu le soutien unanime de tous les Chefs d’Etats et de gouvernement de la Francophonie.

magazineDIPLOMATIQUE Durant sa présidence du Sommet, l’Arménie entend prendre différentes initiatives et approfondir, notamment, la coopération de la Francophonie avec les organisations internationales et régionales, telles que l’UNESCO et le Conseil de l’Europe en organisant conjointement des évènements dans les domaines de l’égalité femme homme et de la promotion de la diversité culturelle et des valeurs du Vivre ensemble.

Nous souhaitons également apporter notre contribution à la mise en œuvre de la Stratégie économique de la Francophonie ; à cette fin, nous organiserons, conjointement avec l’OIF, un Forum économique à Erevan en 2020, en mettant l’accent sur les synergies entre la Francophonie et les processus d’intégration économique régionale.

Il est aussi important de tenir informé nos partenaires internationaux de la feuille de route que s’est fixée la Francophonie lors du Sommet d’Erevan ; tel était le sens de la visite auprès de l’Union africaine que j’ai effectuée à Addis Abeba au début du mois d’avril au cours de laquelle j’ai eu l’occasion de rencontrer les responsables de la Commission de l’Union africaine et d’avoir un échange avec les ambassadeurs francophones accrédités auprès de cette institution. Ceci, pour souligner aussi la place qu’occupe l’Afrique dans notre politique extérieure et notre volonté de renforcer notre coopération dans les domaines politique, économique, éducatif et culturel.

Nous attacherons aussi de l’importance à organiser la prochaine concertation francophone lors de l’Assemblée générale des Nations unies au mois de septembre prochain.

Pour conclure, je souhaite réitérer toutes mes félicitations aux autorités de la Tunisie qui organiseront, en 2020, le XVIIIe Sommet de la Francophonie qui marquera le cinquantième anniversaire de l’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. Nous serons à leurs côtés pour célébrer cet important évènement.

S.E. Louise Mushikiwabo, Secrétaire générale de la Francophonie et H.E. M. Zohrab Matsakanyan, Ministre des Affaires étrangères de la République d’Arménie

nationaldays

ARMENIA NATIONAL DAY The Embassy of Armenia celebrated in The Hague the country’s main state holiday, which remembers the 1991 referendum in which the people of Armenia proclaimed independence from H.E. Mr. Tigran Balayan, Ambassador of Armenia to The Netherlands the Soviet Union.

Photography: Marian van Noort

The event was a tribute to Armenian identity, as well as a symbol of the close relations among the many countries from across the world, represented at the event by many ambassadors and diplomats. The event was also a reminder of the significantly growing collaboration between Armenia and the Netherlands under the mandate of H.E. Mr. Tigran Balayan, Ambassador of Armenia to The Netherlands; the presence of many Dutch civil servants, politicians and businesspeople at the event was a clear sign of this strong bond.

The central theme of the National Day celebrations was a great concert, which commemorated the 150th jubilee of Komitas Vardapet. The musicians, violinist and pianist Serge and Lusine Khachatryan, geniuses of immeasurable talent acclaimed worldwide, performed a program based in Komitas Vardapet’s best known compositions, but also featuring music by Eduard Bagdasaryan and Aram Khachaturian. The guests of Ambassador Balayan filled up the whole Diligentia Theater, and their enthusiastic and long applauses showed to the artist their great appreciation. Flooded with flowers, compliments and never-ending applauses, Serge and Lusine Khachatryan leaved the sale to continue their European tournée.

well as good governance, securing equal opportunities in social and economic life to promote sustainable development.”

“Certainly, achieving coherent democracy is a difficult process, which requires substantial time, unconditional commitment and even a change in mentality. In this challenging path Armenia needs to be supported, especially by the Netherlands, as a leading advocate of human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

The beauty and generous spirit of Armenia was visible throughout the evening, and the music of the masters was a gift from heaven.

A warm, spontaneous and generous reception by the Armenian Embassy with Armenian delicacies, wine and brandy preceded and followed the concert, and the event itself was possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of Adibekyan Family Foundation for Advancement, ARMA leather company, MAAS Travel, Armenian Church Council of Almelo, the Kaashoeve Rotterdam, and the Armenia’s Honorary consul in Amsterdam.

Ambassador Balayan, Mrs. Natalia Shulgina, H.E. Mr. Alexander Shulgin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation and H.E. Mr. Dilyor Khakimov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan

Ambassador Balayan, declared: “I am delighted to welcome you all on the 150th Anniversary of the great Armenian composer, priest and song collector Komitas: an incredible occasion, which has also been marked by UNESCO.” “After the victory of last year’s non-violent velvet revolution in Armenia” declared ambassador Balayan, “we have opened an entirely new page in its history, a page full of hope and confidence in a better future. Armenia has embarked on a new path of creating a truly democratic and corruption-free society, market and competitive economy, strengthening the justice system and the rule of law, as

47

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11 Sergey and Lusine Khachatryan, Armenian masters

magazineDIPLOMATIQUE

LA PRÉSERVATION DE L’HÉRITAGE DES

ARCHIVES DU

TRIBUNAL DE NUREMBERG PAR S. EXC. M. ANTÔNIO AUGUSTO CANÇADO TRINDADE, JUGE À LA COUR INTERNATIONALE

Photography: Mme. Ossa Henao

DE JUSTICE ET PRÉSIDENT DE SON COMITÉ DE LA BIBLIOTHÈQUE La cérémonie du 10 octobre 2019 au Mémorial de la Shoah à Paris a marqué la réalisation du projet lancé à la Cour Internationale de Justice (CIJ) - à travers son Comité de la Bibliothèque - à La Haye en 2015, en vue de parachever la préservation des archives de Nuremberg dans les meilleures conditions. Le projet, approuvé par la CIJ au mois de juillet 2017, a bénéficié du soutien du Mémorial de la Shoah (France) et du Musée de l’Holocauste (États-Unis), qui en ont été vivement remerciés lors d’une rencontre organisée au siège de la CIJ, au Palais de la Paix, à La Haye, le 1er février 2018.

Le procès devant le Tribunal de Nuremberg s’est ouvert le 20 novembre 1945, quand l’Europe cherchait à se reconstruire en se fondant sur l’état de droit, consciente de la nécessité de perpétuer la mémoire de la tragédie et des horreurs de la deuxième guerre mondiale. À la fin du procès (qui comporta 403 séances, réparties sur 216 jours), le Tribunal a rendu son verdict condamnant les responsables le 1er octobre 1946, et a en outre conclu au caractère criminel du corps des chefs politiques du parti nazi, de la Gestapo, de la SS et du SD.

48

Le procès de Nuremberg était destiné à engendrer une nouvelle ère, dans laquelle tant les gouvernements que leurs représentants seraient tenus pour responsables de leurs actes.

Le procès de Nuremberg, suivi par celui de Tokyo, en est ainsi venu à représenter dans la mémoire collective les origines du droit pénal international (tel que connu aujourd’hui), contribuant du même coup à l’évolution du droit international contemporain lui-même.

Le temps s’est écoulé, et c’est quelque cinq décennies plus tard (pendant les années 1990) que devaient naître ses épigones: tribunaux pénaux internationaux ad hoc; tribunaux «internationalisés» «hybrides» ou «mixtes»; et enfin Cour pénale Internationale. L’un des aspects les plus importants de cette évolution réside dans l’affirmation et la reconnaissance de la personnalité et de la capacité juridiques internationales de l’être humain en tant que sujet de droit international, - une expansion s’accompagnant d’une juridiction et d’une responsabilité internationales élargies, dans toutes leurs dimensions.

La consolidation des principes de Nuremberg, et la préservation et numérisation des archives de Nuremberg (dont la garde avait été confiée en 1950 à la CIJ), garantissent la préservation de la mémoire elle-même, si nécessaire au processus historique en cours d’ humanisation du droit international. La commémoration de l’heureux aboutissement de notre projet constitue une contribution importante à la cause de la primauté de la mémoire sur la cruauté humaine. Les valeurs humaines fondamentales doivent prévaloir et il est impératif de continuer à cultiver la mémoire des millions de victimes d’atrocités et de la cruauté humaine.

Les victimes occupent à cet égard une place centrale; la reconnaissance de leur souffrance fait elle-même partie de l’accomplissement de ce noble objectif qu’est la réalisation de la justice. Le souvenir de leur souffrance montre que la tragique vulnérabilité de la condition humaine ne doit pas mener au désespoir, mais bien au contraire, nourrir l’espoir. En ce monde si dangereux dans lequel nous vivons - ou survivons - aujourd’hui, il est essentiel de continuer à cultiver la mémoire, la justice et l’espoir.

magazineDIPLOMATIQUE Dans la soirée du 5 mars, les ambassades des Etats membres de l’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) aux Pays-Bas, en collaboration avec l’Institut Français, ont organisé un événement à l’effet de célébrer la richesse et la diversité des cultures francophones. Le thème de cet événement, qui se déroule chaque année durant la semaine de la langue française, ainsi que pendant le mois de la Francophonie, était cette fois la bande dessinée (BD): une expression artistique connectant tous les pays francophones qui rendent hommage à cet héritage culturel.

L’événement s’est tenu au Pathé Buitenhof à La Haye, et a attiré de nombreux diplomates, dessinateurs, journalistes ou experts de la francophonie, ainsi qu’un grand nombre de francophones vivant aux Pays-Bas. Ouvrant le programme, le président du Groupe des ambassadeurs francophones à La Haye et ambassadeur d’Arménie, S.E. M. Tigran Balayan, a accueilli les invités en ces mots : « J’ai le plaisir d’être l’hôte de cet événement spécial à l’occasion des 50 ans de l’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. La langue française est le pilier de cette organisation ; c’est une valeur universelle qui renforce la solidarité et la coopération internationale entre membres de la Francophonie, mais également avec d’autres

pays. Cette cause unique est reconnue par tous les ambassadeurs des pays francophones aux Pays-Bas, mes collègues, ici présents aujourd’hui. » « De plus, la créativité et la variété exceptionnelles offertes par l’art des bandes dessinées fournissent un moyen de communication unique qui soutient nos relations à travers cette expression culturelle.

Par conséquent, j’espère que cette soirée sera l’occasion non seulement d’honorer la culture de la bande dessinée , mais aussi de célébrer notre souhait de renforcer la solidarité à l’aide de cet art engagé. » La modératrice de l’événement, Sonia Deschamps, a tenu deux tables rondes avec de célèbres dessinateurs qui ont présenté leurs œuvres, ainsi que leur démarche intellectuelle et artistique. Au cours de la première, un débat sur le thème «Bandes dessinées: regards sur l’histoire et le devoir de mémoire» a eu lieu avec les auteurs Zeina Abirached (Liban), Emile Bravo (France) et Emilie Plateau (France).

Une performance des élèves du Lycée Français Vincent van Gogh de La Haye a suivi, au cours de laquelle les élèves ont présenté leurs travaux de bandes dessinées sur le thème du changement climatique.

Au cours de la seconde table ronde, les illustrateurs Jean Auquier (Belgique), Guy Delisle (Québec) et Judith Vanistendael (Belgique) ont présenté leurs travaux en relation avec le thème « La bande dessinée : témoin de la réalité et des moments forts des enjeux de notre temps ».

Pour finir, un court-métrage sur la “Révolution de velours”, présentant un groupe de dessinateurs arméniens appelés Mayro Comics, a été projeté. Ceux-ci y introduisaient leurs BD transmettant un message de tolérance et de respect mutuel au public arménien.

La soirée s’est terminée par une réceptionbuffet au cours de laquelle les ambassades des pays francophones ont proposé de nombreuses spécialités nationales. La réception a été très appréciée par le public, ainsi que par les intervenants, qui ont pu échanger leurs vues dans une ambiance conviviale. Les invités ont notamment discuté du programme de la soirée, ainsi que de la valeur artistique exceptionnelle que les bandes dessinées présentent pour la culture de la Francophonie. Cette célébration a constitué un autre événement marquant organisé par la communauté diplomatique de La Haye.

Photography: Embassy of Armenia in The Hague

PAR TEREZA NEUWIRTHOVA

LA BD FRANCOPHONIE :

UNE CÉLÉBRATION DE LA LANGUE FRANÇAISE ET DE LA CULTURE DES

BANDES DESSINÉES

Photographie: La Francophonie

#11 DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #10

49

magazineDIPLOMATIQUE

PLAIDOYER POUR

LA JUSTICE PÉNALE

INTERNATIONALE PAR FRANÇOIS ROUX, AVOCAT HONORAIRE. ANCIEN CHEF DU BUREAU DE LA DÉFENSE AU TRIBUNAL SPÉCIAL POUR LE LIBAN 2009-2018

La Justice Pénale Internationale est en grande difficulté, et même en position d’accusée.

Critiquée pour sa lenteur, son coût, ses décisions, ses errements.

Comme je l’ai fait à plusieurs reprises pour des accusés devant les Tribunaux Pénaux Internationaux je veux bien prendre sa défense… si elle plaide coupable!

Si elle accepte de reconnaître ses erreurs et mieux, de les corriger.

Photographie: Kim Vermaar Ce n’est pas si difficile. Le grand écrivain français Albert Camus disait « mal nommer les choses c’est ajouter au malheur du monde».

Alors nommons-les. La Justice internationale pénale souffre d’un vice originel: le système de procédure accusatoire dans lequel on l’a plongée.

Outre les systèmes régionaux et traditionnels que nous aurions bénéfice à mieux connaître et utiliser, particulièrement en ce qui concerne les réparations dues aux victimes, il est constant que le monde se divise en deux grands systèmes nationaux de droit pénal: La common law (adversorial ou accusatoire) d’une part et le droit romano -germanique (inquisitoire) d’autre part.

Voici comment le Juge canadien Baudouin les résume dans la préface de l’excellent ouvrage des Professeurs Beliveau et Pradel « La justice pénale dans les droits canadiens et français : étude comparée d’un système accusatoire et d’un système inquisitoire ». « On pourrait presque, dans un certain sens, caricaturer les deux régimes de la façon

50

suivante : le critère d’excellence du système français reste la découverte de la vérité à travers une procédure inquisitoire, visant précisément à faire la lumière, toute la lumière, sur l’affaire et à permettre au magistrat de bien saisir l’individualité du délinquant ; le « bon » procès au Canada est, au contraire, celui au cours duquel les règles de preuve et de procédure ont été scrupuleusement respectées et donc où leur principal but, soit le respect des droits individuels de l’accusé, a été atteint.

On pourrait presque affirmer que, dans un certain sens, la recherche de la vérité reste au second plan. La mesure du succès est donc très différente parce que les règles de procédure et de preuve n’ont aucune commune mesure ».

Le diagnostic est ainsi assez simple.

Alors qu’à la suite des tragédies que représentent les crimes de masse, les États créent des juridictions internationales en disant aux populations traumatisées « on va rechercher la vérité sur ce qui s’est passé et on va indemniser les victimes », on plonge ces juridictions dans un système de procédure accusatoire, de common law, … qui ne cherche pas principalement la vérité, qui ne reconnaît pas les victimes comme parties au procès

pénal, qui n’entend pas la voie de l’accusé, puisque s’il veut s’exprimer il ne peut le faire que comme un témoin et donc en prêtant serment, ce que son défenseur lui déconseille fortement. C’est ainsi que des accusés ont assisté à leur procès pendant des années en observateurs, privant les victimes et les Juges de leur précieuse parole pour comprendre ce qu’il s’est passé.

LA question que nous devons tous nous poser après les 25 premières années de la Justice Pénale Internationale est bien celle –ci : le système pénal de common law ou système adversorial, qui repose sur un affrontement entre l’avocat de l’accusation et l’avocat de la défense devant un Juge arbitre, chacun essayant de gagner sa cause avec des stratégies dissimulées le plus longtemps possible à la partie adverse, est-il véritablement adapté aux jugements de crimes de masse avec des milliers de victimes ?

Nous savons que les tribunaux de pays de droit romano-germanique, en Europe et en Amérique latine notamment, ont organisé quant à eux des procès dans lesquels de très nombreuses victimes étaient présentes comme « parties civiles » et où les Juges essayaient

magazineDIPLOMATIQUE d’approcher la vérité judiciaire, en donnant la parole aux victimes et aux accusés, sur la base d’un dossier commun aux parties préparé à l’avance par un Juge d’instruction.

C’est à ce travail que se consacrent depuis plusieurs années des juristes internationaux provenant des deux grandes cultures juridiques.

Nous savons que des tribunaux internationalisés comme les Chambres Africaines Extraordinaires ont été capables de juger sans retard et avec un coût très réduit Hissene Habré sur la base d’un dossier d’instruction, et d’accueillir au procès des centaines de victimes parties civiles, souvent assistées de juristes de common law intervenant dans le cadre d’ONG des droits de l’homme.

Ce travail a été présenté en 2016 dans la Grande salle de Justice du Palais de la Paix à La Haye, et en 2017 à la Cour Suprême espagnole sous le titre : « Construire dès aujourd’hui la Justice Pénale Internationale du XXII° Siècle, projet Solpérières ».

Un autre avenir serait donc possible ?

Il incorpore notamment deux internationaux récemment élaborés.

Aucun des deux systèmes n’est a priori meilleur que l’autre, chacun a ses mérites propres et ses qualités incontestables, et aucun n’est sans faille.Mais en tant que juristes internationaux il est de notre responsabilité d’inventer LE système de droit pénal international de demain en empruntant à chacun des deux grands systèmes nationaux le meilleur de ses procédures et de ses pratiques, afin d’être en capacité de juger au niveau international des crimes de masse, qui par définition, impactent l’humanité toute entière.

Il est actuellement en voie de finalisation et fera prochainement l’objet de nouvelles présentations publiques. textes

La Déclaration de Paris sur l’efficacité de la Justice Pénale Internationale adoptée le 16 Octobre 2017, qui établit des principes de compétence et de déontologie indispensables pour les Juges des Juridictions Pénales Internationales.

Le Code de Nuremberg, présenté dans la salle historique du procès de Nuremberg le 7 Novembre 2017 en présence des plus grandes organisations internationales d’avocats, qui a vocation à établir un code de déontologie

A MODERN TASTE OF THE ANCIENT

WINES OF ARMENIA The Armenian Embassy in The Netherlands and the Vine and Wine Foundation of Armenia, in collaboration with Diplomat Magazine and Royal Beverages Group & Drink Rituals, organized a wine tasting at Leonardo Royal Hotel in The Hague. The event targeted especially wine experts, distributors and sommeliers.

