In August 2020 His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq bin Taimur Al Said, Sultan of Oman issued a fiat bundling the Ministry of Sport Affairs, the Ministry of Art Affairs, the National Youth Committee, as well as the Culture Department at the Ministry of Heritage and Culture into a novel entity known henceforth as Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth.
The ministry is led by His Highness Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham bin Tariq Al Said (b. Muscat, 21 August 1990), a diplomat who entered the Omani diplomatic service in 2013, and had been serving at the Omani Embassy in London since 2014.
H.H. Sayyid Theyazin holds a master’s degree in history from Oxford Brooks University.
Image by Office of Sheikh Rashid Al Khalifa – f.l.t.r.: Artist Rashid Al Khalifa, HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham bin Tariq Al Said and Royal Bridges’ Managing Director Henri Estramant, Diplomatic Adviser of Diplomat Magazine. Picture credit to Office of Sheikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.
Over the first weekend of October, the embassies of the Visegrad Four countries – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland – organised an online film festival under the theme: “Relationships Under Communism and After 40 Years of Solidarity.” During the two-day online screening, each V4 member was represented by a movie portraying life in the respective country during the period of communism. The movies selected by the embassies were 80 milionów (Poland), The Cellar (Slovakia), Csinibaba/Dollybirds (Hungary), and Cosy Dens/Pelíšky (Czech Republic).
Cosy Dens/ Pelíšky:
The film presented by the embassy of Czech Republic was a bittersweet comedy set in the period of time preceding the 1968 Prague Spring. This popular family movie tells a story about the mixed fortunes of three interwoven families, underlined by an ideological and generational ire, as well as situational misunderstandings, daily struggles and political jokes. The engaging and amusing portrayal of the people’s perceptions of the communist rule and the rival “western imperial capitalism,” as well as the societal tensions building up during the year 1967, this movie is a telling depiction of the atmosphere of betrayal that the citizens of Czechoslovakia felt in this period. The families of Cosy Dens embody the archetypal attitudes of both camps, as the main characters come from the state sphere but also the “opposition”. The movie ends with the unexpected invasion of the Warsaw Pact troops, which destroyed the political hopes of many while establishing a strict normalisation regime under the Soviet control. The movie Cosy Dens offers an immensely accurate and significant display of the Czechoslovak reality under the communist rule, and hence the inclusion of this particular feature in the online film festival unequivocally contributed to underlining the main message of solidarity-building among the countries of the Visegrad 4.
The Cellar
Following up, the second film presented by the Embassy of Slovak, The Cellar, describes Milan Labat, a Musician father in search of his lost daughter from a kidnapping. Interestingly, the beginning of the film already suggests a complication between Milan’s marriage with Tana. Shortly after the abduction, it seems as if Milan and Tana’s marriage were crumbling to an end. However, through the process of searching for their daughter, the display of love, affection, and kindness between the two characters help redefine their initially troublesome marriage.
Moreover, as the film progresses, it invites you to consider the dilemma faced by the protagonists. As a father who loves his child and is responsible for her mother, in such a predicament, what should he do? Are there circumstances where one can go above the law? Under moments of despair? Or in seeking justice for a loved one? While an abduction might be uncommon, but emotions such as despair and drive to seek justice are paralleled in many everyday decisions. The film makes a convincing case, provoking the observer in making their way of value judgment.
In the picture Back row from left to right: Din Wahid, Roy, Frits, Cor. Front row from left to right: Ninke, Tiurtan, Rahman, Angelique, Steven.
By Roy Lie Atjam.
The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesiain The Hague, organized Bahasa Indonesia classes as an opportunity for non-native speakers to learn more about the language . It provided a fine opportunity for the students to get their feet wet and further immerse themselves in the Indonesian language and culture
There are about 4-5 educational centers in the Netherlands where the embassy offers similar courses to interested persons. The principal aim of conducting these language courses is to promote Indonesian language, culture, traditions and the arts. There are ten short term elementary lessons programs in Bahasa Indonesia that are conducted. The first batch of students attended classes from1st August 2020 – 3rd October 2020. The venue was SIDH=Sekolah Indonesia Den Haag-Wassenaar. The lecturer was native speaker Pak Rahman Syaifoel.
Bahasa Indonesian language students, among them Mr. Roy Lie Atjam, Diplomat Magazine’s editor.
