European partners highly appreciate and support the profound socio-economic reforms undertaken on the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, as well as Uzbekistan’s new regional policy, which has made it possible to solve within a short period of time the most difficult problems of joint use of water resources, delimitation and demarcation of state borders and, in general, change the political atmosphere towards strengthening trust and cooperation in Central Asia.
This was discussed during the recent visits and meetings at the highest and high levels, in particular, during the visit of the former President of the European Council Donald Tusk to Uzbekistan in May 2019, the telephone conversation between the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the President of the European Council Charles Michel, the visit of the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov to Brussels in July 2022, meetings between the Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov and EU High Representative Josep-Borrell in September 2022.
The European Union is one of Uzbekistan’s important foreign policy and economic partners. The parties interact within the framework of the updated in 2019 EU Strategy for Central Asia, which, in fact, became a new “road map” for deepening interregional cooperation in the medium term.
An important feature of the updated Strategy is that it is based on three key priorities:
1) enhancing the political-economic and social sustainability of Central Asian countries through support for reforms, security, environmental protection, rule of law, and democratization;
2) ensuring prosperity of the countries of the region through economic development, education, scientific research, and regional cooperation;
3) strengthening institutional mechanisms for cooperation between the EU and the countries of the region.
Currently, active work is underway to organize the visit of President of the European Council Charles Michel to Uzbekistan, which is designed to broaden the prospects of interaction and bring Uzbek-European relations to a qualitatively new level.
As an important stage in economic cooperation between the parties was the granting for Uzbekistan the status of a beneficiary country of the General System of Preferences “GSP+” on April 10, 2021. This contributed to a noticeable increase in the volume of Uzbek exports to the EU, thanks to unilateral tariff preferences for the export of Uzbek goods to the European market. The number of commodity items that can be duty-free exported to the EU countries increased to 6200 items. The EU monitoring mission on “GSP+” visited Uzbekistan and prepared positive assessments on Uzbekistan In March 2022.
As a result, in the first six months of this year trade turnover between Uzbekistan and EU countries increased by 22%, while exports from Uzbekistan grew by 86%. Among the categories of goods that showed the greatest growth are products of chemical industry (six-fold growth), textiles (90% growth) and food products (65% growth).
The EU supports Uzbekistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization. The EU has positively assessed the implementation of the 5 million EUR project “Assistance to Uzbekistan in Accession Process to the WTO” implemented by the International Trade Centre in cooperation with the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan.
An important partner of Uzbekistan is the European Investment Bank (EIB) headquartered in Luxembourg. The EIB approved a concessional loan of €100 million for the implementation of an urban heating project in Nukus in February 2020. Besides, a loan project worth $100 million was approved by Bank to support small and medium-sized businesses for increasing economic activity and employment. Projects on waste management, energy efficiency increase and financial support of the Multi-Partner Trust Fund on Human Security for Aral region worth 300 mln euros are being developed by the EIB. By the way, the EU has also allocated 5.2 million euros for the Multi-partner Trust Fund in 2020.
This year, negotiations on the draft of Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (EPCA) between Uzbekistan and the EU, initialled on July 6 this year in Brussels, have been successfully completed.
Negotiations on the draft of PCA were launched in February 2019 and had been completed at the end of June 2022. During this period, 10 rounds of negotiations and more than 150 meetings were held, both at the level of experts, chief negotiators, and members of the government.
The Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which has been in force since 1999, mainly contains provisions on political dialogue, cooperation in the areas of democracy, human rights, promotion of cultural ties, financial and technical cooperation, investment, trade in goods and services, as well as intellectual property protection.
It is expected that EPCA will contribute to the further integration of Uzbekistan into the multilateral trading system, strengthen the mechanisms of market economy, increase the confidence and interest of foreign investors and the business community to the country, and open new opportunities for domestic producers for trade cooperation with partners from EU countries. In other words, the document is designed to bring relations between Uzbekistan and the EU to a new level.
As part of the promotion of Uzbekistan’s interests among the political-forming circles, the EU-Uzbekistan Friendship Group, chaired by MEP R. Czarnecki (Poland), has been functioning in the European Parliament since 2020.
Further development of bilateral and multilateral relations between Uzbekistan and the EU had been discussed during the visit of Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov to Brussels on September 5-6, 2022. In particular, agreements were reached on holding an «EU-CA» ministerial meeting in November this year. In addition, on the initiative of Uzbekistan, the first EU-Central Asia conference on connectivity will be held in Samarkand on 18 November this year. At present, the issue of holding the EU-CA Tourism Forum in Uzbekistan in 2023 is also being worked out.
Geovanny Vicente-Romero, writer, CNN en Español columnist, strategist and professor at Columbia University formally joins the G100 as Global Advisor on Mentoring & Motivation a committee led by Yanire Braña. At the same time, Vicente-Romero has been recognized as a He-For-She Champion for The Denim Club, a group of male figures that work to close the gender equality gap by promoting equity and more opportunities for the recognition and visibility of female leadership.