In 2016 the government of Armenia recognised the production of high quality wine and brandy as a priority sector of their economy, and it started organising tasting of Wines of Armenia around the word. China, Germany, Belgium were recently touched by this international wine tour, with the Vine and Wine Foundation of Armenia participating in tasting competitions and international wine exhibitions not only for experts, but also for the public.

Vine and Wine Foundation of Armenia also works in the field of wine education for local and international professionals, as well as for the population living in wine regions. For instance, the Foundation created a new legal framework for the production of Wines of Armenia, and it initiated a marketing and DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

tourism campaign promoting these wines in the local and international market.

Lianna Abelyan, Head of International Projects, and Frunzik Harutyunyan, Deputy Director, Head of Viticulture and Winemaking Department, came together from Yerevan with fourteen of the best wine produced in their country; sparkling, whites, rosés and reds – all unique products to be introduced to the Dutch market.

Harutyunyan started his presentation with visual images and a film showing the wine zones and wine production, as well as the beginning of the Armenian tradition on wines.

He explained the historic roots of the Wines of Armenia, passing by the more than 300 original varieties only found in their territory.

As a producer and wine expert himself, his presentation was lively, authentic and rich in information and personal comments.

From the sparkling Karas, a brut with some citrus and flowering flavours produced by the winery Tierras de Armenia, to the white Tushpa White by Tushpa Wine Cellar, a wine with creamy flavours produced in the legendary and biblical land of Ararat, where

commun à tous les avocats intervenant devant les Juridictions Pénales Internationales, quel que soit leur pays d’origine.

En conclusion Attendu que la Justice Pénale Internationale représente un immense progrès pour l’humanité.

Qu’elle est encore très jeune, un quart de siècle, et que si elle connaît aujourd’hui des difficultés réelles, elle a en son sein des juristes hautement qualifiés, qui croient en elle, en sa mission, et qu’elle a donc les capacités de mettre en place rapidement les remèdes qui s’imposent et ne sauraient être plus longtemps différés.

Attendu qu’elle a plaidé coupable de ses erreurs, Attendu qu’elle a fait part de sa bonne volonté à se réformer rapidement, En conséquence, j’ai l’honneur de solliciter pour elle, devant le Tribunal de l’histoire, le bénéfice d’un sursis… avec mise à l’épreuve et obligation de se soigner.

Et ce sera Justice.

diplomat Magazine events also the absolute fabulous Armenian brandy is produced, to the fruited taste of Takar Red Classic by the Armenia Wine company, or our favorite Kataro Dry Red, Khndoghni by Anush winery – the tasting experience was unique.

Well-known vinologists, sommeliers, wine bloggers and wine critics, wine connoisseurs and wine lovers took part in this wine tasting that officially lasted from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm – although people kept re-tasting and talking until late. It was certainly a good occasion to come together and discover new products and tastes.

Photography: Naldo Peverelli

51

magazineDIPLOMATIQUE Photography: Staccato

LA BELGIQUE ET LES ORGANISATIONS INTERNATIONALES À LA

HAYE

PAR S. EXC. AMBASSADEUR WILLIAM ROELANTS DE STAPPERS, REPRÉSENTANT PERMANENT AUPRÈS DES INSTITUTIONS INTERNATIONALES À LA HAYE La Belgique fait partie des quelques pays qui disposent à La Haye de deux ambassadeurs : tandis que mon collègue l’Ambassadeur Dirk Achten est accrédité exclusivement auprès des autorités néerlandaises, je représente la Belgique auprès des diverses institutions internationales établies à La Haye.

Cette configuration particulière se justifie non seulement par l’importance de notre ambassade bilatérale auprès de notre grand voisin du nord, qui requiert que notre ambassadeur auprès des Pays-Bas puisse y consacrer tout son temps et toute son énergie, mais tout autant par l’attention prioritaire que nous accordons à la diplomatie multilatérale et le soutien que nous apportons à nos amis néerlandais dans le développement de La Haye comme capitale mondiale de la justice et de la paix. Le fait d’avoir ici une représentation spécialement dédiée à ces questions illustre de manière forte à quel point le multilatéralisme est puissamment ancré dans l’ADN belge.

52

Mon mandat me conduit à m’impliquer dans les activités de quelque quinze institutions, allant de la Cour pénale internationale à l’Organisation pour l’interdiction des armes chimiques, en passant par la Cour internationale de Justice, les différentes juridictions pénales ad hoc et mécanismes résiduels, la Conférence de La Haye de droit international privé, et d’autres encore.

J’illustrerai plus particulièrement l’action et les priorités de la Belgique par rapport à trois d’entre elles.

Nul besoin d’expliquer aux lecteurs de Diplomat Magazine l’importance de l’Organisation pour l’interdiction des armes chimiques (OIAC), chargée de la mise en œuvre de la Convention du même nom. Celle-ci institue un système unique de vérification et de contrôle de la destruction des arsenaux et unités de production d’armes chimiques, réellement opérationnel et efficace.

Certaines évolutions internationales récentes ont projeté sur l’organisation une plus grande attention médiatique. Elles ont aussi donné lieu à des débats parfois difficiles entre les pays membres sur l’action à mener par l’organisation. En dépit de ces difficultés, il est nécessaire que l’OIAC puisse continuer à remplir son mandat essentiel. La Belgique apporte un soutien fort à cette organisation, tant diplomatique que financier, pour des raisons tenant notamment à l’utilisation d’armes chimiques sur le territoire belge pendant la Première guerre mondiale, qui a marqué notre mémoire collective. Le Ministère belge de la Défense dispose d’une expertise reconnue dans la destruction d’armes et de munitions chimiques. Il faut en effet savoir qu’on en découvre encore des dizaines de tonnes par an dans les campagnes, parfois encore très toxiques.

La Cour pénale internationale (CPI) est une institution qui nous tient aussi particulièrement à cœur. La Belgique a de tous temps été parmi les pionniers dans le combat pour l’émergence

magazineDIPLOMATIQUE d’une justice internationale pour sanctionner les auteurs des crimes internationaux les plus graves. Aujourd’hui encore, nous sommes très actifs dans ce domaine, qu’il s’agisse de la coopération judiciaire (opérationnelle) avec la CPI – et les autres tribunaux internationaux - ou de notre activité au niveau diplomatique pour soutenir ces juridictions et les aider à remplir leur mission essentielle. Au niveau de la coopération judiciaire, la Belgique dispose d’une autorité centrale de coopération qui traite de nombreuses demandes. La Belgique a conclu plusieurs accords bilatéraux avec la Cour, par exemple sur l’exécution des peines et la réinstallation de témoins protégés. Sur le plan diplomatique, nous nous activons notamment afin que la Cour soit dotée d’un budget adéquat lui permettant de réaliser sa mission fondamentale, mais aussi pour qu’elle s’adapte et s’améliore là où c’est possible.

Enfin, la Belgique suit bien entendu de près les activités de la Cour internationale de Justice (CIJ), l’organe judiciaire principal des Nations Unies. La Belgique n’a pas d’affaire pendante devant la Cour actuellement, mais il y en a eu dans le passé, qui ont d’ailleurs produit une jurisprudence intéressante. Et les développements actuels devant la Cour sont remarquables, comme l’indique par ailleurs M. Couvreur, mon éminent compatriote et ancien greffier de la Cour.

La Belgique a une grande tradition de juristes internationalistes, dont beaucoup ont été actifs à La Haye à différentes époques. Ainsi le Baron Descamps, qui présida le Comité de juristes institué en 1920 par la Société des Nations pour créer ce qui allait devenir la Cour permanente de Justice internationale, l’ancêtre de l’actuelle CIJ. Il porte notamment la paternité de l’article 38 du Statut de la Cour qui est considéré, encore aujourd’hui, comme la codification des sources du droit international public (traité, coutume, principes généraux du droit).

De façon plus anecdotique, j’ai découvert que mon arrière-grand père, qui était professeur de droit commercial et de droit international privé à l’Université de Liège, a donné un cours ici à l’Académie de droit international en 1928 !

C’est inspiré par ces illustres prédécesseurs que j’entame, à un niveau infiniment plus modeste, ma fonction de représentant de la Belgique auprès des institutions internationales à La Haye.

DIPLOMATMAGAZINE MAGAZINE#11 #10 DIPLOMAT

diplomatic EVENTS

LEONARDO ROYAL HOTEL - THE NEW DIPLOMATIC VENUE The Diplomatic hub in The Hague, previously known as Crowne Plaza, where hundreds of diplomatic events, delegation meetings, and gastronomic dinner in collaboration with the Diplomat Magazine, will be renamed as the Leonardo Royal Hotel Den Haag Promenade. Known for its exceptional services, the new Leonardo Hotel will retain its essence of Promenade and will continue to provide deluxe services to its customers.

Precisely one year after opening the first Leonardo Royal Hotel of the Benelux region in Amsterdam, the second Leonardo Royal will soon open in The Hague.

General Manager Patrick Aarsman explains, ‘We believe in our brand, Leonardo Hotels, and are looking forward continuing under the wings of Leonardo Royal. We’re proud to be taking this step in the run-up to our 50th anniversary next year. It is still our ambition, together with the city, to position The Hague as a top destination for international relations. The arrival of the Leonardo Royal Hotel in The Hague also marks the arrival of the Fattal Hotel Group to the most international city in the Netherlands. The unmistakable character of the Promenade Hotel, however, will not change. Promenade will remain Promenade. This is something we can be proud of!’

THE INTERNATIONAL ALLURE OF THE ROYAL CITY With 9 meeting rooms, including the impressive 234 m2 Residentiezaal with a Sony 4K laser projector and a Prominential Boardroom on the 6th floor overlooking the green Stolkpark and the skyline of the city, the Leonardo Royal Hotel Den Haag Promenade has versatile meeting facilities to offer. This is in line with the upscale brand “Leonardo Royal” of Leonardo Hotels. The hotel is far more than just a place to sleep overnight. It is a meeting place where hotel guests, residents, and staff can come together to forge national and international connections. In support of these connections, the hotel organises the Promenade Food Festivals at the restaurant Brut International Flavours. International chefs and embassies collaborate with the kitchen brigade to present local cuisines from all over the world to The Hague.

Photography: Kim Vermaat THE HAGUE TO RECEIVE SECOND LEONARDO ROYAL HOTEL IN THE NETHERLANDS Before announcing the second Leonardo Royal Hotel within the Benelux region, the Fattal Hotel Group recently announced the opening of the Leonardo Boutique on P.C. Hooftstraat in Amsterdam. In addition to a total transformation of the Museumhotel on the Netherland’s most chic shopping street, the Leonardo Hotel in Antwerp is also undergoing a total renovation. Alexander Kluit, Managing Director of the Benelux, points out, ‘As of April, the Leonardo portfolio in the Benelux will include 1.400+ hotel rooms distributed over 3 Leonardo Hotels, 2 Leonardo Royal Hotels and 1 Leonardo Boutique Hotel. Fattal Hotel Group is currently one of the fastestgrowing hotel chains in Europe. With the arrival of Leonardo Royal Hotel Den Haag Promenade to the international residential city, we expand our market position to the south of the Netherlands. This is fully in line with our growth ambition for Benelux.’

The Diplomat Magazine wishes Leonardo Royal Hotel success in its endeavors and looks forward to future collaboration!

53

diplomat Magazine events

magazineDIPLOMATIQUE

VI WELCOME AFTER SUMMER The traditional Welcome After Summer Reception, organized by Diplomat Magazine in collaboration with Leonardo Royal Hotel, has been once again a great occasion to gather ambassadors, heads of missions, diplomats, and friends from all over the world.

The diplomats attending the reception were numerous and of a high profile, including the Ambassadors of China, Malaysia, Rwanda, Indonesia, Vietnam, Iran, the Republic of Korea, Uzbekistan, the State of Palestine, Yemen, Morocco, Tunisia, Angola, Tanzania, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, the Holy See, Brazil, Cuba, Peru, Chile, Venezuela, and Ecuador; the Chargés d’Affairs a.i. of the Russian Federation, Georgia, Argentina, Panama, Suriname, and Azerbaijan; and representatives from the Embassies of the USA, Kenya, and Poland. Beyond the diplomatic community, the reception also welcomed businesspeople, well-known politicians, academics, and members of international organizations.

The reception also became a momentous occasion to celebrate the launch of Diplomat Magazine’s new printed edition, which came fresh from the printer for this special occasion.

Addressing the hundreds of guests, Diplomat Magazine’s Publisher Dr. Mayelinne De Lara spent a few words on the focus of the Magazine. “We focus on the people” – she said – “Especially, on all the men and women who constitute the great diplomatic corps, who come from every corner of the world to serve their country restlessly. We are proud to support all these great civil servants, sharing and learning great life lessons every day”.

Photography: Robert Huiberts

Ambassadors holding Diplomat Magazine last issue.

54

Dr. De Lara, continued by mentioning the multitude of events organized by Diplomat Magazine over the last months, including Ceremonies of Merit for parting Ambassadors, gastronomic festivals, promotional activities for salsa, chocolate and wine, diplomats run & walk, and visits to institutions such as Eurojust. “In addition to that”, she continued, “Diplomat Magazine has also travelled to places far from the Netherlands, for instance the fantastic Bakhshi music festival in Termez, Uzbekistan, where thousands came to admire and enjoy the ancient art of recreating histories about war, conquests, and love; and also the great city of La Habana, which celebrated its 500th anniversary with the most successful international tourism fair ever held in the country.

“Moreover”, Dr. De Lara added, “we also travelled to Bangladesh, in an extensive journey that led us to visit many cities, where we saw important historical relics, Buddhist temples, craft markets, silk saris in-house production, wonderful beaches, and especially great, progressive, hard-working, friendly, and hospitable people. We returned from Bangladesh with warmth in our hearts, as well as with important declarations from the country’s Prime Minister, the Honorable Sheik Hasina, to whom we dedicated our cover page and the main article”.

The crowded reception included a luxury car exhibition from Louwman Group, as well as exclusive Argentinean wines provided by the Embassy of Argentina and Argentinian wine importers: Belgerette wines, Verbunt-Verlinden, and San Rafael Import. A live jazz band with a great singer provided the musical background, and Cuban cigars and rum from the Embassy of Cuba added to the atmosphere.

Moreover, the reception was also a great occasion to celebrate in The Hague the National Day of Uzbekistan – 28 years after the foundation of the Republic. To this aim, a traditional Uzbek market with silk, cotton, silver products and authentic food was also set up. The Italian Embassy also contributed to the ambience by presenting an Italian café corner by Café Fadi with a barista offering unique blends and recreating a genuinely Italian atmosphere.

H.E. Mr. Vsevolod Chentsov, Ambassador of Ukraine, Diplomat Magazine’s Publisher, H.E. Mr. Elyes Ghariani, Ambassador of Tunisia and H.E. Ms. Annika Lisa Markovic, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden.

29-31 octobre 2019, Principauté de Monaco: Sous la thématique : « Réconcilier l’humanité et la planète : perspectives dans l’espace francophone à la veille des 50 ans de l’Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie ».

La conférence ministérielle de la Francophonie fut précédée par la 108e session du Conseil permanent de la Francophonie (CPF), ayant eu lieu le 29 octobre. sous la présidence de M Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, Ministre des Affaires étrangères d’Arménie, aux côtés de la Secrétaire générale de la Francophonie, Madame Louise Mushikiwabo.

La Conférence ministérielle de la Francophonie (CMF) fait partie des trois instances consacrées par la Charte de la Francophonie avec le Sommet et le Conseil permanent de la Francophonie (CPF). La CMF assure la continuité politique du Sommet de la Francophonie.

Le Conseil permanent de la Francophonie (CPF) est l’instance chargée de la préparation et du suivi du Sommet, sous l’autorité de la Conférence ministérielle.

Il est à la fois animateur, coordonnateur et arbitre de l’action de l’Organisation. Il fait partie, avec le Sommet et la Conférence ministérielle de la Francophonie, des trois organes décisionnels consacrés par la Charte de la Francophonie. Présidé par la Secrétaire générale de la Francophonie, il se prononce sur ses propositions et la soutient dans l’exercice de ses fonctions.

C’était la première fois que Monaco accueillit une Conférence ministérielle de la Francophonie générale, il s’agit d’un pas important pour la Principauté.

La Conférence ministérielle de la Francophonie sera l’occasion de lancer une réflexion sur les perspectives de l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), notamment en faveur du développement durable, dans toutes ses composantes alliant économie, social et environnement. Le Gouvernement Princier a

magazineDIPLOMATIQUE

36E CONFÉRENCE MINISTÉRIELLE DE

LA FRANCOPHONIE ainsi souhaité mettre l’accent sur un thème qui lui est particulièrement cher : la promotion du développement durable, en ayant fait le choix de traiter ce sujet de manière large et dans sa dimension plurielle sous l’angle : « Réconcilier l’Humanité et la Planète : perspectives dans l’espace francophone à la veille des 50 ans de l’OIF». Cette proposition avait été soumise par Gilles Tonelli, alors Conseiller de Gouvernement-Ministre des Relations extérieures et de la Coopération, à l’occasion de la 35e Conférence ministérielle de la Francophonie qui s’est tenue à Erevan en octobre 2018 et approuvée par les États et Gouvernements membres de la Francophonie.

Ce thème sera décliné par la présentation, par le Gouvernement Princier, d’un projet de résolution relatif à la préservation des océans et par l’organisation d’un événement parallèle relatif au tourisme durable, en partenariat avec l’Institut de la Francophonie pour le Développement durable. La Principauté de Monaco a mis en place, depuis septembre 2018, un Comité de pilotage, sous la responsabilité de Madame le Directeur général du Département des Relations extérieures et de la Coopération, laquelle est également le Correspondant national auprès de l’OIF.

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

LA FRANCOPHONIE, UNE ORGANISATION INTERNATIONALE L’OIF a vu le jour le 20 mars 1970 – sous l’impulsion des présidents Senghor (Sénégal), Bourguiba (Tunisie), Diori (Niger) et du Prince Sihanouk (Cambodge) – 21 pays se sont réunis à Niamey (Niger), pour créer l’Agence de coopération culturelle et technique (ACCT), devenue aujourd’hui l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Les francophones peuvent s’appuyer sur un dispositif institutionnel voué à promouvoir la langue française et la coopération entre leurs pays (l’OIF rassemble actuellement 88 États et gouvernements). Le Sommet des chefs d’État et de gouvernement, qui se réunit tous les deux ans, est la plus haute des instances politiques décisionnelles de la Francophonie, avec la Conférence ministérielle et le Conseil permanent.

