Friday, 24 February 2023, Berlin, Germany: Within the framework of cooperation with the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Germany held a commemorative event on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Khojaly genocide at the Azerbaijan Cultural Center located in Berlin-Tiergarten.
An exhibition dedicated to the Khojaly genocide was also organized for the visitors.
At the beginning of the event, the memory of the martyrs of the Khojaly genocide was commemorated with a minute of silence. Subsequently a short film prepared by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Germany about the Khojaly genocide was shown.
The allocution of MP Dr. Nurlan Hasanov.
Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Germany, Nasimi Agayev, said during his speech that the Khojaly genocide was the first genocide that took place in Europe after the end of the Cold War. The ambassador highlighted that the perpetrators of this crime against humanity have not yet been brought to justice. Ambassador Agayev went on to mention that as a result of the “Justice to Khojaly” campaign launched by Leyla Aliyeva, the vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, great progress has been made in the recognition of the Khojaly genocide in the international arena, and many countries, including more than 20 US states, have officially condemned this massacre.
Noting that in 2020, Azerbaijan freed its territories from occupation and restored international law, the ambassador said that Major Polad Rzayev, major of the Red Army, who showed great bravery in liberating Jabrayil, Khojavand and Gubadli regions and the Murovdag peak, and lost both legs after falling into a mine, participated in the event. It was also noted tthat Major Rzayev was treated at the German army hospital in Berlin, and provided with prostheses. Major Rzayev was the event’s special guest.
Also partaking was MP Dr. Nurlan Hasanov. In his speech, Nurlan Hasanov, the head of the Working Group on Azerbaijan-Germany inter-parliamentary relations of the Milli Majlis (National Assembly) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, spoke about the deep mark left by the Khojaly genocide in the memory of the Azerbaijani people, and talked about the efforts to spread the truth about the genocide in the world through the parliament.
After the speeches, a commemorative concert was held.
Thursday, 16 February 2022, Munich, Free State of Bavaria: The Head of the State Chancellery, Minister of State Dr. Florian Herrmann together with Bavarian Minister of the Interior Joachim Herrmann met the NATO Supreme Commander in Europe, General Christopher G. Cavoli, for talks at Prince Carl Palace.
“We have a long friendship with General Christopher Cavoli. The transatlantic partnership is the cornerstone of Bavarian security policy and is more important today than ever. The Free State of Bavaria is happy to be a second home for members of the US armed forces” – Minister of State Dr. Florian Herrmann said as per statement from the encounter.
Christopher Gerard Cavoli is a United States Army general who serves as the commander of United States European Command since 1 July 2022, and Supreme Allied Commander Europe since 4 July 2022.
Start of operations of Core International Crimes Evidence Database and new International Centre for Prosecution of the crime of Aggression to be based at Agency
The Hague, 23 February 2023
Almost one year after the start of the war in Ukraine, Eurojust has taken crucial steps in support of the judicial response to alleged core international crimes. An important milestone is the start of operations of the Core International Crimes Evidence Database (CICED). A new International Centre for Prosecution of the crime of Aggression (ICPA) will also be based at Eurojust.
With CICED, the Agency has introduced a tailor-made judicial database to preserve, store and analyse evidence of core international crimes in a secure mode. Technical solutions for the safe transmission and secure storage of evidence are now in place and an advanced analysis module will be added in the coming months.
CICED’s centralised approach will support national and international investigations by shedding light, not only on individual offences but also on the systemic actions behind them. CICED will be beneficial for the investigations into core international crimes allegedly committed in Ukraine, as well as other conflicts where these offences would occur.
In addition, Eurojust is in the process of setting up the ICPA. The main purpose of the ICPA is to support and enhance investigations into the crime of aggression by securing key evidence and facilitating case building at the earliest possible stage.
The centre will be part of the current support structure for the joint investigation tteam (JIT), which ensures an optimal alignment between the investigations into war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, and the crime of aggression. The prosecutors who will be part of the ICPA can be based at Eurojust on a semi-permanent basis, allowing for close coordination of their work in line with a joint prosecutorial strategy.