According to the latest Global Gap Index of World Economic Forum, Iceland, Finland, and Norway continue to occupy the top positions compared to other countries such as the USA occupying position 27, followed by Mexico (31), Argentina (33), Peru (37), Panama (40) or Colombia (75). This index, which was presented for the first time in 2006, measures the magnitude of the gap between women and men in terms of health, education, economy and political indicators.
G100 is an empowered group of 100 women leaders from across the world, leading 100 global wings, supported by 100 He-For-She champions (Denim Club) and 100 Country Chairs for powerful advocacy, awareness & impact across governments and organizations for a gender equal future.
For the very first time, a powerful global group of women and men has been constituted to address challenges and drive solutions across 100 different sectors. With engagement and exchange, the G100 enables gender equality to be viewed and pursued by all as an urgent social and economic imperative toward co-creating a better future for us all.
The G100 offers the myriad strengths and resourcefulness of its network and knowledge in the service of all solutions that further women’s equality, empowerment and leadership. The group believes that when the force of our solutions exceeds the force of our problems, the mountain of change will move – the shift will occur. They are fostering a critical mass of a million gender champions to enable the tipping point.
G100 is also supported by The Denim Club: Group of 100 He-for-She Champions globally, comprising leaders and luminaries from the business, corporate and political domains, each leading a sector of influence and having their companies and institutions in support of gender parity and equality. They will advocate for gender equity and balance, mitigate barriers to women’s leadership, commit to women’s greater C-suite representation, and fuel funding for female founders.
The founder of this club, Dr. Harbeen Arora said, “we are very honored that leading leaders from around the world join us in solidarity to advance our common cause of gender equality. Geovanny strengthens the He-For-She Denim Club Champions in support of the G100, by promoting mentoring and motivation. Together we can achieve important milestones for equality and empowerment in this same decade and this way we do not have to wait 100 years to achieve gender equality”.
Geovanny Vicente-Romero, who was recently recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD 100), within the framework of the 77th United Nations General Assembly in New York, brings his experience to the G100 and the Denim Club.
“The incorporation of Geovanny is key to being able to foster greater visibility and recognition of the work that G100 is doing in terms of mentoring, as well as helping identify the entities committed to closing gender gaps across mentoring”, says Yanire Braña, who has more than twenty years of experience leading programs and activities aimed at closing gender gaps in Spain, the US and Latin America.
On the occasion of the tribute to Judge Rafael Altamira (1921) for the centenary of his appointment as Judge of the Permanent Court of International Justice in The Hague, the Embassy of Spain in The Hague and the Hispanic Association of The Hague organized the lecture “Rafael Altamira, a civilizer among civilizers at the Permanent Court of International Justice” by Yolanda Gamarra Chopo, Professor of International Public Law and International Relations at the University of Zaragoza.
Professor Gamarra Chopo, was part of a group of researchers from several universities in Spain and other European countries, who began working on a joint research project years ago on the ideological roots of the European parties, where Judge Altamira stands out as a key figure.
Edith Bergansius and attendees to the lecture “Rafael Altamira, a civilizer among civilizers at the Permanent Court of International Justice”
The conference brought together international jurists of the stature of H.E. Mr. Philippe Couvreur, former Registrar of the International Court of Justice, ambassadors, such as Ambassador and Costa Rican jurist H.E. Mr. Arnoldo Brenes Castro and jurist Renan Villacis, Director of the Secretariat of the Assembly, at the International Criminal Court, among many other diplomats, jurists and legal historians from Spain and Latin America who filled the main hall of the Carlton Ambassador Hotel in The Hague on Thursday, September 29, 2022.
He was the only Spanish judge chosen by the same body to be part of the International Court of Human Rights in The Hague, not by assignment of a position by country, but for his long career in defense of equality and human rights. He was not a judge, nor an internationalist, but a professor of History of Law, which brought a different vision to the Court.
Although he lacked experience as a judge, he brought to the Tribunal a new perspective on dispute resolution, introducing arbitration as a means of conflict resolution. He also implemented the language and conceptualization of his own training: social justice, the dignity of individuals and the recognition of individual rights as opposed to the sovereignty of countries, the contribution of jurisprudence as a source in the Tribunal, regeneration, morality and common principles as the basis of the solution.
Professor Gamarra Chopo.
In her extensive lecture, Yolanda Gamarra Chopo emphasized the legal conscience of Judge Altamira, his character, his humility, his vocation for peace, his defense of arbitration in the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the Hague Tribunal. Altamira’s work still dispersed among the many academic activities he carried out and his constant travels around the world,
Edith Bergansius, President of the Hispanic Association of The Hague, who organizes important academic and cultural activities, presented Yolanda Gamarra Chopo as passionate of Altamira’s life and one of his most faithful scholars. Ms Bergansius thanks the Embassy of Spain and Luis Tejero González, Counsellor of the Spanish Embassy in The Hague, for their Support in the organization of this event,
Statement of ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC on arrest and extradition of suspects
I welcome the recent arrests in Ethiopia and the extradition to Italy and the Netherlands of two key suspects of crimes against victims of human trafficking and human smuggling in Libya. I am pleased to note that my Office has supported the collective effort to make this operation a success and to hold those responsible to account.