L’OIF mène des actions politiques et de coopération dans les domaines prioritaires suivants : – langue française et diversité culturelle et linguistique

Photographie: La Francophonie – paix, démocratie et droits de l’Homme – éducation et formation – développement durable, économie et solidarité. Dans l’ensemble de ses actions, elle accorde une attention particulière aux jeunes et aux femmes ainsi qu’à l’accès au numérique CONFÉRENCES MINISTÉRIELLES La Charte de la Francophonie reconnaît deux conférences ministérielles permanentes qui sont aussi les deux plus anciennes institutions de la Francophonie : la Conférence des ministres de l’Éducation des pays ayant le français en partage (CONFÉMEN) et la Conférence des ministres de la Jeunesse et des Sports des pays ayant le français en partage (CONFÉJES). La CONFÉMEN œuvre pour la promotion de l’éducation et de la formation professionnelle et technique, et constitue l’instrument privilégié qui permet aux États et aux gouvernements de conjuguer leurs efforts en vue de développer leurs systèmes éducatifs.

Son rôle est d’orienter les politiques éducatives dans les pays membres à travers des décisions et des recommandations. La CONFÉJES appuie les pays membres pour l’élaboration et/ ou la mise en œuvre des politiques nationales de jeunesse et de sport. Elle met en place des programmes de formation en faveur de l’insertion sociale et économique des jeunes, ainsi qu’à destination des cadres et des sportifs.

For further information https://www.francophonie.org/monaco-36esession-de-la-conference-ministerielle-de-lafrancophonie-780

55

magazineDIPLOMATIQUE Photography: Paul Matos

« Je tiens la route! » Projet pour la santé

mentale positive des jeunes en milieu scolaire La prévention et la promotion en santé mentale chez les jeunes.

PAR GUY BEAUCHAMP En réponse à l’augmentation importante des problèmes de santé mentale chez les étudiants, mon collègue Marc Martineau et moi avons mis sur pied le projet « Je tiens la route! » au Cégep de l’Outaouais. L’appellation « Je tiens la route! » réfère à une métaphore qui met en action un-e étudiant-e en voiture devant affronter les tempêtes de neige et les blizzards (phénomènes météorologiques bien présents au Québec). Dans ce contexte, il est absolument nécessaire de se munir de quatre bons pneus pour surmonter les dangers, éviter les catastrophes et « tenir la route! ».

Chacun de ces pneus s’avère essentiel pour l’étudiant dans sa préparation vis-à-vis des épreuves de différentes natures qui surviendront lors de son parcours. Le premier pneu représente la santé et l’activité physique, le deuxième pneu, la santé psychologique et les stratégies personnelles de gestion de stress, le troisième, l’établissement et le maintien des liens sociaux, et le quatrième pneu, la quête de sens et/ou le développement de sa spiritualité.

Les exercices reliés à chacun de ces quatre “pneus” amenuisent l’impact des situations d’adversité et favorisent la résilience. Le

56

projet s’articule notamment autour d’activités de sensibilisation auxquelles participent activement les étudiants, et milite pour l’engagement citoyen en santé mentale chez tout le monde dans l’établissement.

Les exemples d’activités sont nombreux: un concours vidéo étudiant portant sur la résilience; une pièce de théâtre surprise à la cafétéria simulant différentes situations de détresse psychologique vécues par les étudiants; la journée annuelle printanière «orange» » qui souligne l’importance de maintenir une bonne santé globale pour favoriser sa persévérances aux études; etc.

Dans le cadre de rencontres dans des congrès de recherche, Madame Katty Firquet, Députée et Vice-présidente de la province de Liège, en Belgique, a pris fait et cause du projet « Je tiens la route! » pour l’adapter dans le milieu scolaire et social. Ces échanges internationaux ont porté fruit avec de belles répercussions des deux côtés de l’Atlantique. Entre autres, l’ambassadeur du Canada en Belgique, Monsieur Olivier Nicoloff, lors d’une visite aux instances Liégeoises, a tenu à souligner le lien important entre l’initiative du Cégep de l’Outaouais au Canada et celles de la Province

de Liège, se mesurant aux défis qui se posent dans les deux sociétés. D’autre part Monsieur Philippe Snoeck, des Affaires Sociales de la Province, a aussi présenté à l’Organisation Mondiale de la Santé (OMS) un mémoire portant sur les aspects préventifs en santé mentale, en soulignant l’origine québécoise et canadienne du projet « Je tiens la route! ».

Le site web canadien du projet (jetienslaroute. com) fait état des initiatives qui ont uni ces deux pays au cours des dernières années, dans l’optique de mieux outiller les jeunes pour favoriser leur croissance, développer leur résilience et ultimement prévenir des problèmes de santé mentale.

Guy Beauchamp est un ex- professeur-chercheur des milieux collégiaux et universitaires. Il a fait de nombreuses recherches et a publié dans des domaines aussi variés que la pharmacologie, la psychiatrie, la chimie, l’éducation et la santé mentale. Détenteur d’un doctorat en pharmacologie de l’Université de Montréal, son expertise s’étend également dans les analyses statistiques complexes.

diplomatIC EVENTS

nationaldays

BAHRAIN NATIONAL DAY 2019

BY ROY LIE ATJAM

GRAND OPENING OF BELARUSIAN ARTIST

VICTORIA KOVALENCHIKOVA’S EXPOSITION

BY ROY LIE ATJAM Stanislav Vassilevsky, PhD, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Republic of Belarus in the Netherlands invited members of the Diplomatic Corps, as well as senior officials of the Dutch Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Education Culture and Science, and The Hague Municipality, to the Bell`Arte gallery at the Grand Hotel Amrâth Kurhaus for the grand opening of the contemporary Belarusian artist Victoria Kovalenchikova’s exposition.

Vassilevsky started his welcome remarks by expressing gratitude for the assistance of Mrs. Doret Huiberts, owner of the gallery, and hotel manager Mr. Giovanni van Eijl, who kindly co-organized and co-hosted the evening.

Dr Stanislav Vassilevsky also expressed his appreciation for the assistance he received from Mrs. Ljoedmila Van Vyve, Director of the Cultural Foundation, who inspired him to organize the event and put him into connection with all the talented participating artists.

The event was a collaboration between Belarusian and Dutch artists, the first event of its kind in the Netherlands, making it a particularly exciting occasion.

Victoria Kovalenchikova met her spouse in the Netherlands and moved here a decade ago to continue her creative work (she has had more than 100 solo and group expositions around the world since 1997), and on this project has collaborated with the talented and prominent Dutch sculptor Chris Tap as well as visual designer Arvid Henkes.

The expo is a melange of paintings, sculptures and design work. The event also featured performances by the famous opera singer

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

Elena Syssojeva and Belarusian pianists Aksana & Vital Stahievitch. The musical program included works by Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninov, Schubert, Tchaikovsky and others.

The event was attended by more than 200 guests, including representatives of the Dutch Foreign Ministry, honorary consuls of the Republic of Belarus in the Netherlands, as well as heads and representatives of the diplomatic missions accredited to the Netherlands.

Those in attendance included Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, El Salvador, the USA. Also consulting and investment agencies, the business community, celebrities, as well as representatives of charity foundations working with Belarus and representatives of international organizations in The Hague.

The Hague, 4 December 2019. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa accession to the throne, H.E. Mr Fawaz bin Mohamed Al Khalifa Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the Netherlands organized a sitting lunch. The event also celebrated the Kingdom of Bahrain’s National Day, In his welcome remarks, Ambassador Fawaz bin Mohamed Al Khalifa warmly welcome his guests. He went on to mention the current situation in the Gulf region which he deemed worrisome.

The Ambassador further expresses his gratitude for the collective international assistance received in safeguarding a free mercantile shipping in the gulf.

An exquisite lunch followed in a cordial and pleasurable atmosphere. Guests were presented with a token of appreciated upon departure.

H.E. Mr Fawaz bin Ambassador Al Khalifa with H.E. Fernando Arias, OPCW Director General

Miss World Nederland 2019 Brenda Felicia Muste, a lover of art, also graced the occasion with her presence.

Dr Stanislav Vassilevsky has been with the Belarusian Mission in the Netherlands for roughly a year, and commented that he notices that Belarus, unfortunately, is still unknown to the broader public. Therefore, the primary objective of the event was to foster Belarusian-Dutch ties, promote friendship, and to generate better mutual understanding.

The hundreds of guests were also invited to try Belarusian specialties in the form of beverages, sausages, sweets and homemade pies, all baked with love by the embassy staff and Mrs Vassilevsky.

H.E. Mr Fawaz bin Mohamed Al Khalifa Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Photography: Naldo Peverelli

57

diplomatICpouch

BRIDGING THE GENDER GAP IN INTERNATIONAL LAW:

MEET THE WOMEN IN INTERNATIONAL LAW NETWORK The field of Law is still, be it on a national or international level, a predominantly male dominated territory. How can that be changed?

How do women gain traction, tipping the scales towards a more balanced environment, fostering a culture of support and awareness for the potential and the achievements of women, bringing about positive social change?

This is something the ‘Women in International Law Network’ aims to further. The WIL for short, is an informal network which aims to empower women in the field of law in the Netherlands by bringing them together to foster professional and personal connections.

Established in 2017, it provides a forum to enable women to share information, experiences, ideas and knowledge to bring about positive social change and promote gender equality in the field of law.

The Network was created by legal advisers from the Embassies of Australia, Austria, Canada, Israel and Switzerland, as well as the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia Chef de Cabinet. The current board members include the legal advisers of Austria, Serbia and Japan, as well as the Chef de Cabinet and Principal Legal Advisor of the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals and the External Relations and Cooperation Officer of the Registry of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Network includes more than 300 members, and keeps growing with every new event. It is open to mid-level to senior female officials, experts, advisers and academics working in international law in the Netherlands.

Since the Network’s establishment several high-level events have been organized and held. Two discussions around the topic of Harassment at the Workplace, how to confront it and all the challenges revolving this issue. The most recent event on this topic was hosted by the Embassies of the Republic of Serbia and Israel, in July 2019. Several high profile speakers, such as the President of the Staff Union of the ICC Ruth Frolich, the

58

Photography: Roy Strik Staff Welfare Officer of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Paola Paoletti, and the Coordinator for Safe Working Environment from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gerda Vrielink, enriched the agenda. An event at the University of Leiden on the Fight against Gender Inequality with UN Deputy High Commissioner of Human Rights Kate Gilmore to mark International Women’s Day in 2019 inspired and enhanced awareness on the need for all to play an active role to fight against gender inequality in a populist world. Moderated by Professor Patricia Sellers, Special Adviser of the ICC Prosecutor on Gender, and with an introduction by Professor Helen Duffy, the event allowed for the possibility of empowering women who are at different stages of their professional life, engaging with the subject at an early stage.

Earlier this year a panel discussion celebrating the New Female Voices in Legal Academia was held at the Austrian Residence in The Hague, inspiring fascinating and rich dialogue and co-facilitation from young female researchers on various and ground-breaking fields of international law, including the responsibility of social media companies regarding human rights violations and litigation around achieving sustainable fisheries. In the previous year’s events such as a mock debate on the (in) effectiveness of Gender Quotas, discussions on Gender barriers in the Workplace, a movie screening on Women’s Suffrage, as well as hearing from guest speakers on Women in

Leadership in the field of International Law, grew the Network and paved the way for more events and possibilities for connecting with strong, successful women in the field.

Social gatherings also have allowed members to mingle in a more casual environment and exchange views and experiences.

All the panellists are exceptional and successful women in strong positions, who have asserted their place in their fields of work and who are now able to pass on their experiences and help shape the future of women in international law. The Network benefits in particular from the rich and diverse community of women working in and around international law in The Hague, an international hub for international peace and justice, and thrives thanks to this strong and enabling environment.

Anyone interested in becoming a member can send an e-mail to womenilnl@gmail. com and/or ask to join our LinkedIn page.

diplomatICpouch It is at least strange to hear of any crisis of liberalism here in the Czech Republic, where there was recently celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the Tender Revolution which had marked the conscious choice of the Czech people to build a new democratic parliamentary republic with priority of human rights and personal freedoms limited by the Constitution.

In today’s world development there is nothing more important than the protection of an individual and ensuring natural human rights and freedoms. There is nothing more precious than a particular human life, and there is not a single idea that could justify the death of people or an individual.

Protection of an individual, enforcement of human rights and freedoms, including freedom of speech, guarantees of civil rights, the establishment of equality of all citizens before the law, the establishment of a free market economy and enforcement of government responsibility and transparency of public authorities are fundamental principles of liberalism. They will never die and should be pursued by any open society based on pluralism and democratic governance, subject to respect for the rights of minorities and individual citizens within the framework of the basic law developed by that society and called the Constitution.

The natural and inalienable human right to freedom of speech is first and foremost realized in the world through Media, the main task of which is to guarantee truthful and reliable information to the citizens through an Photography: Igor Rybakov

honest and neutral representation of objective reality and events in the world.

From the perspective of modern liberalism, the key to ensuring freedom of speech is private ownership and non-interference by a state in private business activities, including the media.

Only free media can truly exercise freedom of speech. At the same time, Media liability should be limited only by law.

In terms of liberalism, every professional journalist should exercise freedom of speech truthfully, accurately and objectively, being guided by ethical standards and norms, one of the best examples of which is the BBC’s Editorial Values and Standards for TV journalists.

One of the main rules of professional journalism is: ‘Information must state facts.

It should be verified by the best specialists available. The selection should be based on a comprehensive reflection of the different viewpoints of the participants and interested organizations, but the position of a good journalist should remain neutral. It should provide the viewer and listener with an intelligent and informative report that allows them to form their own opinion. Reporters can exercise their professional judgments, but not offer their own opinions.

Is this possible to stay neutral and impartial?

In 2004, Deborah Scranton, a journalist, distributed video cameras between American military men, who have been departed to Iraq, and a year later, from the uncut material they filmed, she produced ‘Military Films’, which in many ways turned around the conceptions of war and military journalism.

The Media may have different looks at the developments, like Fox News or Washington Post have, but none of them attempts to distort or refute the facts.

We all see the same picture, but how do we present it?

There are subjective interpretations or distortion of facts. And here we see that Iranian General Kasem Suleimani, who coordinated the actions of terrorist groups of ‘Hezbollah’, personally led the famous terrorist ‘Hyena’, and was included in the UN black list, suddenly becomes a hero of the civil war in Syria.

Unprofessionalism and the desire to show only one side of the coin lead to mistrust, the construction of a new ‘Berlin Wall’ between the Media and fellow journalists from different countries. And now an excellent professional Russian journalist and decent man Roman Babayan, who for many years showed the blood and mud of war and terror, is declared by other ‘journalists’ to be an active member of disinformation forces and a person responsible for lawbreaking and violations of international law.

For some reason, we began to forget that we are all journalists, media workers are colleagues, not soldiers at war on different sides of the front.

It is in the mouths of non-professional media that the word ‘liberalism’ became a ‘negative’ and their colleagues became ‘representatives of liberal media’.

Liberalism may be not the best philosophical school of thought and socio-political trend, except for all the others. It is alive and will never die, because being free is always better than not being free.

We should always keep this in mind. While having different opinions and positions, we should communicate more often at professional venues, and to cherish our human and journalistic honor and reputation, regardless of whether we share liberal views or not.

By Igor Rybakov ,Head of the Rossotrudnichestvo Representative Office Department in the Czech Republic, expert of the International Academy of Television and Radio (IATR), ex-journalist

BEING FREE IS

ALWAYS BETTER THAN NOT BEING FREE DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

59

diplomatICpouch

BECOMING A

PEACE POET

Photography: Kim Vermaat.

Recognizing the strong link between literature and politics, since many peace activists have used poetry as an effective means to communicate their ideas to a world wide audience, the Peace Palace library in The Hague invited me to write poems for her international website. My first poem as a her peace poet was published on X-mas day 2012 and four more poems followed as a gift.

ON BERTHA VON SUTTNER Celebrating the centenary of the Peace Palace The Hague donated an enormous bell for the carillon. That gift inspired me to write another poem ‘Bertha’s bell in GMT’, about the first female Nobel Peace laureate: Why she? Well, to me Bertha was a ‘small’ role model being a female author on human rights a century ago! Author and peace activist Bertha von Suttner received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905 for the book Lay Down Your Arms! The book was published in 1889 in German and became very quickly successful, both because of its look at war and peace and because it addressed the issue of women in society. Until the publication of All Quiet on the Western Front in 1929, Die Waffen nieder! (Lay Down your Arms!) was the most important German literary work concerning war.

In all poetic freedom I framed and labelled the donated bell - ‘Bertha’ - in a greasy wink to her book. For Dicke Bertha became the nick name of a German howitser in the First World War. The German factory Krupp from Essen demonstrated Kurze Marine Kanone L/12 for the first time in 1893. The story goes that the howitser cannon is named after Bertha Krupp, owner of the company Krupp AG, but another explanation is the reference to the obese Austrian pacifiste Bertha von Suttner.

Anyway, my bold metaphore in the frame

60

By Hanneke Eggels MA, author

of ‘Bertha’s bell in GMT’ became my spiritual gift for the Peace Palace. In a synesthesia the reader hopefully will hear and experience Bertha’s bell in a declaration of time in GMT both on the ground and sea, as a token of peace in the future.

Sentiment is the arch-enemy of poetry, according to her. She transforms myths from the past to modern ways of thinking and puts political currents in national and international context. Her theme is on international level and she spreads a humanistic view.

A HUNDRED QUOTES

Hanneke Eggels: Nice. Gedichten/Poetry on human rights. Paperback, 66 pages. ISBN 978 94 91206 09 2. Cour de Culture Publishers 2017. e-book ISBN 9789081524902.

The Peace Palace had extended her collection of poetry with several of my books. Moreover we discussed my lectures on Nobel laureates, also suggesting to programme a special website on Nobel laureates. From 2013 the library gave attention to the first female Nobel Peace laureate in a master class, while publishing my ‘Bertha’s bell on GMT’ for 3500 webreaders. The interview The Power of Poetry contemplated the special link between poetry, international peace and international justice. The library has a separate hit on poetry, containing in total 57 books and articles and my poem on Bertha von Suttner too.