Eurojust President Mr Ladislav Hamran stated: ‘Nothing can make up for the terrible loss and destruction that the Ukrainian people have suffered since the start of this war. But core international crimes must always be accounted for, and Eurojust is doing whatever it can to help bring those responsible to justice. New initiatives, including the Core International Crimes Evidence Database and the International Centre for the Prosecution of the crime of Aggression, enable us to give concrete support to authorities working to get justice done for the victims of these horrendous crimes.’
Eurojust Vice-President and National Member for Lithuania, Ms Margarita Šniutytė-Daugėlienė, said: ‘The international legal community is incredibly determined to ensure accountability for the crimes committed in Ukraine. The wish to make justice prevail clearly transcends national, continental and organisational boundaries. Eurojust is proud to contribute to these efforts, by not only using the full potential of our existing support mechanisms but also introducing innovative solutions to safeguard core international crime evidence and enhance the investigation of the crime of aggression.’
Liaison Prosecutor for Ukraine at Eurojust, Ms Myroslava Krasnoborova, commented: ‘While the damage caused by the Russian invasion can never be undone, we can make sure that those responsible are brought to justice. Setting up the joint investigation team has been a real game-changer in the accountability efforts and Ukraine welcomes the support received from Eurojust so far. At the same time, it is our firm belief that impunity for the crime of aggression should never be accepted. Ukraine therefore strongly welcomes the decision to set up the ICPA at Eurojust, and hopes that this will accelerate the ongoing discussions about the eventual prosecution for this supreme international crime.’
Supported by Eurojust and Europol, judicial and law enforcement authorities in Italy and Germany have dismantled an organised crime group (OCG) suspected of illicit waste trafficking, false invoicing and money laundering in several European countries.Â
Eurojust coordinated the joint action that led to the arrest of 14 suspects. Forty searches were carried out. The preventive seizure of assets worth EURÂ 90Â million was ordered. The Agency also assisted the authorities in setting up and funding a joint investigation team (JIT) into the case.
The OCG is believed to have illegally acquired up to 165,000 tonnes of scrap iron through a network of iron recycling companies operating in Italy and abroad. The criminal network reintroduced the iron into the legal market or directly into steel mills, claiming it had been imported from Germany.
According to the investigation, a German bogus company connected to the leader of the OCG had issued false invoices for the fictitious acquisition of the scrap iron.
The leader and other members of the criminal network introduced money into Italy, including up to EUR 70 million in cash withdrawn from German bank accounts. The money was then transferred between several fictitious companies managed by the OCG in Germany and other countries. The profits were invested either in the illicit trafficking of waste or laundered through legitimate activities such as the acquisition of a football team in Italy.
The scrap iron was never cleaned or recycled, despite the false documentation on declarations of conformity or shipping documents. The OCG also manipulated large quantities of special and hazardous waste, such as tar, the real nature of which was obscured by false certificates.
In a joint action day on 15 February, 14 suspects were detained in Italy and Germany. A total of 40 searches were carried out, 26 in Italy and 14 in Germany. The preventive seizure of assets worth EUR 90 million was ordered.
Eurojust supported the authorities involved in setting up and funding a JIT in August 2020. The Agency also hosted seven coordination meetings to facilitate judicial cooperation and provide support for the coordinated investigative efforts. During the action day, Eurojust set up a coordination centre to facilitate rapid cooperation between the judicial authorities.
Europol contributed to the investigation by analysing the data stemming from the complex scheme and deployed one of its experts on-the-field to Italy to support the national authorities with their investigative measures.
The following authorities took part in this investigation:
Italy: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Milan; Public Prosecutor’s Office of Reggio Calabria; Carabinieri for the protection of the environment and ecological transition of Milan; Carabinieri of NOE (Environmental Operating Centre)
Germany: Public Prosecutor’s Office Munich I; Federal Criminal Police Office in Wiesbaden.
Munich, 17-19 February 2023, Free State of Bavaria: The 59th Munich Security Conference (MSC) took place at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof located in Munich. For three days, the MSC 2023 once again offered an unparalleled platform for high-level debates on the key foreign and security policy challenges of our time.