On 5 October, a 38-year-old man of Eritrean nationality was extradited from Ethiopia to the Netherlands after years of investigations by the Dutch Public Prosecution Service and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. On 12 October, Mr Gebremedhin Temesghen Ghebru, a 35-year-old man from Eritrea, was extradited from Ethiopia to Italy following efforts by the Polizia di Stato and the Palermo Prosecutor’s Office. Both suspects were allegedly involved in smuggling of persons from Africa to Europe. In the course of the journey, the victims were reportedly subjected to brutal violence, including in camps located in Libya, and suffered beatings, starvation, sexual violence, and extortion.
Following extradition, all suspects continue to be presumed innocent under the domestic laws of the states concerned and their responsibility will be determined by independent judges of the national authorities.
The arrest and extradition of those two suspects are of significant importance in the work that Italy and the Netherlands are doing to hold perpetrators accountable for crimes targeting migrants. I commend the authorities in both countries for their meticulous and effective investigative work as well as the Ethiopian authorities for their decisive action. These criminal investigations also benefitted from the support provided by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Europol, and Interpol, among others.
My Office has also actively assisted these investigations through the sharing of knowledge, information, evidence, and through joint witness interviews. As I have stated recently before the United Nations Security Council, under the Rome Statute, crimes against migrants may constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes.
These recent arrests and extraditions are a clear sign that international cooperation works. The collective effort in these two cases is a prime example of what can be achieved when States, agencies, and my Office join forces in pursuit of a common goal. This is the way forward if we want to ensure that no one is above the law and the impunity gap is narrowed.
As I noted in my last report to the United Nations Security Council, the Libya Situation is a priority for my Office and deepening our cooperation with national authorities in pursuit of accountability is one of the core principles at the heart of the renewed strategy I outlined to the Council in April of this year.
It is in this spirit of partnership that my Office in September became a formal member of the Joint Team that supports investigations into crimes against migrants and refugees in Libya. I was delighted that we were able to take this step, further aligning our action and resources with others, including the authorities from Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, as well as Europol. I wish to underline my commitment to continue strengthening our engagement and support to our national partners moving forward.
Monaco has welcomed four new ambassadors, from Nigeria, Panama, San Marino, and the United Arab Emirates.
Mme Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, Minister for External Relations and Cooperation, received the diplomats during a lunch at the Hôtel Hermitage.
Holder of a bachelor’s degree in geography and a master’s degree in economic development and planning of the United Nations Institute for Economic Development (IDEP) in Dakar, HE Mr Kayode Ibrahim Laro has spent his career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
HE Ms. Issamary Sanchez Ortega holds a doctorate in civil law from the University of Panama and has been an independent lawyer and consultant for nearly 20 years. In 2019, she was appointed Director of the Financial Analysis Unit and Advisor to the Competitiveness Unit at the Presidency of the Republic of Panama before following a diplomatic career.
Holder of a master’s degree in finance from the Università Commerciale L. Bocconi in Milan, HE Mr Giovanni Luca Ghiotti worked for several years in finance, in London, then Zurich before being appointed a member of the Board of Governors of the Central Bank of San Marino. In 2016, he joined the Ministry of Finance and Budget of San Marino as First Secretary and since 2021 he has been an Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of San Marino.
A career civil servant, HE Mrs Hend Manea Saeed Al Otaiba was director of communications of Abu Dhabi Media and also head of public relations for the cultural programs of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority. Having joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in 2017, she created and directed the first Department of Strategic Communication that promotes the country’s foreign policy through international media and diplomatic missions of the United Arab Emirates.
In anticipation of a new momentum in Slovenian political arena
With parliamentary, local and presidential elections all being held this year in Slovenia, 2022 has been dubbed “super election year”.
Presidential election campaign is taking place in the atmosphere of Robert Golob‘s Freedom Movement (Gibanje Svoboda) convincing victory in the April parliamentary elections and the ensuing tectonic changes in Slovenian political arena. After parliamentary elections the new Slovenian coalition government was appointed, led by Prime Minister Robert Golob and comprising the Freedom Movement (GS), the Social Democrats (SD) and the Left (Levica).
Nine candidates will compete at the first round of election for the president of the Republic of Slovenia scheduled for 23 October 2022, of which five men and two women. Slovenia will get its fifth democratically elected president since the country proclaimed independence in 1991. So far this function has been carried out by Milan Kučan (two terms in office), Janez Drnovšek, Danilo Türk and Borut Pahor (two terms in office). The eventual runoff will take place on 13 November 2022.
The seven candidates standing for election in the first round are: 1. Milan Brglez – Freedom Movement – Social Democrats (Gibanje Svoboda – Socialni demokrati), 2. Anže Logar – independent candidate supported by Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska Demokratska Stranka – SDS), 3. Janez Cigler Kralj – New Slovenia – Christian Democrats (Nova Slovenija – krščanski demokrati), 4. Miha Kordiš – the Left (Levica), 5. Nataša Pirc Musar – an independent candidate, 6. Vladimir Prebilič – an independent candidate, and 7. Sabina Senčar – Resni.ca Party (Stranka Resni.ca).
There are altogether 1,696,893 eligible voters in Slovenia, with the entire country representing a single constituency.