•Bertha’s bell in GMT: Nobel laureate for Peace Bertha von Suttner. Austrian peace activist (1843-1914). The Hague’s Centenary gift: an enormous bell for the carillon. The life expectancy for new-born girls in 2013 is 100 years. The title of a book by Nobel laureate Ernest Hemingway: For whom the bell tolls.

Title of a book by Thomas Hardy: Far from the madding crowd. The poem was published to commemorate the birthday of Bertha von Suttner on www.peacepalacelibrary.nl in June 2016.

Links https://www.speakersacademy.com/nl/ spreker/hanneke-eggels/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ hannekeeggels/?locale=nl_NL https://www.eggels.com/ The panel discussion ended with a Lunch at the restaurant of Society De Witte.

URUGUAY EMBASSY URUGUAY EMBASSY BRINGS IDA VITALE’S BRINGS POEMS POEMS TO THE HAGUE TO THE HAGUE

BY

BY IDA IDA VITALE VITALE

•In 2013 Bertha von Suttner became the first woman in history to be honored with a buste inside the Peace Palace, for she became the first female recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and played an important role in the coming into existence of the Peace Palace.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hanneke Eggels (*Amsterdam) is an independent poet and philosopher with a contemporary and socially-critical view.

Edith Bergansius, The Hague Hispanic Association’s president, H.E. Ms.The Laura Dupuy Lasserre, AmbasEdith Bergansius, Hague Hispanic Association’s sador of Uruguay Prof.Dupuy Gabriel Inzaurralde, president, H.E. Ms.and Laura Lasserre, AmbasLatin Master Studies program at Leiden sadorAmerican of Uruguay and Prof.

Gabriel Inzaurralde, University.

Photograpahy

by Catherine Latin American Master Studies programDailey at Leiden University. Photograpahy by Catherine Dailey

diplomatICpouch

THE CHALLENGES OF ETHICS AND ROBOETHICS IN THE CONDUCT OF HOSTILITIES AND IN EVERYDAY TECHNOLOGY

By Marco Pizzorno

The new types of conflict are oriented towards the use of autonomous intelligence capable of correcting and evolving from previous errors.

The current dynamics of warfare change the rules of combat and consequently, even the fundamental guarantees are forced to chase the future and its challenges. Currently, technological science has focused on forms of artificial intelligence. The use of drones in recent conflicts opens up many reflections on how and when a virtual conscience is able to recognize and distinguish what is considered a military target from a civilian asset. Will an artificial conscience succeed in avoiding death and suffering to human life in the theater of war?

HOW DOES IT WORK The decision-making structure of these new realities is built on a decision Tree through which the action is assessed. Different solutions are part of different action plans defined by algorithms. These algorithms allow you to define basic knowledge and expanded knowledge, that is, created through experience. The evolution of the machine fueled by experience refers, however, to ML or machine learning. The knowledge of man is carried out in different ways: “Theory of

Formal Languages and on Theory of Decision”.

The first is based on dynamics: “generative, recognitive, denotational, algebraic and transformational that refer to the theories of Strings. The second on Decision Theory, or on a decision Tree, designed to evaluate actions, reactions and possible consequences.

ETHICS AND ROBOETHICS APPLIED TO ROBOTICS The ethics indicates it as a branch of philosophy that studies the rational foundations that allow human behavior to be assigned a deontological status. Roboethics, on the other hand, is ethics “applied” to robotics. The common path to this new universe which also includes the military and security sector must unite the factors of human ethics with those of roboethics to be applied to robotics which, through artificial intelligence and machine learning, has its own development and its own. consciousness.

WHAT IS THE FUTURE? There are many concerns also due to the technological arms race of military superpowers. The Principles of Asilomar at the moment buffer a phenomenon that develops at impressive speed. The policies related to the

Photography: Marco Pizzorno protection of IHL, report early deterrent work on AI and ML. The work published by the ICRC is very interesting. All worries on the planet could focus on point 3 which says: “Use of AI and machine learning by conflict parties Many of the ways in which parties to armed conflict - whether States or non-State armed groups - might use AI and machine learning in the conduct of warfare, and their potential implications, are not yet known”.

“Not Yet known”, is it a starting point or is it the beginning of the end? The question now is: “How is human life protected and from what? Is software that self-develops and commits crimes punishable and how?

diplomat Magazine events The Embassy of Uruguay, together with The Hague Hispanic Association, headed by Ms. Edith Bergansius, organised an event to pay tribute to a renowned writer, Ida Vitale, who won the 2018 Miguel de Cervantes Prize.

The venue at Koningkerk was filled quickly, as the members of the Diplomatic Corps in-cluding Ambassadors of Ecuador, and Chile, as well as members of The Hague Hispanic Association, and other friends of Uruguay who attended to hear Professor Gabriel Inzaur-ralde’s lecture about Vitale.

The evening began with H.E. Ms. Laura Dupuys Lasserre, the Ambassador of Uruguay, presenting her views on one of the most important poets of the generation of 45’.

“An essayist, translator, professor of literature,

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

and the author of more than thirty books, as well as the recipient of countless awards and recognitions. It is a source of pride that an Uruguayan woman has received the highest award of the Spanish language, the Miguel de Cervantes Prize for Literature”, noted Ambassador Ms. Dupuys.

Ida Vitale taught literature in Montevideo until her exile in Mexico from 1973 to 1980, then Vitale, together with Enrique Fierro, her husband, moved to Austin in Texas, where they lived for 30 years until Fierro’s death in 2016. The poet then returned to Montevideo, where she is still living and writing today. At the age of 96, the author is currently working on a new novel recounting her years in Mexico.

Professor Mr. Inzaurralde gave an engaging speech that kept the public attentive until the

end. He managed to bring the poet Vitale to the audience thanks to lively anecdotes, while also reading and analysing many of her poems as well as her life.

The evening was a full package cultural experience that continued when Ms. Ambassador invited all guests to taste exclusive Uruguayan wines as well as traditional empanadas.

H.E. Ms. Laura Dupuy, Ambassador of Uruguay, H.E. Ms. Maria Teresa Infante Caffi, Ambassador of Chile and the Ambassador of Ecuador, H.E. Mr. Andrés Terán Parral

61

diplomatICpouch

diplomatIC EVENTS

BATIK WORKSHOP A ONE DAY

Photography: Marian van Noort

Photography: Bayern International GmbH, Munich

WE NEVER WORK ALONE

By Martina Maschauer, Managing Director Bayern International

It was a great pleasure for me to be able to take over the management of Bayern International after having held positions in the Bavarian State Chancellery, Brussels and China, among others. Like hardly any other economy, Bavaria is linked to the global economy. Bavarian companies have an export quota of around 50% - every second euro is earned abroad. As Bayern International, we see it as our task to make it easier for Bavarian companies to enter foreign business. We have focused on Bavarian SMEs. The small and medium-sized companies are the heart of the Bavarian economy. These include hidden champions whose names are unknown worldwide, but who are world market leaders in their field.

62

Bayern International, a subsidiary of the Free State of Bavaria, is an established brand in Bavarian foreign trade. We have around 100 events in our programme every year and our projects often take us to so-called pioneer markets, so that we can also draw attention to previously unknown markets. As part of the Bavarian Trade Fair Participation Program, we are realizing the Bavarian Pavilions, under which Bavarian companies present themselves.

In cooperation with the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, we organize delegation trips with the political support of the Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs or the Bavarian State Secretary for Economic Affairs. Our work requires close cooperation with embassies, consulates and business organisations.

The success of a project is also the result of successful cooperation with the institutions in the target country. Especially the embassies can pave the way and open doors for us and the participating companies from Bavaria. We work closely together with the institutions of the economy such as the Chambers of Industry and Commerce, the Chambers of Crafts here in Bavaria and the Chambers of Commerce Abroad. We never work alone, but see ourselves as part of an extensive network, whose threads we bring together in the context of a project, in order to bring Bavarian companies the best possible service and benefit.

The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in The Hague in conjunction with Sahabat Budaya Indonesia organized a “A One Day Batik Workshop�. The workshop was held at Aula Nusantara of the Indonesian Embassy.

The welcome remarks were delivered by Madam Rusdiana Puja, spouse of the Ambassador of Indonesia.

The traditional Indonesian batik is a technique of manual wax dying. The word batik refers to the tika flower and is an Indonesian cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO. The World Craft Council WCC has designated Jogja as the World Batik City.

The Prominent Batik expert Pak Muhammad Sartono, specially flown in from Indonesia, shared his knowledge of batik with a group of eager students.

It was featured on the program: an introduction on batik, batik lesson and practice, the coloring process and the finishing process.

The workshop has been entirely interactive, this contrary to the textile and batik demo held a few years back, which was more academic.

Pak Muhammad Sartono, a true pedagogue, took the students by the hand as it were and navigate them through the whole process of making their batik fabric. A very gratifying experience.

Batik expert Pak Muhammad Sartono

diplomatICpouch

Photography: Pixabav

Roy Lie Tjam, Diplomat Magazine’s editor and founder of Diplomat Magazine, showing his batik works.

The workshop was attended by members of the Ambassador’s Spouse Association (ASA), ASEAN Ladies’ Circle (ALC), furthermore, by friends of Indonesia.

Mr. Freddy Iswandy Head of Information &Socio-Cultural Affairs presented a token of appreciation to Pak Muhammad Sartono.

After the Netherlands, Pak Muhammad Sartono’s European tour will take him to Paris before returning to Indonesia.

By all means, the one-day batik workshop has been enlightening and a towering success. The atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant. Bravo!

Mr. Freddy Iswandy Head of Information &SocioCultural Affairs presenting a token of appreciation to Pak Muhammad Sartono

RONDINE: FORMING YOUNG

LEADERS FOR PEACE

By Guido Lanfranchi

Have you ever thought of selecting a few people belonging to different factions of a violent conflict and encouraging them to live in the same house, thousands of kilometers away from home, for a couple of years? For how far-fetched and revolutionary such idea may seems, someone had it. This someone is Franco Vaccari, Italian psychologist and founder of “Rondine – Citadel for Peace”.

Rondine is an Italian-based international organization that works to reduce armed conflicts in the world through methods of creative transformation of conflict. The organization’s basic approach is to provide a forum for youth from countries afflicted by conflict to study and live together in Rondine, a medieval hamlet near Arezzo, Tuscany. By leaving in the so-called “World House”, these young students get not only a chance to pursue their studies and develop individual projects for their country, but also – and most importantly – to live with those who would supposedly be “their enemies”. By doing so – the Rondine method goes – they can learn “to face their own conflict, and turn it into a creative opportunity”, with the final aim of returning to their home countries – hopefully contributing to conflict resolution and peaceful coexistence.

Twenty years after its creation in the late 1990s, Rondine currently hosts 30 students from 25 different countries across Europe, Africa, America, and the Near East.

from Mali. They told me about the challenges faced by their country, and they explained that at the root of their choices to join Rondine’s initiative there is a shared desire to make Mali a better place. The students also recounted the several challenges they face, not only during the cohabitation in Rondine, but also at the time of returning to their own country to explain their experience. Yet, nothing seems to be unsolvable for them. As Arvedo put it, “the key is not to eliminate problems, but to learn how to manage them”.

In October 2018 Rondine decided to take its activities a step further and launched a global campaign – “Leaders for Peace” – asking states all over the world to move a symbolic figure away from their defense budgets, investing instead in human rights education and scholarships for young peace leaders. The campaign has by now received broad support, including an endorsement by Pope Francis and the Italian government’s official commitment. Moreover, over the last years Rondine has travelled twice to the United States, where it has shared its unique peacebuilding experience with high-level policymakers and researchers.

As mankind experiences an intolerably high number of conflicts all around the world, it is more important than ever to provide support to those actors who relentlessly work for peace. As John Lennon used to sing a few decades During the Paris Peace Forum, I had the pleasure to talk to two of these young ago, let’s “give peace a chance”. students, Madeleine (26) and Arvedo(24) DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

63

diplomatICpouch

WORLD VS. CORONA: “CHINA SETS EXAMPLE”

By Eric van de Beek Photography:Kim Vermaat

“Measures taken by China have set an example for the global response to epidemic outbreak”, says Chinese ambassador H.E. Dr. Xu Hong. “They fully demonstrate the advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics.”

On February 26th the ambassador of the People’s Republic of China,H.E. Dr. Xu Hong, hosted a briefing-reception in The Hague fordiplomats, Dutch officials and the media about the latest news on the Corona virus outbreak, officially known under the name COVID-19. In his opening remarks the ambassador expressed his deep condolences about the 2,718 Chinese patients that had at that time lost their lives and said that he hoped for the quick recovery of the more than 45,604 diagnosed patients under treatment, of which 8,752 with severe symptoms.

“UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES” The virus outbreak had posed “unprecedented challenges” to China, Hong stated. The COVID-19 virus appeared difficult to diagnose. There have been cases in which people who had been tested negative still appeared to be infected or even got ill after two weeks of quarantine, he explained.

Furthermore, the virus appeared to be highly contagious. It can be transmitted through droplets, contact, air, fecal-oral transmission, “reaching the top of the known virus infection level”. Another unprecedented challenge the Chinese authorities had to deal with was the shortage of medical resources. “With the increasing number of patients, the amount of doctors, beds and medical supplies had to be intensified.”

The outbreak was able to accelerate so fast due to the Chinese New Year Festival, when many Chinese travel to visit family members, Hong declared. The location of the outbreak, the city of Wuhan, furthermore helped the

64

virus to spread rapidly. “Wuhan is precisely the transportation hub of the central part of China.”

“LIGHT OF VICTORY” Although describing the current situation as “still harsh” Hong said he saw “light of victory coming through”. The number of newly confirmed cases was gradually declining, he reported, from more than 3,000 cases per day in early February to 406 on February 25th.

Hong also pointed out the fatality rate of the disease of 3.5% was far lower than Ebola, SARS and MERS, “which proves that the disease is largely curable.” Already 38% of all confirmed cases had been cured.

Hong summed up measures China had adopted that had effectively curbed the spread of the virus, among which the detection and publication of the genetic sequence of COVID-19; the lockdown of Wuhan; the construction of two temporary hospitals; sending over 40,000 medical workers to the province of Hubei; the cancelation of all outbound tourist groups, and a close cooperation with World Health Organisation (WHO).

“RARELY SEEN IN THE WORLD” The measures taken by China to contain the virus and to treat patients “have set an example for the global response to epidemic outbreak in many aspects”, the ambassador said to believe, thereby referring to DirectorGeneral of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who had praised China for its

response to the Corona outbreak as being “rarely seen in the world”. Hong attributed the achievements of China in the fight against Corona to “the socialist system with Chinese characteristics” and to “the fearless sacrifice and unprecedented cohesion of the Chinese people.”

Since the outbreak, more than 150 countries and 30 international organizations have expressed sympathy to China, and nearly 30 countries have provided official assistance to China, Hong noted, among which The Netherlands. “The Dutch government has provided an additional aid fund of one million euros to the WHO and Dutch companies have donated medical supplies worth tens of millions of RMB to China.”

Hong furthermore praised “the necessary and reasonable prevention measures taken by The Netherlands, including following WHO advice by not taking additional restrictive measures on personnel and trade, and timely releasing and updating of guidelines by relevant institutions such as Dutch health authority RIVM.” Three weeks after Dr. Xu Hong’s briefingreception in The Hague the authorities of Wuhan, the epicentre of the country’s coronavirus, reported zero new infections.

Within a month after the briefing- reception Spain’s and Italy’s death toll from the coronavirus had surpassed China’s figure.

China sent medical teams and supplies to help both countries.

diplomatICpouch

diplomatIC EVENTS

THE HUMAN FAMILY IN THE ERA OF COVID-19

By Marco Pizzorno

World society is experiencing one of the most difficult moments in human history. The evil of the century bends humanity to new sufferings, under the eyes of an incredulous sky, to indifference towards the common good, global peace and respect for human and humanitarian rights.

foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. Considering that the Member States have undertaken to pursue, in cooperation with the United Nations, universal respect and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms It is recognized that:

to live, based on the best life expectancy.

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and must act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. (Art 1) Each individual has “all the rights and freedoms set out in the Declaration, without distinction whatsoever, for reasons of race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, of national or social origin. , wealth, birth or other condition. Furthermore, no distinction will be established on the basis of the political, legal or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs ... (Art 2)

WHO CAN LIVE?

Everyone has the right to life, freedom and security of his person. (Art 3)

It would seem that this new epidemic, convid-19, affects not only lives, but the economy, the identity of the nation that attacks and also kills the dignity of those who fall under its blows. Authoritative sources say that many states, due to economic-organizational “needs”, will have to choose who will have medical treatment and who will not have the right

The turnout to the intensive care units is such as to bring structures, doctors and health workers to their knees. Authoritative newspapers cite that the lack of breathing instruments and beds it seems to be the reason for a terrible need, which has dictated a guideline, as a decision-making tool on who can be treated and who cannot. The first thought is addressed to the preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which in the spirit of brotherhood and international cooperation calls the peoples of all nations to help each other in the name of the Human Family “and the text quotes: Considering that the recognition of the dignity inherent in all members of the human family and of their equal and inalienable rights is the Photography: Pixabav

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

ART.25 AND THE RIGHT TO MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR ALL. Everyone has the right to a standard of living sufficient to ensure the health and well-being of himself and his family .... and “to medical treatment ...”

It is the right of every person to be treated without discrimination, also for reasons of age or life expectancy related to their conditions. By virtue of this, it is the concept of international cooperation that must be solicited for the protection and safeguarding of “All” human life, so that the “inertia” and its interpretations do not become the first culprit and responsible for a huge crime against humanity.

Photography: Embassy of Romania in The Hague

A CONCERT AT THE ROMANIAN EMBASSY

BY VIRGINIE PECCOUD

Her excellency Ms. Brândusa Ionana Predescu, Ambassador of Romania, and Her Excellency Ms. Tatiana Pârvu, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova, have hosted a very special event on Friday 6 March. A concert was organised to celebrate an eight thousand years old tradition that both countries share.

Mărțișor representing the arrival of Spring is a token believed to bring luck, health and joy. It comes from word March and was originally red and white, colours that protect against the evil. Furthermore, this tradition at the beginning of Spring honours the comeback of nature and new starts. The emphasis during the ambassador’ speeches was put on what Romania and Moldova have in common: history and culture.