Almost one year after Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, the MSC provided an opportunity to take stock of a cohesion of alliances, and political commitment to the rules-based international order.
Secretary of State Blinken is welcomed by Dr. Florian Herrmann and Ambassador Dr. Amy Gutmann at Munich International Airport.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris was in attendance in order to demonstrate transatlantic unity as well as the U.S. global leadership and enduring commitment to support the Ukraine. She also delivered a keynote speech in the conference’s framework.
Governor of New- Jersey Phil Murphy and Premier Dr. Markus Soder. Foto: Joerg Koch/ Bayerische Staatskanzlei joerg@joergkochfoto.de; +49-175-1815173;
By the Center for Economic Research and Reforms (CERR)
The leading international economic statistical online portal Trading Economics, which evaluates over 20 million economic indicators in 196 countries of the world, has published for the first time the Business Climate Index of Uzbekistan calculated by the Center for Economic Research and Reforms (CERR).
According to the results of the January survey, the consolidated business climate indicator has shown a slight decrease since the beginning of the year. In particular, in January, the decline was significantly influenced by the dynamics of indicators in the agriculture and services sector.
Analysts estimate the state of the business climate in the country in January as positive. So, despite the decrease in the consolidated indicator by 3 points, it amounted to 54 points.
Center for Economic Research and Reforms (CERR).
For reference: CERR conducts a monthly survey among 1 thousand entrepreneurs from various sectors of the economy. The consolidated business climate index is formed on the basis of indicators of the current state and expectations. Those, in turn, demonstrate a level of anxiety about obstacles in doing business. The sampling methodology of the study is an industry stratified random sample, according to the methodology of the “Enterprise Survey” of the World Bank. In turn, the business climate index of Uzbekistan was developed with the assistance of the Institute of Economic Research “Ifo Institut” and the consulting company “Berlin Economics” based on the methodology of the German Business Climate Index (Geschäftsklimaindex).
41% of respondents rated the current state of their business as “good”, the share of those who noted as “bad” was 14%.
20% of enterprises increased the number of employees, and 41% of entrepreneurs noted an increase in demand for goods/services.
In January of this year, the indicator of the current state of the business climate decreased by 13 points and amounted to 34 points, which is explained by the deterioration in agriculture, industry and services. Nevertheless, there was a jump in the construction sector.
The indicator of expectations of business development prospects in the next 3 months remains at a fairly high level – 76 points, which is supported by optimism in all industries.
ByThe National Human Rights Centerof the Republic of Uzbekistan
On February 15 of this year in the meeting hall of the Cabinet of Ministers on the implementation of the fourth stage of the World Education Program in the field of Human Rights in the Republic of Uzbekistan there was a meeting of the National Commission. It discussed the issue of ensuring the implementation of the decision of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On approval of the National Education Program in the field of Human Rights in the Republic of Uzbekistan” adopted on February 7, 2023.
Members of the National Commission for the implementation of the fourth stage of the World Education Program in the field of human rights in the Republic of Uzbekistan participated in the meeting. Members of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis and members of the Senate, the Supreme Court and the Prosecutor General’s Office, heads of ministries and organizations, agencies and institutions, rectors of higher educational institutions, and mass media representatives also took part in the offline and online event.
On the implementation of the fourth stage of the World Education Program in the field of Human Rights in the Republic of Uzbekistan
The Chairman of the National Commission A. Saidov drew attention to the approval of two important documents – the National Education Program in the field of Human Rights in the Republic of Uzbekistan and the “Roadmap” for its implementation by the decision of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on February 7, 2023. The need to organize the execution of these documents in a timely, complete and effective manner was emphasized.
First Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovations K.Karimov, Deputy Director of Youth Affairs Agency D.Kattakhonova and others spoke on the issue on the agenda. The participants spoke about the draft Program for holding the “Human Rights Week” on February 20-28, 2023 within the framework of the implementation of the relevant decision of the President, and expressed their suggestions for organizing the week at a high level.