Slovenia needs new goals
The situation in domestic and foreign environment, especially following the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukrainian crisis, has had a strong impact on Slovenia as well. The country is also not immune to growing corruption in the EU, which according to some estimations costs Europe around 200 billion EUR every year. Fight against crime and corruption and the much-needed reforms have been a special challenge for Slovenian state in the last years.
Slovenia became a full member of NATO and EU in 2004, joined the Eurozone and the Schengen area in 2007 and became a member of OECD in 2010, and it is also a member of numerous other international organisations. It was a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (1998-1999), it presided the Council of the European Union twice (2008 and 2021) and is currently vying together with Belarus for the third non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2024-2025 period.
With all those achievements, Slovenian political leaders were left without any new goals for the future. The political elites were exhausted and unprepared for any further visionary or ambitious action. For example, they have not sufficiently exploited EU membership for national interests, like Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and some other new member states have done. In 2004, Slovenia was at the very top among the ten new EU member states, while now it is ranked in the middle. The country will have to create a more attractive business environment for foreign investments, which it cannot achieve with its present legislation and incentives. A better, more reliable and brighter future will have to be provided to Slovenia and its young generation, which is increasingly leaving the country for economic reasons.
Slovenia is marked with strong political polarisation with a fierce struggle between the so-called forces of continuity (former communists) symbolised by former President Milan Kučan, and the Slovenian Spring led by the former Prime Minister and leader of Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) Janez Janša. The new Prime Minister Robert Golob will therefore have the task to put an end to the historical political polarization in the country and to create consensus in the society when it comes to the key future issues. During the years of cyclical boom and high economic growth, political polarisation did not cause any significant problems to this most successful novice among the countries of the former Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). However, with the economic crisis and recession growing in the world and Europe, all the problems came to light in Slovenia – the crisis revealed all the mistakes the country has made since it gained independence. Most of them stem from the processes of privatisation of former socially owned (state) property. In order to continue its rapid development, Slovenia has to eliminate inner tensions and regulate relations with the neighbouring countries.
The prevailing opinion is that Slovenia needs to set new goals, despite the fact that it is an EU member state. This will be another task of Robert Golob’s government. Excuses that the state as a rule follows the policy set by the EU or Brussels point to the fact that Slovenia lacks a clear vision, creativity and concepts for the future Against the background of geopolitical changes and the shifting world order, Slovenia will be forced to look for its own solutions and follow its own interests, which means that it should strengthen its position in the EU and other organisations, develop strong bilateral relations beyond the EU, make new partnership and look for new markets where Slovenia has not been present yet or where its presence has been very weak so far.
Is Slovenia controlled by informal centres of power
Consolidation of the country and dealing with the energy and food crisis are the priority tasks of Robert Golob’s government, which must at the same time overcome several decades of conflicts between the key actors within the state. The informal and parallel centres of power that were formed have actually been leading the country from the backstage and caused problems to any government that wanted to act transparently and in the public interest. According to some analysts it is those centres of power together with lobbies that have the main control over the state of Slovenia, which was most evident during Prime Minister Miro Cerar‘s (Modern Centre Party – SMC) government.
Analysts have noted that the influence of informal centres of power and parallel structures has led Slovenia to make the key strategic mistake when it allowed to be controlled by certain individuals from behind the political stage. During the past few years Slovenia has become the most isolated country in the region in relations with the USA, bearing in mind that the USA played the key role in the establishment of the independent Slovenian state. No one has taken the responsibility for this situation yet.
The influence of informal power centres is most visible when it comes to the disappearance of millions of taxpayers’ money. A school example of this would be the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC), popularly called the Bad Bank, which had no clear criteria or model for company restructuring. For most companies that came under its ownership BAMC proposed bankruptcy proceedings, although this is already provided for in the existing legislation, which makes BAMC completely unnecessary. The winners of the establishment of BAMC are both banks that have relieved themselves of their claims on companies and significantly improved their balance sheet positions and operating results, as well as over-indebted companies (tycoons). The latter thus got rid of their debts, but thanks to non-transparent proceedings and personal connections with BAMC through third (foreign) persons, law firms or “unrelated” companies, they acquired or even hired “their” companies or bought the claims that had been transferred to BAMC.
Analysts have noted that in early years following Slovenian independence certain social elites plundered the state, while the state is plundering itself through BAMC.
Devalued function of president of the state
During the presidency of incumbent president of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor, the function of the president was devalued and undermined. The first President of the Republic of Slovenia Milan Kučan is still considered a role model among presidents.
President of the state should act as a moral authority. However, President Pahor publicly announced that he does not consider himself a moral authority. During presidential race all candidates promise to be a moral authority, but they must yet prove to the people or the voters that they really deserve to be one. On several occasions President Pahor stated that the president is not the second prime minister, which is true. However, the president has other levers that enable him or her to be very actively involved in social life and thus contribute to finding appropriate solutions, especially when it comes to the most vital issues.