The emotional value of the Mărțișor is crucial for the ambassadors as it was also a symbol of resistance during the Kalmyks deportation by the dictator Joseph Stalin, between 1943 and 1956. In this time of ethnic cleansing, people were forcibly relocated in Siberian settlement for forced labour. About one hundred thousand Kalmyks were deported and sixteen thousand died. The Mărțișor was forbidden as it represented national traditions and identity.

This event was to remember this dark part of history and to proudly transmit traditions to other people and to younger generations. Women were also honoured as it was two days before International women’s day and Mother’s Day in Romania and Moldova. Danna, a Romanian singer performed six songs for the audience, including the legendary “isn’t she lovely”

by Stevie Wonder. She changed the lyrics that were initially written to celebrated the birth of Wonder’s daughter to address the song to mothers.

In the end, the event was well attended with an excellent buffet accompanied with Romanian wines mainly the notorious Nonius Fetească Neagră Shiraz.

65

diplomatICpouch HOLIDAYS CANCELLED: DO EMPLOYEES GET THEIR LEAVE REIMBURSED?

CORONA VIRUS

Photography: Pixabav

FACING IT AT EMBASSIES –

A LEGAL APPROACH

By: Priscilla C.X. de Leede, LL.M. & Jan Dop, LL.M. employment lawyers at Russell Advocaten

EMBASSY EMPLOYEES WANT TO WORK FROM HOME. DO I HAVE TO ALLOW THAT? Yes, if the work so permits, you have to allow it.

The government’s advice is to work from home where possible. However, if the employee does not have a cold or there is no situation as referred to by the RIVM and it is impossible to work from home, the employee in principle must go to work. If the employee refuses this, for instance out of fear of being infected where there is no concrete reason, you can consider that as refusal to perform work.

WHAT DO I HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND IF I HAVE MY PERSONNEL WORK FROM HOME? As an employer you have a duty of care to ensure your employee’s safety and health.

This includes ensuring a good workplace for employees, also if your Embassy’s employees work from home because of the coronavirus.

For instance, they must be provided with a well-adjusted chair, table and monitor. Make sure to always point out the health and safety risks to your employees and evaluate what they have to keep in mind. The latter is particularly important now that many employees are working from home for the first time and have

66

not yet set up an appropriate place for it. In addition, you as an employer, can also ensure that good arrangements are made regarding communication, planning and productivity.

WHAT DO I HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN WORKING FROM HOME REGARDING THE PROCESSING OF PERSONAL DATA OF COSTUMERS AND COLLEAGUES? The protection of one’s own personal data, as well as those of colleagues and customers must be carefully ensured. Especially now that a lot of work is carried out at home, you, as an employer, must be aware of the privacy risks involved. First of all, inform employees of your Embassy of the privacy policy and how to act in the event of certain situations (e.g. a data leak). In addition, ensure that a secure connection can also be used when working from home, by means of two-factor authentication and a VPN connection. Finally, make good arrangements with your employee about the use of the work lap top and/or their own equipment. This is the only way that personal data can be protected as good as possible when working from home.

Holiday plans are cancelled at an increasing rate due to negative travel advice, closed accommodations or other measures related to the coronavirus. What do you, as employer, have to do with a request about reimbursement of scheduled leave? Although the risk that holidays are cancelled is for the employee, it is in principle reasonable that they wish to take their holiday at another time. If you do not have any substantial business interests, you will thus have to accept a withdrawal of an application for leave. There may be substantial business interests, if you have already made the work schedules for the other employees or if you have arranged for replacements.

MAY I DENY EMPLOYEES ACCESS TO THEIR OFFICE AT THE EMBASSY? As an employer, you are responsible for providing a safe and healthy work environment. Therefore, it is in principle allowed to deny employees access to the office if they pose a risk to the safety and health of other employees at the Embassy. So the employee which you suspect or know for sure to be infected with the coronavirus must stay home and you can deny him or her access to the office.

As the coronavirus crisis continues, Embassies, as employers, are facing many questions. Please contact the Embassy Desk of Russell Advocaten at + 31 20 301 5555 or embassydesk@russell.nl

DEVELOPING BILATERAL RELATIONS BETWEEN

BULGARIA AND THE NETHERLANDS At an official ceremony held in the beginning of the year, at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in The Hague, H.E. Ambassador Rumen Alexandrov presented awards to six distinguished Dutch citizens for their long-standing contribution to the development of bilateral relations between Bulgaria and the Netherlands. The event was organized in the framework of the 110th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as well as the forthcoming 20th anniversary since the establishment of the successful twinning partnership between the Bulgarian sea capital Varna and the Dutch city of Dordrecht.

diplomatICpouch

THE US UNVEILS ITS PEACE PLAN FOR THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

By Guido Lanfranchi

On January 28th, 2020, after more than three years of work behind closed doors, the United States administration finally unveiled its strategy to address the longstanding conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The plan has generated much controversy across the globe: what is all this discussion about?

The US plan is grounded in the so-called “two-state solution” framework, which envisions the creation of two adjacent, independent states – Israel and Palestine. In the US proposal, Israel would gain full control over the Jordan Valley and all the settlements in the West Bank. In exchange for this concession, the plan would grant Palestine new land south of the Gaza Strip, to be connected to the West Bank through a tunnel, as well as a USD 50 billion economic package aimed at improving the economic conditions of Palestinians.

The US support for the creation of an independent Palestinian state, however, would be subject to a wide array of conditions, including holding free and fair elections, respecting human rights and basic freedoms, upholding the rule of law, as well as accepting full demilitarization. Moreover, the Palestinian leadership would have to recognize Israel as a

The special guest of the event was the King’s Commissioner for the Dutch province of Friesland, Drs. Arnoud Adrianus Maria “Arno” Brok, who also served as a Mayor of Dordrecht in the period from 2011 to 2017. Thanks to his continuous support, the twinning partnership between Varna and Dordrecht has been significantly developed over the years and in various areas of mutual interest - economic and cultural ties, implementation of social and charitable projects, promotion of peopleto-people contacts and tourism.

Jewish state, and reject all forms of terrorism against it. The fulfillment of these conditions should be jointly assessed by the US and Israel – the US proposal says – “after consultation with the Palestinian Authority”.

Besides the thorny issue of Palestinian statehood, the US plan advances proposals on a number of other contentious points too, including the status of Jerusalem (envisioned as the undivided capital of Israel), as well as the issue of Palestinian refugees (who would have to integrate either in Palestine or in third countries willing to accept them, and then lose the status of refugees).

The reactions from Israelis and Palestinians have been widely divergent. On the one hand, the US proposal was warmly welcomed by both Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, the two leading figures in the current Israeli political landscape. On the other hand, however, Palestinian leaders from across the political spectrum firmly rejected the deal, lamenting a lack of consultation ahead of its release, and accusing the US of heavily favoring Israel.

The reactions from the region also varied, although with a generally negative stance

Golden Laurel Twig Award of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria.

In his welcoming speech, Ambassador Rumen Alexandrov noted that the numerous successful projects implemented, as well as the plans for the coming years in the framework of the twinning partnership between the citie of Varna and Dordrecht, give him confidence that the cooperation at the local level will

towards the US proposal. The reactions of single countries ranged from the starker rejections of Iran, Turkey, and Jordan, to the milder tone adopted by other Arab countries. In two emergency meetings held after the plan’s release, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also formalized their rejection of the plan.

The US proposal also generated a heated discussion outside of the diplomatic community. A number of experts, for instance, argued that the plan is skewed in favor of Israel, which would obtain security guarantees, the incorporation of all settlements, and Jerusalem, while the Palestinians would only secure a state with a disconnected territory and limited sovereignty. Attempting to address critiques, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman underlined the US readiness to support Palestinian statehood and economic livelihoods, and he encouraged Palestinian leaders to consider the US proposal.

It is still way too early to gauge which impact the US plan will have on the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. The only hope is that this longstanding confrontation will sooner than later draw to a peaceful end.

diplomatIC EVENTS continue successfully in the future and for the mutual benefit of the citizens of our two partner European countries.

The event was widely covered by several Dutch television and regional print media, as well as in the social media platforms.

On behalf of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ambassador Alexandrov awarded Commissioner Brok with the high state honor - the Order of the Madara Horseman - 1st degree, for his significant contribution.

In addition, five prominent Dutch citizens – Mrs. Gea Davids, political advisor in the Dordrecht municipality, as well as Mr. Rob Scheelbeek, Mrs. Madeleine Noteborn, Mr. Leendert Korteweg and Mrs. Andrea van den Boogaard from the Twinning DordrechtVarna Foundation were honored with the DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

67

diplomatICpouch

US-IRAN TENSIONS:

ESCALATION AND DE-ESCALATION

By Guido Lanfranchi

New year, new decade… old tensions. The beginning of 2020 has been marked by a dangerous escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran, whose long-simmering rivalry has exploded in one of the most open confrontations since the Iranian revolution in 1979. Strains between the two countries had been forcefully re-emerging since May 2018, when the US administration unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement under which Iran had temporarily constrained its nuclear program in exchange for relief from international sanctions.

Arguing that the deal was not being successful in addressing the threat posed by Iran, the US withdrew from the JCPOA and applied a so-called “maximum pressure campaign” on Tehran, imposing crippling sanctions on the country’s economy. Iran has since replied with what it calls a “maximum resistance campaign”, and it has matched the US pull-out with a gradual withdrawal of its own commitment under the nuclear deal. In this already tense context, a series of attacks on oil supply chains in the Persian Gulf in late 2019 further exacerbated the tensions, with the US blaming Iran for the attacks and Tehran denying any involvement.

The final spark for the confrontation was eventually lit on December 27th, when a US contractor got killed in a rocket attack against an Iraqi military base. The US blamed the attack on Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia aligned with Iran, and it stroke back with an airstrike that reportedly killed 25 fighters.

Two days later, militiamen and Iraqi protesters stormed the US embassy compound in Baghdad – only to withdraw after two days under their leaders’ orders.

The new cycle of violence, however, was already triggered. In the morning of January 3rd, 2020, a US drone stroke a car at Baghdad International Airport. Among the victims there was not only Kataib Hezbollah commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, but also Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a key figure in Iran’s regional foreign policy. The strike generated uproar both in Iraq, where people complained about the violation of their country’s sovereignty, and in Iran, where Soleimani enjoyed vast popularity.

A few days later, Iran retaliated by targeting US troops stationed in two Iraqi military facilities.

The missile attack reportedly caused brain traumatic injuries to over 100 US servicemen, but killed none – intentionally so, according

diplomatIC EVENTS

THE RUSSIAN EMBASSY CELEBRATED

THE OLD NEW YEAR The Russian Embassy in The Hague hosted a traditional reception on the occasion of the Old New Year.

More than 100 guests attended the event.

Among them were heads of diplomatic missions accredited in the Netherlands, the Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Fernando Arias, officials of international organizations, representatives of political and business circles, social sectors, the media, clergy, as well as compatriots residing in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The Russian Ambassador Alexander Shulgin delivered a welcome speech to the audience, presented the history of the festival and congratulated all the guests present on it, having wished them peace and prosperity.

68

The head of the Embassy emphasized that this year the whole world will celebrate a special anniversary - the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. These days when the attempts to falsify and distort historical facts related to the outbreak, course and end of the World War II have eminently intensified, it is even more necessary to commemorate this glorious date with dignity.

The participants of the solemn reception got the opportunity to enjoy the art of the famous Russian illusionist Sergey Listopad.

A tasting of Russian wines from the Crimean peninsula produced by the winemaker Valery Zakharyin together with the presentation of a thematic video also took place during the evening.

to some analysts, who pointed at Tehran’s willingness to avoid a full-scale confrontation.

Yet, the escalation between the US and Iran did create victims, when on January 7th Iran accidentally downed a Ukrainian civilian airline in Tehran, killing 176 people.

Exactly in that moment, while tensions were at the highest point, a de-escalation process suddenly kicked in. On Tehran’s side, Foreign Minister Zarif made clear that no further attacks would follow in absence of new US military action. On Washington’s side, President Trump sought to downplay the damage caused by Iran’s attack, and ordered a retaliation based only on sanctions. The following months thus saw a return to the “maximum pressure vs. maximum resistance” play, with rhetorical skirmishes stopping short of concrete military actions or threats. While this shift away from military confrontation is surely a positive step, the simmering tensions between the US and Iran largely remain in place. The January 2020 escalation has effectively been dampened, but policymakers on all sides should be very careful if they want to avoid new, dangerous clashes in the future.

IDLIB: A STORY

diplomatICpouch

OF CLASHES AND CEASEFIRES IN

SYRIA’S STRATEGIC PROVINCE

By Guido Lanfranchi

Photography: Agata Buganska

The province of Idlib is of major strategical importance, as it lies at the intersection between two of Syria’s major highways: the M5, which cuts the country’s most populated areas from south to north, and the M4, which runs through northern Syria from west to east. The two highways intersect in the town of Saraqib, in Idlib province, which over the past weeks has been the focus of major armed clashes.

On March 15th and 24th, Turkish and Russian military vehicles attempted to conduct joint patrols along the strategic M4 highway in Syria’s Idlib. Both times, however, the operations had to be cut short – due to “rebel provocations” and “security concerns”, the Russian military declared. What was the significance of these joint patrols? The origin of these operation is to be found in the agreement reached on March 5th by the Presidents of Turkey and Russia, who agreed to halt combat operations in Syria’s war-torn Idlib province.

The fighting in Idlib has pitted the Syrian Arab Army, backed by Russia, against Turkish forces and their allied rebel groups in the region. Clashes between these forces in the region are nothing new, as fierce fighting had already erupted in late 2018. An agreement between the Turkish and Russian leaders in September 2018 temporarily stopped the confrontation, providing for a halt to the Syrian offensive in return for the withdrawal of radical, al-Qaeda-linked groups from the region. The deal’s terms, however, were never fully implemented, and fighting erupted again in the spring of 2019.

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

Despite attempts to revive the Turkish-Russian agreement during the summer, clashes continued – eventually intensifying in late 2019, when Syrian forces, backed by Russian airpower, launched an offensive to recapture territories in Idlib. This offensive prompted a major direct confrontation between the Syrian army and Turkish forces, who had been deployed deep inside Idlib province under the September 2018 agreement. This last wave of fighting – which was particularly fierce – had devastating effects on Idlib’s population, reportedly displacing nearly a million people during a period of harsh climate conditions.

As the fighting escalated in late February, pressure on all sides mounted to put a halt to the combat. On March 5th, after a six-hours meeting, Mr. Erdogan and Mr. Putin finally managed to strike a new deal, which provided for an immediate ceasefire and called for the establishment of a secure corridor along the M4 highway, to be managed jointly by Turkish and Russian forces. Under the deal, the Syrian government maintained its control over the areas recaptured during the latest offensive, thus finally securing control over the M5 highway.

While throughout the month of March the international community’s attention rapidly shifted towards the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation on the ground in Idlib has continued to evolve. The first two Russian-Turkish joint patrols conducted so far have encountered significant obstacles, including resistance by both civilians and armed groups. Yet, increased coordination between Moscow and Ankara seems to be again underway. In the meanwhile, however, the civilian population in Idlib – the real victims of this conflict – continue to suffer.

CONCERT COMMEMORATING

210TH ANNIVERSARY OF FREDERIC CHOPIN

BY ROY LIE ATJAM

This year Poland celebrate the 210th anniversary of the birth of the great Polish composer Frederic Chopin. The 210th anniversary of the birth of Frederic Chopin is no small occasion for the music world.

On this occasion, the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in the Netherlands H.E. Mr Marcin Czepelak hosted a classical music concert performed by a young Polish pianist – the London based Lukasz Krupinski(1992) Mr Krupinski replaced Ms Aleksandra Swigut who unfortunately had to cancel her trip to The Hague.

The concert took place on Tuesday 3 rd March 2020 at the Polish Embassy. Polish embassies in Bangkok, Russia and other cities organized similar concerts.

The concert which comprised compositions of Chopin: Barcarole in F sharp major op 60, Etude in B minor op.25 No.10, Waltz in C sharp minor Op 64 No.2, Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata in C minor, Op. 14 No.8, Robert Schuman: Symphonic Etudes Op.13 Many came to enjoy the concert, leaving no empty seats. All in all, it was a successful evening of tribute to Frederic Chopin. A reception concluded the evening.

Photography: Embassy of Poland in The Hague

69

diplomat Magazine events

diplomatIC EVENTS

WELCOME NEW AMBASSADORS

THE DELIGHT OF LETTERS AT THE EMBASSY OF IRAN

BY ROY LIE ATJAM The Peace Palace was the venue for an extraordinary welcome ceremony of newly arrived ambassadors. The ceremony took place on Monday 9 December 2019 and was organized by the Carnegie Foundation and Diplomat Magazine.

Annan and Judge Stephen M. Schwebel, the then United Nations Secretary-General and President of the Court respectively.

Featured on the program were the ambassadors who presented their credentials to HM King Willem Alexander in late 2019.

The visit concluded near the gallery in the enormous Russian Vase Room with a speech by the director, followed by a toast and group picture on the marble staircase.

Among those in attendance of this special welcome ceremony was the Ambassadors of Angola, Croatia, Czech Republic, UAE, Qatar, Japan, Algeria, Greece, Zambia, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Ethiopia, to mention a few.

The Ambassadors were cordially welcomed

by Mr. Erik de Baedts, General Director of the Carnegie Foundation- Peace Palace and Treasurer of the Hague Academy of International Law and Dr. Mayelinne De Lara, Publisher of the Diplomat Magazine.

The program also featured a tour of the Peace Palace by Mr. de Baedts who provided them with detailed information. The tour included the Grand Court Room, Japanese Room and the Small Court Room.

Hosting the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the International Court of Justice, the Peace Palace, was built between 1907 and 1913 thanks to a donation from Andrew Carnegie.

It is home to one of the world’s largest libraries of public international law (the Peace Palace Library, which is public, unlike the Court’s library). It hosts the summer courses of The Hague Academy of International Law. A museum of the history and work of the institutions housed in the Peace Palace was inaugurated in May 1999 by Mr. Kofi

70

Andrew Carnegie donated 2,509 libraries and the only Peace Palace in the world.

The harpist Carla Bos, who played for Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to The Hague years ago, entertained the guests at the event with her stirring performance.

Furthermore, the Peace Palace, with its beautiful gardens provided the perfect ambience for what was indeed a pleasant afternoon, and everyone at the event left the venue in high spirits.