At the end of the meeting, the Program for holding the “Human Rights Week” was approved. The program include 22 activities, including briefings, press conferences and roundtable discussions, various contests and presentations, meetings with experts, expert communication and scientific-practical conferences.
Human Rights Week is held by the National Human Rights Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan in cooperation with central and local state authorities, state organizations, civil society institutions and international organizations. Events will take place in the entire territory of our country – in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, regions and Tashkent city, districts and cities.
Thursday, 16 February 2023, Oslo, The Royal Palace, Kingdom of Norway: Minnesota’s Governor Tim Walz was granted an audience with His Majesty the King of Norway, Harald V. The governor is visiting Norway on the occasion of the NOREX collaboration. For 50 years, the Minnesota National Guard and the Home Guard in Norway have exchanged forces to learn from each other. The governor himself was on exchange in Norway during his time in the National Guard. NOREX is thus the name of the annual exchange between the Home Guard in Norway and the National Guard at Camp Ripley, Minnesota, USA, which has been ongoing for almost 50 years. The purpose of the exchange is to strengthen the already close political and military cooperation between the two countries.
A new agreement has now been signed which ensures the continuation of this important collaboration. Her Majesty Queen Sonja met with representatives of NOREX when she visited Minnesota in 2022, and was present when the new agreement was signed.
While in Norway, Governor Tim Walz today participated in the official State Partnership Program (SPP) signing ceremony in Trondheim, expanding the long-standing partnership between Minnesota and Norway’s militaries. Governor Walz also celebrated the jubilee of the Norwegian Reciprocal Troop Exchange (NOREX) at the Archbishop’s Palace. Prior to the ceremony and celebration, Governor Walz met with members of the Minnesota National Guard and Norwegian Home Guard participating in the military exchange. Governor Walz was hosted by Queen Sonja of Norway and joined by United States Ambassador to Norway Marc Nathanson; Army Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, Chief of the National Guard Bureau; Army Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, Army National Guard Director; and Army Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke, Minnesota National Guard’s Adjutant General.
Governor Tim Walz (b. 1964) serves in the capacity as the fourty first Minnesota governor since January 7, 2019. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), an affiliate of the national Democratic Party.
By H.E. Mr. Tan Jian, Ambassador of China to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Permanent Representative of China to the OPCW
Recently, the Chinese sci-fi blockbuster The Wandering Earth 2 has been released in many countries. The artificial intelligence robot MOSS, one of the main characters in the movie, is determined to carry out the meta-command of “continuing human civilization”. It endeavors to force human beings to stop internal conflicts and reinforce unity, even at the cost of creating the extinction crisis again and again. In reality, since the concept of AI was first introduced in 1956, its research and application has been fruitful. AI has become part of human civilization, changed significantly our life and injected powerful development momentum into human society.
However, AI also brings new challenges to social governance, privacy protection and ethics. In particular, military applications of AI is no longer a “pipe dream”: some countries set no limits on AI weapons, drones have been frequently used for targeted elimination in real combat, and killer robots are also gradually coming out of the “hidden corner”… Some people predict that AI weapons could lead to “the third revolution in the field of warfare after gunpowder and nuclear weapons ” and it might trigger a new round of arms race, lower the threshold of war and break global strategic balance. What is frightening is that lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) prioritize AI algorithms over human life. Once they are mastered by terrorist groups, the future of human civilization will be disastrous. The famous physicist Stephen Hawking has warned that “AI might lead to the extinction of mankind.”
“Preparedness ensures success and unpreparedness spells failure”. The international community has started to take concrete actions to tackle the “Collingridge Dilemma” of AI. In 2014, the United Nations established the group of governmental experts (GGE) within the framework of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), which has organized since then several rounds of discussions on LAWS-related issues. China participated actively in this process in a constructive manner. Five years later, the GGE reached “11 guiding principles on LAWS” in 2019, filling to a certain extent the gap of governance in this important frontier area.
H.E. Mr. Tan Jian, Ambassador of China to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Permanent Representative of China to the OPCW.