If we simplistically understand moral authority as a person whom the community regards as trustworthy for making correct and good decisions, it is certainly inappropriate for an individual, even if it is the president of the state, to assess himself or herself as a moral authority. The notion of morality is nullified by the mere fact that the person describes oneself as moral – it is others who are to decide on his or her morality. It is also not appropriate for the president of the state to renounce his or her moral authority. After all, the citizens probably expect their president to be a moral authority to a certain (the largest possible) extent. By denying oneself as a moral authority, the president degrades himself or herself and the function that he or she represents, even though his or her (perhaps even noble) intention may be to appear unpretentious instead of lofty.
Whether the holder of an office is a moral authority can be assessed by various prominent individuals or groups that shape public opinion, by the media, etc. The real power of moral authority stems from the respect people attribute to his or her statements. Presidential candidates should be aware of that. It is one thing to promise to be a moral authority, but another to actually be one during the term of office. Decisions about when to express an opinion as president of the state are not always the easiest, but the president should express his or her point of view and take a stance, even if it offends certain group of voters.
The president is expected to be less populist and more upstanding, leading others by example. Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is an important acquisition of a modern state governed by the rule of law, and its president – as a “defender” of the constitutional order – should also defend opinions that are not liked by the majority, but are correct for the existence and development of such a state.
The voters expect the president to be above any party politics, and the president’s involvement in party politics and his pleasing of the government may cause a loss of trust among the electorate. As a rule President Pahor did not interfere significantly in any important issues, but was rather an observer or follower of events. Pahor usually remained silent or responded too late to key issues such as human rights and attacks on the media (STA – Slovenian Press Agency, RTV Slovenia Public Media Service). He was engaged in the Brdo-Brijuni process which did not bring significant added value except for the costs to tax-payers. More appropriate foreign political engagement is of vital importance for the country that is a full EU and NATO member and a candidate for non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
The new president is expected to bring a new momentum to Slovenian political arena and to promote Slovenia at the regional and international levels. So far, this was not the case. Despite the fact that his powers are very limited, the incumbent President Pahor was expected to contribute significantly to creating a fresh and positive atmosphere in the country.
Borut Pahor wanted to present himself as “president who promotes unity”, although during his two terms of office Slovenia was no less politically disunited than before. Most of Slovenian public does not really understand whom he wanted to unite and what kind of uniting action he took. The powers of the president need to be expanded in order to strengthen his 0r her role. For example, the president should have the right to initiate the procedure for the review of the constitutionality and legality of acts before signing them or before appointing judges etc. Moreover, Slovenia needs radical changes to the constitution which is outdated and no longer meets current needs and challenges.
Slovenia should focus again on the West Balkans, which has been neglected in the past few years while other states have strengthened their presence there. The state of Slovenia should not repeat its past mistakes, such as: the “erased” citizens (citizens erased from the register of permanent residents who thus remained without a legal status after the declaration of Slovenia’s independence in 1991), Ljubljanska Banka (LB) savers, and precarious workers. Shunning the issue of recognition of minorities from the countries of the former Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia (Albanians, Bosniaks, Montenegrins, Croats, Macedonians and Serbs), who are citizens of the Republic of Slovenia, weakens the credibility of the Republic of Slovenia in the West Balkan region and as well as in the European Union. It is difficult to build credibility with no excuse for not recognising the minority status to Slovenian citizens coming from former SFRY republics.
Not much interest in presidential election
There is not much interest in Slovenia for presidential election, even though this is the highest political position in the state that calls for avant-garde politicians who would be able to cope with the newly-arising circumstances and future challenges. Among the candidates there are no leading Slovenian politicians and the election campaign has not attracted much attention from the general public in Slovenia, and even less internationally.
The candidates that drew most public attention are Nataša Pirc Musar, Anže Logar and Milan Brglez, who all undoubtedly possess the competences for this function.
Nataša Pirc Musar, an attorney with PhD in law, is an independent candidate with strong support from two former presidents, Milan Kučan and Danilo Türk. Her advantage is that she does not belong to established political structures, which allows her to address and reach out to the entire political spectrum of voters.
Anže Logar, a member of SDS with PhD in sociology, is an independent candidate backed by Janša’s right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) which is very close to Viktor Orban‘s Fidesz. Until recently, Logar was Slovenian Minister of Foreign Affairs. He targets the right-centre voters.
Milan Brglez, with PhD in international relations, is backed by the ruling coalition parties Freedom Movement (GS) and Social Democrats (SD) whose member he is. He was former Speaker of the National Assembly of the republic of Slovenia and is currently Member of the European Parliament. He targets the left-centre and centre voters.
Analysts believe that in order to succeed at forthcoming election, Anže Logar should clearly distance himself from Janez Janša and Slovenian Democratic Party which suffered plebiscitary defeat at recent parliamentary elections when the Freedom Movement won. Likewise, Milan Brglez should clearly distance himself from incumbent President of Slovenia Borut Pahor and the Social Democrats whose chairman Pahor used to be. Such distance would enable both candidates to win more favour among the general electorate, while for both of them as individuals this would be a political suicide. This situation suits best Nataša Pirc Musar, who is not backed by any political party and does not have to distance herself from anybody and as such targets the voters from the whole political spectrum.
Researches have shown that the run-off will be held between Anže Logar and Nataša Pirc Musar. The latter’s success may be threatened by Milan Brglez who covers a part of the same electoral. Brglez can enter the runoff if he manages to gain voter’s affection through strong support from the backstage during the last week of the election campaign.