In the picture H.E. Mr Million Samuel Gebre, Ambassador of Ethiopia, H.E. Ms Hissa Abdulla Ahmed Alotaiba, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, H.E. Ms. Maria Isabel Gomes, Ambassador of Angola, H.E. Mr. Lounès Magramane, Ambassador of Algeria.

H.E. Ms. Laura Dupuys Lasserre, Ambassador of Uruguay, H.E. Mr. Nicolas P. Plexidas, Ambassador of Greece, H.E. Ms Kateřina Sequensová, Ambassador of Czeck Republic, Mr Hidehisa Horinouchi, Ambassador of Japan and Mrs. Sabine Horinouchi, H.E. Mr Amaral Sumith Nakandala, Ambassador of Sri Lanka.

H.E. Mr. Jorge Skinner-Klée Arenales, Ambassador of Guatemala, Mr. Erik de Baedts, H.E. Prof Esther Munalula Nkandu, Ambassador of Zambia and H. E. Ms Dubravka Plejic Markovic, Ambassador of Croatia

Photography: Kim Vermaat

CALLIGRAPHY AND PAINTINGS FROM IRAN An outstanding performance of visual arts, music, talent, and Persian tradition; it was a discovery for many and a new connection with Persian Culture. The Ambassador of Iran, His Excellency, Dr. Alireza Kazemi Abadi, brought to The Hague the Persian calligraphy master Mr. Seyed Hossein Fadaei for an exclusive performance and exhibition of his artwork at the Embassy premises.

The exhibition was open to the public for one week, ambassadors from many countries, diplomats, journalists, Dutch friends of Iran, and members of the diaspora attended in big numbers. Ambassador Abadi welcomed his guests, and introduced Seyed Hossein Fadaei, during his speech, he talked about Iranian art expressions.

Seyed Hossein Fadaei is an Iranian artist who has studied industrial design at the University of Fine Arts. He teaches calligraphy and painting in his gallery in Ahwaz, while also working for the Ministry of Culture.

Ambassador Abadi said, “Fadaei, is a well-known artist in Iran and is considered as one of the leading calligraphers, following the traditional school of Persian calligraphy.”

After the Ambassador speech, there was a live music performance by an Iranian duo and Persian dishes served for the guests.

Photography: Catherine Dailey His Excellency, Dr. Alireza Kazemi Abadi, Ambassador of Iran

diplomatIC EVENTS

UNIQUE, POWERFUL, INSPIRING

ALBANIAN WOMEN IN BUSINESSMISSION TO THE NETHERLANDS Photography: Aldo Bonata A group of 10 successful businesswomen and lawyers from Albania were invited by the Ambassador of Albania to the Netherlands.

H.E. Ms. Adia Sakiqi, in collaboration with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Albania, H.E. Ms. Guusje Korthals Altes, gathered in Amsterdam to follow a business and cultural program. The agenda of this convention was focused on strengthening women in business networks by connecting the public and the private sector, as well as building knowledge of the institutions of both countries on topics related to infrastructure, water, energy, access to finance, urban planning, filmmakers innovation, and other creative industries.

The highlight of the event was the participation of Mr. Erion Veliaj, the Mayor of Tirana. He was one of the keynote speakers for the 2019 Amsterdam International Water Week and the Resilient City Leaders Forum and the Integrated Leaders Forum, where he discussed his work and challenges in improving the city’s infrastructure.

In addition to the planned visits to several organizations, companies, and institutions, the group participated in three roundtable discussions on which issues such as finance, infrastructure development, and culture were analyzed in depth. Ms. Sakiqi declared “One of the aims of these roundtables was to build connectivity between the participants of the Albanian delegation and the leading women and men from different sectors of Amsterdam.”

“Albania is a country that bases all its energy production on hydro-power and has an exact

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

opposite challenge the Netherlands has on energy transmission, but it was important to learn how the Dutch diversify the energy sector and learn from their experience,” emphasized Ambassador Ms. Sakiqi.

Since Albanian women first gained suffrage in 1945, their situation has profoundly changed Albania. The level of education for women has been increasing in Albania. A notable statistic is that the number of graduates from higher education in the academic year 2017/2018 amounted to 34,000 students, of whom 63.3% were girls.

The number of women in decision making has also been increasing, which is made possible largely thanks to the inclusion of the 30% quota, in the amendments made to the Electoral Code in 2008. Women now constitute a force in the country’s sustainable development and contributing along Albania’s path to European Union integration.

“We were coordinating this work with five top Dutch ladies who helped us to get this program together. A very special thank you goes to Ms. Marry de Gaay Fortman, Ms. Carolien Grehels, Ms. Thecla Bowedes, Ms. Melinde Kassens, and Ms. Betteke de Gaay Fortman.

The Dutch Ambassador to Albania, H.E. Ms. Guusje Korthals Altes, who assisted with swift coordination among the two embassies.

Lastly, we visited the port of Amsterdam and had a presentation from the director of the port, then we went to Rijksmuseum and had a review of a museum as entrepreneurship case of study, we visited Arcadis, an engineering company, Ms. Marjan van Loon, CEO of Shells as a keynote speaker.

In the end, Albanian ladies were very much inspired. Ambassador Sakiqi concluded with satisfaction when looking back at the mission, and encouraged a follow up in the weeks to come.

71

diplomatTourism&culture

UZBEKISTAN 1ST INTERNATIONAL HANDCRAFTERS FESTIVAL

COLOR AND PASSION FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD FIVE DAYS IN KOKAND

By Hester Dijkstra, Photography: Hester Dijkstra Uzbekistan, a country with a magnificent historic architecture, as well as a rich crafts tradition. Invited by the embassy of Uzbekistan in Brussels, Diplomat Magazine had the opportunity to visit Uzbekistan’s 1st Handcrafters Festival in Kokand. As we quickly realized, it was there that the best objects and souvenirs could be found.

The majority of visitors generally do not come to Kokand, as they more often visit the capital Tashkent and the ancient cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. These cities are known for their location along the Silk Route, which stretched from China to the Mediterranean.

Yet, Kokand is a truly beautiful place, where one can find mosques with turquoise domes, madrassahs (former Koranic schools) whose facades are beautifully decorated with geometric motifs, gold-clad mausoleums, and colorful, vibrant bazars. On top of that, in September the city has hosted a major ‘handcrafters festival’ – the first of its kind in the country.

72

KOKAND Kokand, which is located 228 km southeast of the capital Tashkent, is a historic city in the Fergana valley. The city, which lies along the itinerary of the old Silk Route, was destroyed several times, but in the 18th century it became once more a thriving city under the reign of Khudayar Khan, the last ruling Khan. During this period, the city became a political, cultural and religious center, hosting 35 madrassahs and 300 mosques. Although only a few of these are still there today, the old part of the city is worth a visit – especially the Khudayar Khan Palace, a real jewel.

THE INTERNATIONAL HANDCRAFTERS FESTIVAL IN KOKAND For the first time, a huge event such as the International Handcrafters Festival has been organized in Kokand. With craftsmen from 78 countries, as well as 1100 Uzbek craftsmen displaying their hand-made artworks, the Festival has been a great success.

In an impressive opening ceremony, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev opened the festival. The President’s speech was followed by a mayor colorful spectacle of traditional Uzbek music and dance, and the memorable evening ended with fireworks.

The festival site, the 17-hectare ‘Urdoldi square’ in front of the spectacular Khudayar Khan Palace, was subdivided into areas named after Uzbek provinces, with each area featuring theater, music, dance, fashion, and acrobatics shows.

While being at the Festival, one would be suddenly surrounded by drumming musicians and dancing women, all wearing national costumes adorned with the most beautiful jewels. Uzbeks definitely know how to make you feel at home.

Throughout the Festival, craftsmen showed their artworks to the visitors with an incredible passion and love. These people really perform their craft with their heart and soul.

nationaldays

One of the most difficult things about the Festival is to choose what to buy among all the beautiful artworks exposed: ceramics, embroidered wall hangings (suzani’s), jewelry, musical instruments, silk cushions and shawls, pen drawings, woodwork furniture and bowls.

The accomplished ‘masters’ liked talking to us, and they would stand proud when asked whether we could take a picture. One becomes a master only after having acquired all the necessary knowledge, as well as having learnt various techniques of the profession. The master then develops his own ‘handwriting’, which sets him or her apart from others.

The Uzbek craft has been passed along for generations, thus maintaining the people’s knowledge of the craft still alive as of today.

“You are welcome in my house. Please, come and I will show you my place” – masters would often say. Many of them invited us to come to their homes and meet their families – something that, unfortunately, we often did not have the time for.

During the festival, I showed my photo book, titled “Worldwide - Uzbekistan, masters”, is all about Uzbekistan’s crafts, and about the masters and students that I met during my vacation in Uzbekistan in 2018. Many of the beautiful things I saw in that period are displayed in the book.

CELEBRATION 28TH ANNIVERSARY

UZBEKISTAN

BY ROY LIE ATJAM

FERGANA VALLEY Tourists traveling through Uzbekistan should definitely not skip the Fergana valley, which is known as the greenest area in the country, and which is home to an abundance of delicious, sweet, fresh fruit. The valley is also known for its cotton cultivation, silk production, and azure earthenware. The razor-sharp knives and world-famous skull caps are made in the town of Chust.

It is very nice experience to visit the silk factories in Margilan and the potters in Rishton; and, of course, to attend the International Handcrafters Festival.

Photography: Hester Dijkstra

The Embassy of Uzbekistan in cooperation with Diplomatic magazine hosted a reception to celebrate the 28th anniversary of state independence of Uzbekistan in The Hague.

H.E. Mr Dilyor Khakimov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan, addressed the crowd consisting of Ambassadors, diplomats and members of the Dutch society. He subsequently invited them to visit the fair showcasing items from Uzbekistan and to sample the world- famous Uzbekistan Plov and snacks, prepared by Chef Nigmat Rakhimov.

Craftsman Abdulbosit Isakjanov, presented his works made of silk and other material. So did madam Feruza Kurbanova with Uzbek fashion and accessories.

All in all, a good exposure to Uzbekistan.

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

73

diplomatTourism&culture

Tanzania’s Worldwide

“Karibu”

By Catherine Dailey Photography:Catherine Dailey Tanzania’s 5th “Swahili International Tourism Expo” for the tourism and hospitality sectors was festively concluded last fall. More than 3,000 visitors attended the global event, which featured over 170 international and local exhibitors. A warm Swahili “Karibu” or “Welcome” was extended to buyers, tour operators, travel agents and media representatives, who travelled from some 60 countries to attend East Africa’s largest exposition devoted exclusively to the tourism trade. In addition to the buyers from neighbouring African countries, international buyers from Belgium, China, Denmark, Germany, India, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Thailand and more attended SITE-2019.

At the invitation of H.E. Mrs. Irene Florence Mkwawa-Kasyanju, Tanzania’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands; reporters, travel counsellors, tour operators and bloggers from the Benelux were invited to attend the exposition.

The ambassador and her team were especially pleased for the opportunity to introduce Dutch media and local representatives from the travel industry to the newly opened “Terminal 3” at the newly opened Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) in Dar es Salaam built at a cost of TZS 722 billion (USD 314 million), which is expected to increase JNIA’s capacity to an estimated 8 million passengers annually.

From the new airport, is a short flight to Zanzibar, which lays 40 km off the coast of Dar es Salaam. The island, located just 6 degrees south of the equator, is a year-round beach destination famous for, among other things, “Stone Town”—a UNESCO World Heritage Site popular with international visitors to the island and another, of many, destinations broadly promoted.

Tanzania, widely recognized as being one of the most stable, secure and welcoming countries in Africa is a world-renowned tourist destination for wildlife and nature enthusiasts and both Ministry of Natural Resources and

74

diplomatIC EVENTS Tourism together with the Tanzanian Tourist Board are actively engaged with diversifying, expanding and improving the country’s palette of tourist product offerings.

Tanzania’s tourism sector has seen a whopping 300% growth over the last decade and directly supports more than 450,000 jobs. According to a recent World Bank report, Tanzania has the potential to receive more than eight million foreign visitors in 2025, a nearly seven-fold increase from current numbers, over a little more than five years. Such impressive figures are of particular importance to the country which has designated an astonishing 44% of the nation’s landmass to national parks, wildlife game reserves, and other conservation areas.

HAPPY STRINGS:

“THE BRAZILIAN TROPICAL VIOLINS”

BY JOHN DUNKELGRÜN Photography: Tomas Sforza

Tanzania’s safari adventures are often combined with cultural heritage tourism experiences. Two well-established examples are the ever-popular Cultural Heritage Center in Arusha or Olpopongi-Maasai Cultural Village and Museum. Marine tourism (Mafia Island Marine Park or MIMP). Historic tourism and beach tourism are among other “multi-centre” offerings across the country.

The country offers more than 800 km of mostly undeveloped white sand coastline which is available for innumerable foreign investment opportunities.

Three of the “Seven Natural Wonders of Africa” including the Great Serengeti Wildebeest Migration; Mt. Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano and Africa’s highest peak and the Ngorongoro Crater, an extinct volcanic caldera in the eastern Rift Valley can be found in northern Tanzania. The latter is part of the vast Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The Ngorongoro Lengai Crater is Africa’s only UNESCO classified Global “GeoPark” (UGGp) and, together with Tanzania’s other national parks, is home to millions of migratory animals. All locations are well managed undisturbed natural environments where the “Big Five” African mammals can be freely observed in their habitats. In addition, the country borders on both Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria, the largest lake on the African continent.

Travellers considering a “safari” vacation should begin their “desktop” research by visiting the website of the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) where detailed information about wildlife, bird, trekking, family, singles and photo safaris can be found.

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

In these days when darkness still comes early and most news is bad, the initiative of the Brazilian ambassador, H.E. Ms. Cordeiro Dunlop, to invite this young string ensemble, was a most welcome relief. On a rainy evening a select group of people were invited to the concert hall of the “Vreedehuis”, the house of peace, which is an anthropological cultural center in the stately Archipel area in The Hague.

an assortment of indigenous and African instruments. The two nine-year olds, Isabel Castro and João Vicente Majeski even danced.

All together it was a charming and uplifting performance that the audience rewarded with a long standing applause. Chapeau to the Brazilian embassy for this lovely idea.

The musicians, ranging in age from 9 to 34, were trained by the violinist Ms. Suray Soren in her own adaptation of the famous Japanese Suzuki method. Ms. Soren is the initiator, the leader, and the accompanying pianist of the Brazilian Tropical violins. Both the instruments they played and the music chosen were an amalgam of indigenous, African and European cultures. They played mainly works by Brazilian composers, but were equally at home with Vivaldi and Piazolla.

Most pieces were especially arranged for this ensemble. The musicians were very versatile, playing not just the violin, but

75

diplomatIC EVENTS

RUSSIA CELEBRATED THE DEFENDER OF

THE FATHERLAND DAY Photography: Embassy of the Russian Federation in The Hague

On February 23rd, the Russian Federation and its armed forces celebrated the Defender of the Fatherland Day, honouring those who suffered to defend their country. On February 19th, the Russian Embassy in The Hague celebrated this anniversary with a reception.

In February 1918, during the Russian Civil War, the Red Guard troops defeated the troops of the Kaiser of Germany. This event, which set the stage for the creation of the Red Army, is annually recalled to celebrate the Defender of the Fatherland Day, a Russian national holiday dedicated to all the members of the armed forces who defended their country.

The Embassy of Russia in the Netherlands celebrates this anniversary annually with many members of the diplomatic community of The Hague, with ambassadors, diplomats, and military attaches from all over the world.

In absence of Ambassador Alexander Shulgin who was in Moscow on a business trip, the Russian Chargé d’affaires, Mr. Boris Zhilko, the Embassy’s Defence Attaché, Colonel Mikhail Klimuk, and his staff, hosted the reception.

76

Recalling the origins of the anniversary, Mr. Zhilko said, “This year marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two – commonly known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War. It was the Soviet Army that made the decisive contribution in defeating Nazism. It was the courage of our soldiers and officers at Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk, Warsaw, Leningrad, Budapest, and finally Berlin that broke the backbone of the Wehrmacht and divisions of not so numerous satellites of Germany in Europe.”

These days, “the Armed forces of Russia bear responsibility for the security and progressive development of the country by participating in various peacekeeping operations and rescue missions in the wake of natural and techno-disasters, saved people in emergencies and by defending its interests both at home and abroad” – said Mr. Zhilko.

Defending the interests of our country, Mr. Zhilko noted, Russia is carrying out an ambitious programme of modernizing its army and navy, including elements of the air and space defences and nuclear forces as a warrantee of global parity. We are improving the level of operational and combat training of troops, and we are taking into operation the most advanced means of communication and control. Our military units and elements are gradually being equipped with up-to-date weapons, while the Defence Industrial Complex continues to develop and produce modern systems.”

After Mr. Zhilko’s speech, the guests enjoyed Russian drinks and buffet, kindly provided by the Embassy exemplifying traditional Russian hospitality.

nationaldays

ALBANIA NATIONAL DAY

A day of international solidarity Besides commemorating this significant landmark in the history of the country, the aim of the event was to stand in solidarity with the families affected by the earthquake in Albania, as well as to provide support to the reconstruction process.

The country’s infrastructure has been seriously damaged, with more than 1,465 buildings hit by the earthquake in the capital Tirana alone, and 900 other buildings seriously damages in the surrounding area.

It was rewarding to see so many heads of diplomatic missions attending the event, showing an interest to learn about the actual situation in the country after the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck in late November 2019. The earthquake caused the death of 51 persons, injured 2,500 and made more than 4,000 people suddenly homeless.

During her speech, Ambassador of Albania, H.E. Ms. Adia Sakiqi, emphasized the importance of this holiday for all the Albanian diaspora, and described the challenges that Albania faced in the wake of the earthquake.

She presented the online portal where donations could be carried out to help those

The Hague- On a bright autumn day the Embassy of Austria organized a reception at the residence of H.E. Ambassador Heidemaria Gürer Austrians celebrate their country’s declaration of permanent neutrality after World War II and its regained status as an independent and sovereign nation since October 26, 1955.

1.Dr. Stanislav Vassilevsky, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Republic of Belarus, H.E.Ms. Adia Sakiqi, Ambassador of Albania, Ms. Pandeli Majko, State Albanian Minister for Diaspora and H.E. Mr. Tiogran Balayan, Ambassador of Armenia.