As a responsible country, China has always been committed to building a community with a shared future for mankind in the field of AI. China attaches great importance to preventing and managing potential risks of AI, and actively contributes Chinese insight and input to the global governance of AI. In December 2021, China submitted the Position Paper of the People’s Republic of China on Regulating Military Applications of AIto the Sixth Review Conference of the CCW. In November 2022, China submitted the Position Paper of the People’s Republic of China on Strengthening Ethical Governance of AI to the Conference of States Parties of the CCW, calling on the international community to uphold the principles of “giving priority to ethics”, “putting people’s well-being front and center” and “AI for good” in the aspects of regulation, research and development, utilization and international cooperation.
On 15 and 16 February, the Summit on Responsible AI in the Military Domain (REAIM) was held in The Hague. It has showed the positive attitude of the Netherlands to participate in the global governance of AI in the military domain and to uphold multilateralism. The Chinese delegation has attended the event and participated in the discussions, expecting that the conference could contribute to consensus building on the basis of extensive participation and exchanges among all parties.
It is important to note that strengthening the global governance of AI is not meant to restrict the development of related industries and international cooperation. “Too far east is west”. Some countries, on the pretext of so-called “governance”, are actually pursuing the policies of “my own country first” and “beggar-thy-neighbor”. Unwilling to share development dividends with the international community and promote common security, they instead draw ideological lines, frequently wield the stick of unilateral sanctions, and persist in “building walls and barriers” and “decoupling chains”. This kind of short-sighted behavior will end up by hurting themselves and others.
China is one of the major players in the field of AI. With persistent efforts, China’s AI industry has made great progress in research and development, commercialization and application, providing strong support for the digital economy and social development. In particular, China’s technologies of image recognition, voice recognition and others have entered the world’s leading ranks, and the total number of AI invention patents granted of China ranks first in the world. Moreover, China’s advantages in policy support, funding and investment, market scale, application scenarios, data resources and others will further promote the development of its AI industry. China will also continue to carry out relevant international cooperation with a more open attitude, both to serve its own people and to benefit the international community.
The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held with great success last year. Heading towards the new era, China will conduct cooperation with other countries in an open and inclusive manner. More than 50 years of diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level between China and the Netherlands shows that, openness and pragmatism has always been the most distinctive feature of our bilateral relations. China’s blueprint for high-quality development and high-level opening-up will be a boost to the Sino-Dutch cooperation in the future.
Last year, in the Almere International Horticultural Exposition, three Chinese AI robots served as “cultural communication ambassadors” in China’s Bamboo Garden and were widely praised for their excellent performance. The Netherlands also plays a key role in the field of AI. With respective and complementary advantages, China and the Netherlands have solid foundation and broad prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation in AI. We should stick to multilateralism, uphold the concepts of openness, inclusiveness and mutual benefit, “open windows” rather than “set barriers” for cooperation, and deepen the bilateral cooperation on AI technology and related industries. It would bring more incentives to Sino-Dutch All-round Cooperative Partnership, inject positive energy into the stability of global supply and industry chains, and deliver more “AI dividends” to the world.
Wednesday, 15 February 2023, Helsinki, Republic of Finland: At the Presidential Palace, the President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö received the letters of credence of Maldivian non-resident Ambassador Aishath Shaan Shakir for a presentation of her letters of credence signed by the Maldives’ President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Aishath Shaan Shakir is based in Berlin wherein she serves in the capacity as head of mission since Monday, 22 August 2022 after presenting credentials to German Federal President Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The Maldives mission in Berlin overseas relations to Russia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland as well as the Ukraine.
Ambassadhor Shaan arrived in Germany after serving in the capacity as Chief of Protocol at the Maldivian Foreign Ministry. She led her first mission in Bangladesh in the capacity as high commissioner from 2016 to 2020. Having joined the diplomatic service in 1984, she has served likewise in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.
As part of her visit to Finland, Ambassador Shaan sat down with the Under-Secretary of State (Internal and External Services) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland Pekka Puustinen. During the latter meeting the Maldivian ambassador was briefed on the current national and international issues of interest for the Finnish side.
Counsellor Umaira Mohamed accompanied Ambassador Shaan during the ceremony in Helsinki.