President of the state should not be indebted to anyone, especially not to political parties. He or she should be more active in taking stances on the key issues in the society. With the world facing enormous changes, the new president of the state is expected to reposition his or her role as president and bring a new momentum to Slovenian political arena, in order to continue the consolidation of the state which begun when the incumbent Robert Golob’s government came to power. For the first time in Slovenia’s history there is a real chance that the country would be led by a woman – after four consecutive male presidents.
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Published by IFIMES Ljubljana, 20 October 2022 IFIMES – International Institute for Middle-East and Balkan studies, based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, has a special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council ECOSOC/UN, New York, since 2018.
By the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Hague
The Islamic Republic of Iran categorically rejects and strongly condemns unfounded and unsubstantiated claims that it has sold unmanned aerial vehicles for the purpose of use in Ukraine’s conflict. Such unfounded claims, which are solely based on false flags and fabricated assumptions, are nothing more than a propaganda apparatus to further political agenda against Iran. In this regard, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in good faith and in accordance with its constructive approach toward the Ukraine crisis, stands ready to engage constructively in joint technical and expert cooperation to clarify the unfounded accusations leveled against Iran.
Since the beginning of the crisis in Ukraine, the Islamic Republic of Iran has taken a clear, consistent, and unwavering position, emphasizing that all UN Member States must fully respect the purposes and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter as well as international law, including sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity. As a country that has been confronted with and affected by the devastation caused by an imposed war, the Islamic Republic of Iran opposes any conflict or war anywhere in the world.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently supported peace and ending the conflict in Ukraine and urged the parties to exercise restraint, avoid escalating tensions, and engage in a meaningful process for addressing the root causes of the situation and settling their disputes through peaceful means. It also urged the parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and conduct consultations to protect civilians and critical infrastructure from military targets or attacks.
The Islamic Republic of Iran supports the United Nation’s ongoing efforts to find a peaceful solution to this conflict. The United Nations should maintain objectivity and impartiality in order to play a responsible and constructive role in the political settlement of Ukraine’s conflict. Any action taken by the United Nations should be truly conducive to easing the situation and resolving the conflict, rather than intensifying conflict and exacerbating confrontation.
The Islamic Republic of Iran will continue its constructive engagement to help the peaceful resolution of this crisis.
Arusha, The Hague, 19 October 2022 – The President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism), Judge Graciela Gatti Santana, today presented the Mechanism’s tenth Annual Report to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. This was President Gatti Santana’s first address to the Assembly since she assumed office on 1 July 2022.
At the outset, President Gatti Santana congratulated His Excellency Mr. Csaba Kőrösi of Hungary on his election as President of the 77th session of the General Assembly and wished him success in finding solutions for the complex crises the world is facing. She also acknowledged the tremendous contribution of her predecessor Judge Carmel Agius to the Mechanism and international justice more generally.
President Gatti Santana remarked that the submission of the tenth Annual Report represents a significant milestone for the Mechanism, as it started operations at the Arusha branch 10 years ago on 1 July 2012. The President noted that the Mechanism has come far since then, considering that, with the exception of one appeal and one trial, all core cases earmarked to be heard before the Mechanism have been finalised. In this regard, she underlined that “the coming years will see the transition of the Mechanism from a fully operational court to a truly residual institution.”
President Gatti Santana then introduced and elaborated on the three priorities she developed for her Presidency, based on the guidance of the Security Council in Resolution 2637 (2022): First, to ensure the efficient, effective and fair conclusion of the remaining trial and appeal proceedings. Second, to lead efforts in developing a comprehensive Mechanism strategy on continuous residual functions; and third, to consolidate the achievements of the ad hoc Tribunals and the Mechanism and to safeguard their invaluable legacy, while further enhancing inter-organ and inter-branch coordination and collaboration.
The President stressed that the international community’s trust in a credible international criminal justice system may be jeopardised without long-term strategies and support, and that therefore the Mechanism requires the continuing backing of all States in the areas of cooperation and resources. In this regard she thanked the 13 enforcement States for taking on additional responsibilities and invited others to share this burden. President Gatti Santana also underscored the need for Member States to honour their international obligations. She referred here in particular to Serbia’s ongoing refusal to arrest and transfer the contempt accused Mr. Petar Jojić and Ms. Vjerica Radeta and to the situation of the eight acquitted and released persons who were relocated to the Republic of the Niger in December 2021. She finally reassured the Assembly that the Mechanism is doing its utmost to streamline activities and be efficient and transparent in all its operations, but requires adequate resources to be able to deliver.
In closing, the President expressed her concern about the rise in genocide denial, historical revisionism and the glorification of convicted war criminals, and called upon the international community not only to stand by the Mechanism until it has completed its mandate, but to also remain vigilant and firm in countering societal patterns that feed on hatred, incitement and the denial of past crimes.
President Gatti Santana is in New York to report on the Mechanism’s activities in accordance with Article 32(1) of the Statute of the Mechanism.