2. USA Ambassador, H.E. Mr. Pete Hoekstra and H.E.Ms. Adia Sakiqi, Ambassador of Albania. affected. Present for the event were also Ms. Pandeli Majko, State Minister for Diaspora, and Ms. Elisa Spiropali, Minister for Relations with Parliament.

Many ambassadors and diplomats from EU countries, USA, India, Turkey, Japan, Morocco, Belarus, Armenia, Yemen, Tunisia, Lithuania, as well representatives of Dutch institutions and international organizations attended the reception on the occasion of Albania’s national day.

The event also hosted Dutch personalities, representatives of the foreign ministry, parliament, diplomatic corps, business and think tanks. The reception during the third part of the event was then held with representatives of the diaspora, Albanian students in the Netherlands, and Dutch Ambassador Heidemaria Gürer delighted her guests by offering them a constant flow of savoury Vienna’s sausages and finger-food.

Noteworthy was the excellent red wine served, produced from grapes coming from the Ambassador’s private vineyard. All enjoyed the Austrian style lunch-time reception.

friends of Albania.

An essential part of the event was the presentation of “Xhubleta”, a traditional Albanian costume, which easily distinguishes itself from any other traditional garment typical of countries in Southeast Europe.

According to ethnological studies, Xhubleta is a special and very interesting type of suit, and is considered the oldest in age, originating about four thousand years ago.

This fact is evidenced by the various archaeological findings carried out in some Mediterranean sites, such as in Crete, Mycenae, Klicevic (Bosnia), etc., which date to the second millennium BC. Three Albanian natives wore the traditional “Xhubleta” costume and showcased it for the guests.

AUSTRIA 2019 NATIONAL DAY

BY ROY LIE ATJAM

The event opened with the playing of the Austrian national anthem followed that of the Netherlands and European Union.

Among the many guests, Ambassador Heidemaria Gürer (dressed in an authentic Austrian outfit) and her spouse Mr Nadir Gurer welcomed the Ambassadors of Kosovo, China, Tanzania among many other diplomats.

Furthermore, senior representatives of the Dutch government, the municipality of The Hague, local and foreign businesspeople.

Ambassador Gürer with Austrian Embassy ladies staff.

Photography by the Embassy of Austria in The Hague.

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

77

diplomatIC EVENTS H.E. Mr Dilyor Khakimov, Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Photography by Staccato

UZBEKISTAN, AGRO- INDUSTRY PRESENTATION The Ambassador of Uzbekistan in the Netherlands H.E. Mr Dilyor Khakimov, organized a presentation and a networking coffee event to promote Uzbekistan Agro-industry. The presentation took place at the Provinciezaal of Nieuwspoort.

The keynote speaker was to be the Minister of Agriculture of Uzbekistan, H.E. Mr Jamshid Khodjaev. Unfortunately, Minister Khodjaev had to call off the visit as he had to attend to urgent matters at home. However, Minister Khodjaev will be coming to The Hague in the near future.

The presentation went ahead, Madam Kamila Irgasheva, Head of the Division of the Ministry of Agriculture delivered a lively and informative presentation. There was a panel composed of: Mr Ulugbek Khusainov, Chief Inspector of the President’s Administration, Madam Kamila Irgasheva, Ambassador Dilyor Khakimov and Mr Boy Frank, representative of the Uzbek commerce chamber in the Netherlands. Scores of potential Dutch investors attended the event as well as Ambassadors and diplomats. Among them the Ambassador of Turkey and the Charge d ‘Affaires a.i of Belarus.

The evening proceeded with testimonials of companies already active in Uzbekistan and a two minutes each pitches of companies envisaging to leap into the upcoming Central Asia market of Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan is open for dialogue and is interested in expanding pragmatic cooperation with all partners based on equality, mutual benefit, respect and consideration of each other’s interests. Uzbekistan does not develop relations with one country or organization by restricting cooperation with the other side.

Mr Ulugbek Khusainov, Chief Inspector of the President’s Administration, Madam Kamila Irgasheva, Ambassador Dilyor Khakimov and Mr Boy Frank, representative of the Uzbek commerce chamber in the Netherlands.

Photography by Staccato.

78

AGRO UZBEKISTAN The Government of Uzbekistan has institutions in place to facilitate prospective investors. For instance, there are investment protection and support schemes: Government guarantees investment protection, Government bodies don’t have the right to interfere in investor activities, investors activities are not subject to nationalization.

INVESTMENT STIMULATION ACTIVITIES: Granting tax and customs benefits, as well as preferences for terms determined to depend on the type of activity and volume of investment.

A 24/7 Call Centre, tax facilities and so much more has been put in place. The Ministry of Agriculture contact data http//www.agro.uz Already investing in Uzbekistan are Coca Cola, Hyundai, Boeing. Samsung, Hyatt and others.

Export, main outlet markets for Uzbek products are Russia, Kazahkstan, Baltic countries and even China. The phenomena Green Corridors, a simplified customs clearance system is gaining ground.

Uzbekistan is vying the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

The Uzbek diaspora in the Netherlands presented tokens to Ambassador Dilyor Khakimov and some others in the Uzbek community.

Ambassador Dilyor Khakimov, can look back on a successful evening, good exposure of the Uzbek Agro-industry. Bravo.

nationaldays

FINNISH NATIONAL DAY On the occasion of the 102nd Independence Day of Finland, the Ambassador of Finland, H.E. Ms Päivi Kaukoranta and Mr Jarmo Hopponen hosted a special reception. Attending were numerous diplomats and head of missions, Dutch officials, many from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Senate and the parliament, artists, politicians, members of different organizations, the Finnish embassy staff, as well as many friends of Finland who came in big numbers to the official residence of Finland on a raining winter night. Her Excellency thanked everyone in attendance for sharing this very special day with her country, and introduced Karla-Maria Toiviainen and Susan Ball, who performed the Finnish Photography: Catherine Dailey national anthem, the European Anthem Wilhelmus and the Dutch national anthem.

“Some of you may be surprised to hear also the European anthem, which symbolizes not only the European Union, but also Europe in a wider sense.”, expressed the Ambassador Ms. Kaukoranta.

“The European anthem is not intended to replace any of the national anthems of the EU countries, but rather to celebrate the values they all share. This is also true with the membership of the Union; it does not take anything away, but rather adds to our independence. For Finland, the membership in the European Union was, after all, also a security policy choice.”

She continued by stating that “during the second half of 2019 Finland held the Presidency of the Council of European Union – for the third time since 1995, when Finland became a member

Cuba National Day

The Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in The Hague celebrated Cuba’s Independence Day 2020 to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the Triumph of the Cuban Revolution in memory of the leader Fidel Castro’s arrival to La Habana on New Year’s Eve in 1951. Also, in 2020, the embassy is celebrating the 118th anniversary of sustained diplomatic relations between Cuba and the Netherlands and moved into a bigger new location.

The Ambassador of Cuba, H.E. Ms. Soraya Alvarez Nunez and her husband, Ing. Eduardo Morales welcomed hundreds of guests from The Hague, Amsterdam and Brussels; including heads of international and European organizations such as the OPCW and IOM, parliamentarians, international Judges, academics, Dutch civil servants, diplomats, ambassadors, Heads of Missions and many other friends of Cuba.

The Ambassador’s welcome remarks enumerated all the successes and hurdles her country received in 2019, amongst these

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

of the European Union. This Presidency was marked with the institutional transition period in the Union – new European Parliament, as well as a brand-new Commission. For us Finns, it was also a new national parliament and government” “We are grateful for the good cooperation with Netherlands, and look forward to continue on this track. This good cooperation was also marked in the beginning of this week in the bilateral meeting of our Foreign Ministers – Haavisto and Blok”, expressed Ambassador Kaukoranta.

“I would like to use this opportunity to thank the Embassy staff who have worked hard to make this reception to happen. I would also like to congratulate my deputy, Minister Counsellor

Marianne Mäkinen, whom The President of the Republic decided to decorate with a Knight First Class of the Order of the Lion of Finland.

Not least my thanks goes to Helga Mensing, our former Honorary Consul in Curacao, who was decorated earlier this year as Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland.

The crowd got into the warm spirit of friendship and generous hospitality offered

by Ambassador Kaukoranda, her family and colleagues from the Embassy of Finland. The host really worked with dedication to welcome the guests with an outstanding, delicious and authentic Finish menu, music and enchanting atmosphere making the National Day of Finland an unforgettable event.

challenges and obstacles, the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the United States as the main one.

“A gross violation of the Cuban people’s human rights is this economic war that was unfairly imposed on us for defending our sovereignty and exercising the right to selfdetermination. Cuba deeply appreciates all the sovereign governments, businessmen, and friends in the world who have given us their solidarity and support, which allowed us to resist this unconventional war.

Nevertheless, 2019 was also a very positive year for Cuba in many respects. The most notable includes the promulgation of a new Constitution to improve the country’s institutionalization and strengthen socialist democracy; the progress in computerization of society, with greater access to 3G and 4G technologies, amongst others.

It has also been a positive year for Cuban foreign policy. We can highlight the links with

the European Union and its Member States in different spheres, including commercial, economic investment and cooperation.

We take this opportunity to recognize the good state of bilateral relations between Cuba and the Netherlands, which ratified the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between Cuba and the European Union last November. We appreciate the country’s sustained support to the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, which condemns and calls for an end of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on Cuba.”

79

diplomatIC EVENTS

CYPRIOT MINISTER OF TRANSPORT, COMMUNICATIONS AND WORKS OPENS EXHIBITION “CYPRUS – A DYNAMIC ISLAND” IN LEIDEN Cypriot Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Vassiliki Anastassiadou officially opened the exhibition “Cyprus – A Dynamic Island” at the Netherlands National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, which showcases a large number of Cypriot antiquities.

Photography: Embassy of Cyprus Over 400 objects, including 300 archeological masterpieces from the national collections of Cyprus are put on display.

In her speech Minister Anastassiadou “It is universally agreed that a country’s history and cultural heritage are among the most important factors that shape both its relations with the outside world and its internal development. Cyprus’ cultural heritage dates back to at least eleven thousand years. Its settings at the crossroad of vital sea routes made the island a melting pot of cultures, an extremely important commercial centre but at the same time, a land much fought for by conquerors.” She also said: “Although to this day suffers as a result of its strategic location, at

VENEZUELA’S DARK SECRET

the same time, it has greatly benefited from its intense interaction with a diversity of cultures and this is certainly reflected on its cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible.”

The current exhibition is the result of the strong and fruitful collaboration between the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities and the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus. Part of this close collaboration between the two organizations concerns the protection and repatriation of Cypriot cultural heritage. An example of this close collaboration occurred in 2018, when the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities alerted the Department of Antiquities in Cyprus that a Hellenistic limestone head from the Cesnola collection in Often known for having the largest oil reserves in the world, Venezuela is also famous for another dark product: cocoa. With its perfect grains, Venezuelan cocoa excels by the world’s quality standards, and it is often the main ingredient of premium chocolates produced globally.

A Venezuelan delegation of chocolatiers and chocolate producers, accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Tourism and External Trade, came to Amsterdam earlier this year to participate in the Chocoa International Fair. The group of Venezuelans attending the event was led and accompanied by Johan Ramirez, Vice-President of Venetur and by H.E. Ms. Haifa Aissami Madah, Ambassador of Venezuela to International Organizations.

Johan Ramirez, Vice President of Venetur and H.E. Ms. Haifa Aissami Madah, Ambassador of Venezuela to International Organizations

80

Among the producers attending the fair there was Arvicacao, from La Primogenita Farm and Cakawa Chocolates, a business venture led by Venezuelan women dedicated to producing and promoting a unique collection of fine dark chocolate. Their stand – which contained an exclusive selection of Venezuelan cocoa – was one of the most visited during the fair.

New York was part of an art fair in Brussels.

Cyprus was able to acquire the object and return it to the island. The sculpture now plays a prominent role in this exhibition.

Minister Anastassiadou expressed her warmest gratitude and admiration to the Museum’s director as well as to the amazing people of the Museum who worked with such professionalism and passion on the exhibition. She gave a special thanks to the Ambassador of Cyprus in The Hague, H.E. Elpidoforos Economou for all the effort he put to make this project happen. The opening was attended by many ambassadors and archeological scholars.

Soraya Achkar Ester Rojas, the business’ founders, recounted how the adventure started. “We started making chocolates five years ago as a hobby. Then, we started to get more and more interested in making the chocolate, choosing cocoa beans, as well as putting in our personality, creating original combinations of texture and flavours with Venezuelan cocoa of creole and trinitarian origins”.

“For the filling, we use only local tropical fruits and fruits from the Amazonas. We work with doctors, gyms, and different companies who want their chocolate with medical specific standards or with their logo”.

The fair proved to be a useful venture for the chocolate producers. “We are delighted with our participation in the Chocoa Fair. We have made exciting contacts with customers who want to buy our product” – Ester Rojas explained, stressing that “Venezuelan chocolate is unique for its quality”.

nationaldays The Ambassador of the Republic of Ghana in the Netherlands, H.E. Ms. Sophia Horner Sam, hosted a reception celebrating the country’s 63rd Independence anniversary. On 6 March 1957, Ghana became the first Sub-Saharan nation to gain independence from the British. The evening commenced with a vocal rendition of the Ghana national anthem and The Netherlands’ national anthem. Back home in Ghana, the national celebration included a traditional parade, however this time it was held at Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital.

This is the second time that the celebration is being held outside Accra, the capital of Ghana.

After welcoming everyone, Ambassador Sam delivered a speech filled with historical anecdotes that made Ghanaians and people of African descent as well as those who advocated freedom proud. Ambassador Horner Sam continued: Exactly 63 years ago, Ghana became the first Sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence from British rule, and it opened up a new chapter of possibilities for Ghana and the African continent. Ghana influenced the independence movement throughout Africa, and in 1960 alone, 17 African countries gained their independence.

Today Ghana is a beacon of democracy and is among the fastest-growing economies in the world. Under the leadership of President Nana Akufo-Addo, new programmes are initiated to speed up Ghana’s developmental process. Notable among these initiatives are the Free Senior High School Education and Planting for Food and Jobs. These policies and programmes are beginning to yield positive results for the growth of the Ghanaian economy. It is under this context that Ghana continues to call for partnerships with the Dutch private sector to collaborate with Ghanaian companies and take advantage of the investment opportunities available.

Ghana and the Netherlands have maintained a long-standing relationship dating back to the 16th Century. Since Ghana’s independence in 1957, the Netherlands has been a reliable and dependable development partner, and today the Ghana-Netherlands relations cover almost all sectors of Ghanaian national life including Cultural, Economic, Environment, Trade, Health, Education, and matters relating to Governance.

Let me seize this opportunity to express the gratitude of the Government and people of Ghana for the Kingdom of Netherlands’ invaluable contributions to the development of Ghana over the years.

GHANA

NATIONAL DAY

2020

Photography: Zac Wolff on Unsplash Lastly, I wish to congratulate all Ghanaians as we celebrate this important day. Let us modestly enjoy the day, but also resolve even more to hold in high esteem our heritage won for us through the blood and toil of our Fathers.

81

nationaldays Photography: Marian van Noort The Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia, H.E. Mrs. Ksenija Milenković

Serbia celebrated On the occasion of the Statehood Day, the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia H.E. Mrs. Ksenija Milenković hosted a special reception at her residence. Hundreds of guests attended the festive event on a warm afternoon in late February. Among them were numerous diplomats and head of missions, Dutch officials, many from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Senate and the parliament; judges of international courts, artists, members of different international organizations, the Serbian embassy staff, as well as many friends of Serbia, and representatives of the Serbian Community.

Following the anthems of the Republic of Serbia and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ambassador Ksenija Milenković addressed the audience.

The Ambassador of Tunisia, H.E. Mr. Elyes Ghariani, the Ambassador of the Republic of Yemen, H.E. Ms. Sahar Ghanem, the ambassador of Mexico, H.E. Mr. Jose Antonio Zabalgoitia Trejo and the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, H.E. Mr. Abdelouahab Bellouki at Serbian residence

Capitalizing on the long history of bilateral cooperation with The Netherlands, Milenković said, “We established our independence in 1878 at the Berlin Congress, and in 1899 we established diplomatic relations with The Netherlands; last year was the 120 anniversary making The Netherlands one of the first countries, it is a long tradition and we keep working to intensify those ties.”

diplomatIC EVENTS

KOREAN OPERA GALA CONCERT WITH

KIM CHA KYUNG OPERA

BY ROY LIE ATJAM Photography: Marian van Noort A superb spectacle took place at the Diligentia Theatre in The Hague featuring the Kim Cha Kyung Opera Gala Concert. On the program, classy young singers and a world-class repertoire, consisting of classical song and dance, pieces as La donna e mobile, Nessun Dorma, Ave Maria, Lippen schweigen and so much more. The audience could not resist getting on their feet to applaud the performers.

Established in 1968 and named after the soprano Kim Cha Kyung who dedicated her life to promulgate opera. The concert was under the auspices of the Embassy of Korea in the Netherlands.

82

It is interesting to note that the relationship between Korea and the Netherlands dates back to the 17th century. It started with the Dutch sailors Jan Janszn Weltevree ( Pak Yon) and Hendrik Hamel who landed on Jeju island. Korea and the Netherlands established Diplomatic relations in 1961.

In his address, H.E. Mr. Yeondoo Jeong, Ambassador of Korea, made mention of the fact that the two countries envisage celebrating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2021. Hence, the Kim Cha Kyung Opera Gala Concert is to be considered as a prelude to the celebration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2021.

Ambassador Yeondoo Jeong concluded by stating: “I look forward to your continuous love and affection towards Korea, as well as your active participation and support to various events to be hosted by the embassy.

I appreciate your attendance today, and wish you good luck, continued health and happiness.”

The Statehood Day marks the 106th anniversary of the First Serbian Uprising, which led with time to the adoption of the modern Serbian Constitution on this day in 1835.

The atmosphere was harmonious and welcoming. The delicious Serbian buffet kept guests indulged in the warm spirit of friendship and generous hospitality offered

by Ambassador Milenković, her family, and colleagues from the Embassy of Serbia. The wines of Serbia were in a prominent place. It was an outstanding reception, which was the first celebrated by the embassy for the last five years.

diplomatIC EVENTS

UPDATING

SERBIAN-DUTCH

DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS Photography: Naldo Peverelli

In an exclusive interview with Diplomat Magazine’s Publisher, the Serbian Ambassador to the Netherlands, H.E. Mrs. Ksenija Milenković talked about her country’s current foreign policy priorities.

An important part of any bilateral relation is the political dialogue. How is the political dialogue between Belgrade and The Hague?

Actually, from a Serbian standpoint, we would like our political dialogue with the Netherlands to intensify. In the last 15 to 20 years, we did not have as many bilateral contacts as it would be needed. One of the reasons for this is that – as for most of the countries in the Western Balkans – the dialogue with member states of the European Union is often done through the European integration process. And of course, the discussion on integration is very much reflected in our bilateral political dialogue with the Netherlands. Given our status as a candidate country to the membership of the EU, when we talk to the Netherlands – or to other European member states – the topics related to EU membership and the integration process are always at the forefront.

It is worth recalling, however, that we had in important visit in November, when Minister Blok came to Belgrade. My Minister told him that the visit should be seen as an opportunity to reset our bilateral relations, as well as to improve our overall political dialogue.

Ambassador, could you tell us more about Serbia’s bid for membership in the European Union? How far are you from a settlement – or better, how close?

Membership in the EU is one of the main priorities of the Serbian government.

Currently, we are not as close as we would want to be, because of course we would want this process to be faster. However, we are realistic.

We are aware that there is some skepticism in the EU, including in the Netherlands, about enlargement in general – not on Serbia in particular.

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

We are currently working on a number of different areas, on several different issues.

What we want to do now is to intensify our dialogue with the European Union and with its members states – including the Netherlands.

This is my main task here: to intensify and to strengthen the bilateral relations between Serbia and the Netherlands.

Moving away from the political dimension: how strong is the cooperation between Serbia and the Netherlands in economic terms?

In the economic domain, our cooperation has been quite good. The Netherlands is present in Serbia with some quite significant investments. For instance, there are two Dutch shipbuilding companies that build the ship’s shells, which are then brought here to complete the building process. Moreover, we also have important Dutch investments in the retail sector. The major Serbia supermarket chain, Maxi, had been bought by Belgian investors two years ago, and it has now passed under Dutch ownership.

In terms of foreign trade exchange, our relationship with the Netherlands is quite balanced. It is not a huge sum of money – it is around 600 million a year – but it is rather good, especially considering that since 2010 there has been a constant increase in bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

An important domain for trade is agriculture – in both ways, as both countries have very prominent agricultural sectors. So, our economic cooperation is definitely increasing, and we want to build up on that – especially when it comes to technology, where the Dutch economy is very advanced.

There have recently been regional initiatives aimed at promoting further integration in the Western Balkans.

The most recent and notable initiative has been the so-called “Mini-Schengen” – that is the unofficial name that has been attached to it. This is an initiative between Serbia, Albania, and North Macedonia, and its aim is to connect people from these three countries, to enable them to move freely. One of the first results will be to enable citizens to cross the border only with their ID. Moreover, we also want to enable an opening up of the labor markets – so that for instance in Serbia there would be an open labor market for citizens of the two other countries. The model is actually that of the European Union, with its so-called “four freedoms”.

The initiative has been launched and endorsed at the highest level, with the involvement of our President, and the two Prime Ministers of Albania and North Macedonia. Up to now, there have been three meetings of the leaders.

Currently, we are in the process of drafting the agreement.

It is important to remind that this initiative is open to everybody else in the region. We want to work on the economic and people-topeople contact, two aspects that are beneficial for the people.

83

diplomatIC EVENTS

CHILE HOST GABRIELA MISTRAL 130TH ANNIVERSARY THOUGHT OF GABRIELA MISTRAL’S LIFE, POETRY AND PROSE Numerous affiliates of the Hispanic Association of The Hague, as well as members of the Chilean diaspora and diplomats from Latin American countries, attended the celebration. During the event, the professor and novelist Dr. Ricardo Cuadros toured the life of the famous writer from her childhood in Vicuña, Chile to the final stages of her life that she spent in New York, USA. H.E. Ms. Maria Teresa Infante, Ambassador of Chile, Dr. Ricardo Cuadros and Ms. Edith Bergansius, President of the Hispanic Association of The Hague

Celebrating the 130th anniversary of the birth of Gabriela Mistral, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1945, the Chilean Embassy in The Netherlands together with the Hispanic Association of The Hague organized a conference dedicated to the work and life of this Chilean poet.

Dr. Cuadros’ account for the writer, was filled with deep knowledge, and by recounting her eccentricities, travels and constant relocations, her tragedies and style, as well as the anecdotes of her life unknown to most, the public attending the event was left truly captivated.

“Gabriela Mistral’s work is rich, profound, contradictory with an extraordinary beauty; her poetry and prose are as deep and actual today as they were in her time. Her work is immense, since she was a prolific writer from an early age until her death. Her poems have been known since the age of 13, and she

wrote for the rest of her life until her death.

I definitely recommend re-reading Gabriela Mistral”, expressed H.E. Ms. Maria Teresa Infante Caffi, Ambassador of Chile to the Netherlands.

In her words of welcome, the Ambassador of Chile voiced her thanks to Ms. Edith Bergansius, the President of the Hispanic Association of The Hague, for organizing this memorable event and to the guests for their interest in the Chilean Nobel Prize-awarded writer.

The Chilean ensemble “Santo Remedio” presented music and songs based on Gabriela Mistral’s poems through the evening.

Moreover, Ambassador Infante organized a draw of many books for those who answered hands up questions about Gabriela Mistral works and life. Not least, as the Embassy of Chile catered for the guests with a selection of excellent Chilean wines, the pleasurable atmosphere was only amplified through the night.

HIGH-TECH VAT PLATFORM OF DCC SIMPLIFIES VAT SERVICE FOR DIPLOMATS IN THE NETHERLANDS Diplomatic Card Co specialises in advance services for Diplomats such as Tax-Free Fuel service (Multi-brand card) and VAT service. The company’s main goal is to make the diplomat’s stay in the Netherlands as comfortable and as hassle-free as possible by reducing the administrative paperwork to a minimum. That’s why the company is constantly improving its existing services and developing new ones. This new high-tech VAT platform is its latest add-on. For Diplomatic Magazine a reason to have a chat with Manolis Arvanitis, General Manager at Diplomatic Card Co.

FULLY COMPLIANT “Diplomatic Card Co is acknowledged by the Dutch Ministry of Finance as a certified service provider for VAT services to diplomats,” starts Arvanitis the conversation.

“We are a long-lasting service provider delivering user-friendly VAT services and always aim to go the extra mile for our customers. Especially in the past year has been intense in order to improve our service standards. The knowledge that we have gained with our intensive communications with the Dutch Tax authorities has enabled us to build

a new high-tech VAT platform. This new VAT platform is fully compliant with the rules and regulations set by the Ministry of Finance and the Dutch Tax Office as of 1st of March 2020.”

SIMPLE, FAST AND SAFE One of the benefits of the new high-tech platform is the simplicity of submitting invoices/tickets. “Diplomats only have to scan their receipts and send them by email for verification and processing.

Additionally, purchases can be bundled automatically on a quarterly basis per retailer.

Also, it is no longer obligatory for Diplomats to provide a hard copy of bank/credit card statements to support each transaction. This new platform enables the Dutch Tax office to validate transactions on a daily basis, instead of waiting until the end of the month. And that shortens the validation time for the diplomat, resulting in a swift refund following their approval. Less paperwork and a faster turnaround are two criteria that are valued a lot,” says Arvanitis.

Photography: Kim Vernaat

84

diplomatIC EVENTS

CHEMTECH CENTRE DESIGN PRESENTED TO OPCW MEMBER STATES The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) issued in April a video briefing for States Parties to present the preliminary design of the new Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech Centre). Due to the circumstances related to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the recorded briefing substituted a traditional briefing that had been planned to occur at OPCW Headquarters.

During this briefing, the Secretariat delivered presentations on the status of the project as well as the layout of the functional areas in the ChemTech Centre: the OPCW Laboratory, the Equipment Store, training and capacitybuilding facilities, and common areas. The architectural design firm selected to lead the project’s design team, Ector Hoogstad Architecten, presented a general overview of the preliminary design and the applicable zoning and regulatory requirements.

OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias remarked: “The ChemTech Centre, will be a place where the Technical Secretariat and States Parties come together to study, learn, train, and work in common purpose toward a more safe, secure, peaceful, and prosperous world. The Secretariat is committed to delivering this facility for States Parties, and to making every effort to do so on-time and on-budget.”

further €3.2 million is still required to reach full funding for the project. Contributions or pledges for the remaining funds are needed

by July 2020 to ensure that the construction tender can be issued on-time and with full funding available.

The ChemTech Centre will be built in the Heron Business Park, an industrial park established by the municipality of PijnackerNootdorp, Netherlands. The main focus of the project’s activities in 2020 are design development and the issuance of the construction tender. The construction of the building is planned to begin in mid-2021 and to be completed by the end of 2022.

So far, thirty-nine States Parties, the European Union, and one private individual have made financial contributions or pledges totalling €30.3 million to the project’s trust fund. A

The Permanent Representative of France to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Luis Vassy

Besides being user-friendly, the platform also offers a high level of security. “We wanted security to be built in, for both the diplomat and the retailer. We designed the system in such a way that it is impossible for non-beneficiaries to use,’ continuous Arvanitis. “The high level of security is reassuring, and it guarantees recognition of the diplomat’s privilege.”

TRUST “As you can see, user-friendliness, safety, and fast refund are the main focal points in our services. We make use of the latest technology to put these into practice. We also attach great importance to dialogue and personal contact with our clients and other stakeholders. We try to involve them as much as possible to develop the best services fit for diplomats”.

“I would like to thank all our customers for their trust in our company even though the last year we have faced some unforeseen delays caused by external reasons that affected our organisation internally. With this new high-tech platform, we believe this is now a thing of the past.”

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

Permanent Representative of Germany to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Christine Weil

The Permanent Representative of Ireland to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Kevin Kelly

The Permanent Representative of Portugal to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Rosa

85

diplomatIC EVENTS

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SPANISH

EDITH BERGANSIUS AND THE ASOCIACIÓN HISPÁNICA DE LA HAYA With her legendary energy and her usual bright attitude, Edith Bergansius talks to Diplomat Magazine about the 100th Anniversary of the Hispanic Association of the Hague, as well as about her life-long involvement in the Spanish language.

Ms. Bergansius’ outstanding commitment towards Spanish started when she was 18 years old. At the time, she was living with an Anglo-Dutch family in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for education purposes. During an excursion, the tour-guide recommended her: “back in Europe, you should visit Madrid, it is an extraordinary city”. This suggestion was enough for Edith, who, after having spent five months in Brazil, decided to get in touch with a Dutch-diplomat family in Madrid, where she worked as a tutor for their kids. At the same time, she started learning Spanish in an academy downtown Madrid.

After a few trips to Vienna to improve her German, Ms. Bergansius immersed herself in the Spanish world, travelling to Ecuador and Peru, where she worked as an English teacher.

After coming back to The Hague, she then started working at the Embassy of Uruguay, before taking a post at Noordeinde Palace, where he collaborated for the preparation of the King of Spain’s visit to Queen Juliana and during the investiture of Queen Beatrix – “was one of the greatest souvenirs of that time”.

Following this post, she became Secretary of the Ambassador of Spain in The Hague, and she started her membership at the Hispanic Association.

Besides following courses of Spanish Studies at Leiden University and the British Open University to get a BA, Ms. Bergansius also studied to become translator and interpreter, as well as many courses in Spanish and Latin American culture and literature.

Then, the call from the Hispanic Association came. “My predecessor, professor and historian Chris Nigten, approached me in 2004, when he was looking for a person to replace him”, Ms Bergansius recalls. “In 2005, I followed the necessary training in Utrecht, and I ended up as President of the Association in February 2006.”

86

Photography: Naldo Peverelli “Of course, the position – especially at the beginning – was a big responsibility. My model was my father, a lawyer who during his life held endless honorary positions, such as being president of the Artillery Association of The Hague for 17 years and then honorary president until his death.”

Edith Bergansius is a major point of reference for the Spanish language and culture community in The Hague, and she is also a key partner to embassies of Spanish-speaking countries, thanks to her engagement in promoting the Spanish language and the culture by organizing countless cultural events attended by hundreds of guests.

Even in a short overview, we can remember many events organized by Ms. Bergansius, dealing with a wide range of topic: from the poems of Gabriela Mistral, Ida Vitale and Pablo Neruda, to the histories of Horacio Quiroga, the works of the Uruguayan painter Luis Alberto Solari, the 500 years of La Habana, conferences from prestigious academic institutions like the Complutense University about the 80 Years War in Spain; but also, a lecture of Ernesto Sabato, a screening of the Guatemalan film “Donde nace el sol”, a conference about the Cuban National hero Jose Marti, a discussion by a journalist from the Spanish newspaper El Pais, as well as visits to museums, reading groups and more.

And, in addition to this, one cannot forget Ms. Bergansius’ contribution to the Catholic community, including her activity at the Nunciature and her participation to the choral every Sunday.

“Every year I go back to Madrid to visit my friend from the Madrid academy in 1969” – Ms. Bergansius told us. Over the years, Edith Bergansius received recognitions and honours from many embassies. One of the most important was the Cruz de Oficial Isabel la Católica, which she received from Spain in 2013, owing to her support in spreading the language and culture of Spanish-speaking countries.

“The numerous members of the Hispanic Association of The Hague, as well as numbers of native Spanish speakers, attend every event and activity, benefiting from the knowledge and the spirit of fraternity that characterize such events. Thanks to the board of director for their support for almost 13 years in organizing this” – Ms. Bergansius concluded.

Diplomat Magazine congratulates the Hispanic Association for its 100th anniversary and wishes Edith Bergansius many years of success.

THE “WEEK OF EXTRAORDINARY ITALIAN TASTE”

BY CATHERINE DAILEY The Hague’s elegant Restaurant des Juges, located in the Peace Palace complex, one of the world’s most exclusive dining rooms was the venue for the “Ambassadors Luncheon” last event hosted by H.E. Mr. Andrea Perugini, Ambassador of Italy during the “Week of Extraordinary Italian Taste” program last year.

The luncheon, was one of more than 1,000 unique gastronomic events, held in more than 100 countries from November 18-24, during Italy’s fourth annual week-long series of culinary and cultural programs designed to introduce Italy’s gastronomic traditions to the world. “Food Education, the Culture of Taste” was the 2019 theme.

The event, an initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Italian Republic, is organized in the Netherlands by the

diplomatIC EVENTS

CHINA IS OPEN TO SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION, BUT REJECTS ANY

POLITICAL-DRIVEN INVESTIGATION

BY H.E. DR. XU HONG, AMBASSADOR OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA Recently, certain countries have called for an “independent international investigation” on issues such as whether COVID-19 originated in a laboratory in Wuhan and China’s initial response to the pandemic. In my view, this is nothing but another political trick to mislead the public and stigmatize China.

However China is open to scientific cooperation on matters such as tracing the origin of the novel coronavirus. After sequencing and sharing with the world the genome of the new virus at full speed, China has maintained good communication with the World Health Organization and other countries. Scientists around the world, including top US expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, share the consensus that the virus originated from nature rather than a laboratory in Wuhan. Those who made such claims are only a handful of politicians who

Photography by Catherine Dailey have demonstrated little respect for science, and have not been backed up even by their own intelligence agencies.

Tracing the origin of a virus is a complicated and rigorous process, in which scientific principles should be followed. We should leave these tasks to scientists instead of presupposing conclusions for political purposes.

It should be noted that the place where COVID-19 was first reported is not necessarily the origin of the virus. More and more cases are being discovered outside China, which suggests the disease might have appeared in other countries earlier than people thought.

For example, an American mayor claimed to have been infected with the virus as early as last November. The specific types of virus found in China, the US and Europe are also different, making it necessary for the tracing work to be carried out on a global scale, instead of just focusing on China.

Therefore, in order for the effort to succeed, we hope all countries concerned can be open to such cooperation.

Italian Embassy in cooperation with the Italian Chamber of Commerce and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura. In addition, some sixteen Italian restaurants participated in the weeklong program designed to educate the public about the flavors of authentic food and the health benefits of the “Mediterranean Diet.”

Other Events, hosted or sponsored by Ambassador Perugini were held at Europol, the European Space Agency (ESA ESTEC), the Leonardo Royal Hotel, and more.

Several of the events were preceded by concerts performed by the Italian prodigy, pianist Daklen Difato, and Letizia Elsa Maula (clarinet) and Mario Rio (Cello). All internationally renowned musicians.

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE #11

Of course, experiences and lessons from this pandamic should be learned at both international and domestic levels. Therefore, in addition to being open to international cooperation to find out the origin of the virus, China has also expressed support for relevant international review with the coordination of the WHO. China has nothing to hide or be shameful of in how it handled the pandemic. Giving top priority to people’s lives and health, China has fulfilled its obligations under the International Health Regulations. People from around the world and relevant international organizations such as the WHO have expressed their admiration in China’s efforts in containing the virus and engaging in international assistance and cooperation.

The work of international review shall follow the principles of equality, objectivity and fairness, with the goal of improving global health governance and be conducted at an appropriate time when the global pandemic

has been effectively brought under control.

At present, all countries should concentrate on stepping up international solidarity to contain the pandemic as soon as possible. This is the consensus of the vast majority of members of the international community, including China and the Netherlands.

China supports international scientific cooperation and professional review, but firmly opposes any dirty political trick for political gains under the disguise of an “international investigation”. We all remember the one on Iraq in search of “weapons of massive destruction”, prior to US’s invasion of the country in 2003. Certain politicians seem to be orchestrating the same trick again. In their scenario, China is the “guilty one”, and an “international investigation” will produce “proof ” for final conviction and basis for compensation. Their true aim is to deflect from their failure in response to the pandemic and stay in power.

From a legal perspective, such an approach has serious flaws and will be rejected by countries and conscionable persons upholding the international rule of law.

Firstly, to trigger such an “international investigation” against a certain country for the purpose of accountability, there must be sufficient grounds to make the case that the country has committed “international wrongful acts”. Secondly, any investigation shall be duly authorized by mandated international mechanisms, meet relevant requirements and follow due procedures.

Otherwise, such an act will severely harm the existing international order.

The government trying to hype this issue should first reflect on its own behavior: has it fulfilled its “responsibility to protect” its own people? Why it has been creating obstacles to block international cooperation, such as withholding funding for international organizations? How many secrets are being kept in the dark? Before we talk about an “independent investigation” on China, the world deserves to know the answers to these questions.

87