The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Dr Eniola Ajayi, invited dignitaries, Business personalities, compatriots and friends to a reception celebrating the 62nd Anniversary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Independence Day on Monday, 3 October 2022. Venue, the Hilton Hotel, The Hague.
The organist Mrs Noeline Onukwugha Idut, gave renditions of the national anthem of the Netherlands and Nigeria. Further featuring on the program was a performance by the cultural dance group Nigeria Media/Entertainers Groups, Netherlands. The group put on a dazzling performance showcasing Nigeria’s rich and variated cultural heritage.
H.E. Mr. Vusimuzi Philemon Madonsela, Ambassador of South Africa, H.E. Dr Eniola Ajayi and H.E. Mr. Olivier Jean Patrick Nduhungirehe , Ambassador of Rwanda.
Ambssador Eniola Ajayi captivated the attendees with her welcome remarks. The guest speaker was Mr Tijmen Rooseboom of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Dr Eniola Ajayi related “: It is with great joy that I welcome you all to our 62nd Independence Anniversary, being the National Day celebration of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I congratulate my Nigerian compatriots for the grace to celebrate this year. I would also like to congratulate our co-celebrants of the October 1 National Day, namely; China, Cyprus, Tuvalu and the Republic of Korea.
I acknowledge Mr Tijmen Rooseboom, the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who is a Special Envoy to the Sahel/Head of West Africa and Great Lakes unit. I also acknowledge another Special guest in our midst, Mr Michael Balogun, the CEO of Tour2Nigeria.
H.E. Ms. Maria Isabel Gomes, Ambassador of Angola, H.E. Dr Eniola Ajayi, Ambassador of Nigeria, H.E. Ms. Salima Abdelhak, Ambassador of Algeria and H.E. Madeleine Liguemoh Ondoua, Ambassador of Cameroon.
It has been the honour of my life to represent the President and the beautifully diverse people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Nigeria and Netherlands enjoy a very cordial relationship especially in the economic sphere. I am delighted to note that the Kingdom of the Netherlands has footprints in Nigeria predating our Independence when they established an office in Lagos in 1959.
Nigeria established its mission in the Netherlands on 26th November,1966. The highest level of engagement in the past year was the meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and Prime Minister Mark Rutte on 24th September, 2021 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. We have also had strategic engagements through Bilateral Consultations and the hosting of delegations in different sectors within the past year.
Netherlands being home to several important multilateral organizations in which Nigeria is a member has provided additional platform for us to contribute to world peace and order especially at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Common Fund for Commodities and the International Courts.
The focus of this year’s celebration is the uniqueness of our country Nigeria and the talents of our diverse population as expressed within the various sectors of human endeavours across the world. This year we are focusing on the Entertainment Industry in Nigeria. We have grown in leaps and bounds especially in the area of Music and Movie making.
“Nollywood”, the name given to the Nigerian film industry is the second largest film industry in the world. It produces 1500-2000 films a year, earning over $660 million annually. It is not surprising that Nigeria has witnessed a series of landmark Nollywood deals in form of content acquisitions from the most popular streamers – Amazon Prime video and Netflix.
A total of about 150 Nigerian films have made it to NETFLIX in just the last 2 years. Netflix will be showing us snippets of what they are doing in Nigeria titled “Naija to the World” this evening. The prospects for greater collaboration is immense, little wonder they are our top sponsor tonight. Thank you NETFLIX.
Nigeria being an African country located in the west, with a population of about 217 million according to Worldometer estimates of the UN in 2022 is pretty well known. That it comprises of 36 federating states and a Federal capital territory occupying a land space of 923,769 square kilometers is in the public domain. The fact that Nigeria is also the largest economy in Africa is common knowledge. Thankfully Nigeria is currently committed to the active diversification into the non-oil sector and has recorded serious growth in Agriculture and Telecommunications sectors in recent years.
One of the greatest partners in our diversification quest is the Kingdom of the Netherlands, being the number 1 trading partner of Nigeria in Europe. Netherlands is very strategic for us because many Dutch companies have been household names in Nigeria for nearly a century. Some of such companies Friesland Campina and Shell International are also partnering with us for this celebration.
This relationship has been truly dynamic in its response to changing economic and climatic challenges in our world. We also thank Ngbaka Brew, the Manufacturers of Ngbaka range of beer drinks for supporting this event. Ngbaka Beer is the success story of (4) four African boys in Europe who chose to keep the authentic African flavour alive.
The challenges of insecurity are receiving attention and thankfully it is abating. We are looking forward to a great year ahead especially with the promise of a free and fair election by the current Government and ultimately a smooth transition of power.
However there are some interesting things about Nigeria that you may not be familiar with. Some of those heartwarming nuggets are as follows:
Nigeria is one of the most ethnically diverse nations in the world with over 250 ethnic nationalities who speak over 500 distinct languages, little wonder that the official language of our truly diverse nation is English language. The other version of which is our pidgin English. We are so ethnically diverse even in the foods we eat, the type of clothes we wear and the festivals we celebrate. Being different from one another is an acceptable reality within our culture.
There is so much that God has endowed Nigeria with. You will be surprised to find out that there is no single state in Nigeria without a mineral deposit. Many of these mineral deposits are in commercial quantities. This is aside from the oil and gas resources of the country. If you like, Nigeria is a reservoir of mineral resources waiting to be mined. Our current priority minerals are: Coal, Bitumen, Limestone, Iron Ore, Barites, Gold, Lead and Zinc.
Nigeria is home to the largest earthworks carried out especially prior to the mechanical Era. Remnants of the Nok culture can still be found in Benin City.
Nigeria can claim Africa’s largest and oldest dye pit in Kano. A place called Kofar Mata. It was founded in 1498. At a point it was the backbone of the state’s economy.
The city of Kano is also the largest commercial hub for the leather industry. In 1851 it made about 10 million pairs of sandals. The Kano tanneries process hides and skins into leather and are the oldest and biggest suppliers of local leather. Leather here is produced in footwear, bags, clothing and it is sometimes exported. Some of the biggest fashion brands like Louis Vuitton are known to source some of their leather from Kano tanneries. I am standing on a Leather carpet from Kano this evening.
Nigeria boasts of the ‘Twins Capital’ of the world. Igbo-Ora, a small town in Oyo State, southwest Nigeria has the largest concentration of twins with 158 twin births in 1000. The global average is 12 in 1000. They attribute it to a diet of yam and okro. However, the jury is still out as to the exact reason.
Nigeria is haven to many natural wonders of nature with a very diverse species of animals and plants in the world. The Niger-Delta and Cross River state forests are some of the most important biospheres housing one of the largest diversity of butterflies in the world, about 1828 species strong. It is home to over 1000 species of Amphibians and birds. The Niger-Delta has the most monotypic fish family in the world.
Another Nigerian natural wonder is the Ikogosi Warm spring in Ekiti State, south west Nigeria. It is a natural spring with hot and cold water flowing side by side even at their meeting point.
Nigeria takes pride in many of her citizens as a country. Some of those citizens are; but not limited to, Professor Wole Soyinka, a Nigerian playwright and political activist who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986 being the first black African to be so honoured. Other notable authors are Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Adiche just to name a few. Dr Oluyinka Olutoye, the Nigerian Fetal and Peadiatric surgeon who operated a baby-in-vitro at a Texas Children’s Hospital in 2016. Some award winning musicians of Nigerian descent include, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti who started the Afro-beat, Burna Boy, Wiz-Kid, Tiwa Savage, Davido, Sade Adu, Kizz Daniel and 2Baba of the African Queen fame. Many Nigerians are excelling academically on the national and international stage. The numbers are quite impressive for any nation. Nigerians are the most educated minority group in the United States of America. A Nigerian, Engineer Róbert Sylvester Okojie is the fourth black man to be inducted into the US NASA’s inventors Hall of fame for a total of 22 products that have been patented. One of our latest accomplishment is the recent world record set by Tobi Amusan in the 100m Hurdles at 12.12seconds during the recent 2022 World Athletics Championship meet in Oregon USA, she went further to clinch the Diamond League Title for the season in that category.
Nigeria has contributed significantly to the world peace, serving in many peace keeping missions and the United Nations Security Council five times. Many Nigerians are serving globally in many multilateral organizations such as H.E. Amina Mohammed – Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala- Director General, World Trade Organization, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina – President Africa Development Bank, Late Mr Mohammed Barkindo – former Secretary General OPEC, Ambassador Bankole Adeoye – Commissioner, for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, African Union Commission, Mrs Ugochi Florence Daniels – Deputy Director General Operations IOM, Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji – the immediate past President of the ICC and Ambassador Tijjani Mohammed-Bande and the current Chairman of the UN Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations.
Nigerians are well noted for their prowess in sports, especially football and basketball. We even dare to compete in sports like the Bobsled team that represented Nigeria at the 2018 Winter Olympics led by Seun Adigun.
The Nigerian citizen tells the story of dynamism, courage, resilience, strength and the ability to reinvent itself over and over again. The Human Capital of Nigeria remains our strength and hope for a brilliant future. We smile through our trials and adversities knowing that Nigeria will be greater still, because it has all the seeds of greatness waiting to bloom inevitably.
Nigeria is a very warm and accommodating society on the whole. I am yet to meet a diplomat who didn’t have a memorable experience serving in Nigeria. This is particularly noteworthy when you see how Nigerians find humour in everything in spite of the challenges we confront daily. We always find a reason to laugh. This is why we love the Netherlands so much. The Dutch people also have the culture of making people feel welcome.
H.E. Ms Odette Melono, Deputy Secretary General OPCW, Ambassador Ajayi and H.E. Mr. Fernando Arias, OPCW Director General.
Thank you all for making out time to join in our celebration today. You are all sincerely appreciated. Please enjoy this evening and everything we have to offer especially our Nigerian cuisine and the raffle draws courtesy of Jansen Holland Fabrics, makers of the popular Ankara fabrics and Bestgames Nigeria Limited, Distributors of the Nigerian Monopoly editions.
Bedankt, Thank you.”
In conclusion, guests were treated to an exquisite Nigerian buffet, including a classic version of the unbeatable King of Rice, Jollof rice.
Jollof rice is a meal that cuts across all levels of Nigeria’s diverse society.