During the concluding session on October 3, Bapak Din Wahid, Education Attaché commended the students for their dedication.
As part of the program, the students were required to write and present a short biography in Bahasa Indonesia. The program offered far more than just an opportunity to learn the language, they were afforded the opportunity to understand little more about the people as well as the culture.
As an added treat, Bapak Din Wahid invited two students to participate in a webinar featuring the Indonesian Minister of Education and Culture H.E. Mr. Nadiem A. Makarim, on Tuesday 6th October 2020.
The Embassy envisages other follow up courses and the alumni are pleased with the prospect of becoming proficient in the Indonesian language as well as to become much more familiar with the culture. Tasty Indonesian snacks were served at the conclusion of the basic Bahasa Indonesian course.
At Nieuwspoort Media center Ambassador of Armenia, H.E. Mr. Tigran Balayan has reflected on the recent exacerbation of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, erupted on 27 September, 2020 by a large scale offensive of Azerbaijan alongside the entire line of contact between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan.
The Ambassador has been interviewed and made several statements on the issue by various Dutch media outlets ever since. In his address to the Dutch public at Nieuwspoort.
Ambassador Balayan talked about the increasing tensions in the region. ANP has published the interview of the Ambassador, which has been covered by various local printed and online newspapers. Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister and the Premate of the Armenian Diocese of the region, have been intertwined by Volkskrant and Nederlands Dagblad respectively on the ongoing situation on the ground.
OPCW Issues Two Fact-Finding Mission Reports on Chemical Weapons Use Allegations in Aleppo and Saraqib, Syria
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—2 October 2020—The Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), issued today two reports on the FFM’s investigation regarding separate incidents of alleged use of toxic chemicals as a weapon in Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic, on 24 November 2018 and in Saraqib, Syrian Arab Republic, on 1 August 2016.
The FFM’s activities regarding the allegation in Aleppo included visiting hospitals to collect medical records and witness accounts, conducting interviews, obtaining information, and gathering other data. The FFM also received environmental samples from State Parties. It further analysed a range of inputs, including witness testimonies, results of environmental sample analysis, epidemiological and technical analyses, and additional digital information from witnesses and State Party technical experts.
Pertaining to this allegation in Aleppo, the information obtained and analysed, the composite summary of the interviews and the results of the laboratory analyses did not allow the FFM to establish whether or not chemicals were used as a weapon in the incident that took place in the neighbourhood of Al-Khalidiyah and its surroundings in North-West Aleppo on 24 November 2018.
The FFM’s activities regarding the allegation in Saraqib included collecting medical records and other digital information, conducting interviews, and gathering other data.
The results of the analysis of all available data obtained up until the issuance of this report did not allow the FFM to establish whether or not chemicals were used as a weapon in the incident that took place in Saraqib, in the Idlib Governorate, on 1 August 2016
The FFM’s reports on these two allegations of chemical weapons have been shared with States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention. The reports were also transmitted to the UN Security Council through the UN Secretary-General.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—6 October 2020—The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) transmitted yesterday to the Federal Republic of Germany the report of the OPCW’s mission to provide requested technical assistance in regard to the poisoning of Mr Alexei Navalny, on 20 August 2020.
The results of the analysis by the OPCW designated laboratories of biomedical samples collected by the OPCW team and shared with the Federal Republic of Germany confirm that the biomarkers of the cholinesterase inhibitor found in Mr Navalny’s blood and urine samples have similar structural characteristics as the toxic chemicals belonging to schedules 1.A.14 and 1.A.15 that were added to the Annex on Chemicals to the Convention during the Twenty-Fourth Session of the Conference of the States Parties in November 2019. This cholinesterase inhibitor is not listed in the Annex on Chemicals to the Convention.
The Permanent Representation of Germany to the OPCW requested that the Technical Secretariat share the summary of this report with all States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention and make it publicly available.
The Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, thanked the OPCW designated laboratories that supported the technical assistance request for their swift analysis. He further considered that these results constitute a matter of grave concern. States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention have declared the use of chemical weapons by anyone under any circumstances as reprehensible and wholly contrary to the legal norms established by the international community. It is therefore important now for States Parties to uphold the norm they have decided to adhere to more than 25 years ago. He reaffirmed the Secretariat’s readiness to continue assisting them through independent expertise.
Today, 8 October 2020, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC), confirmedthe decision of Pre-Trial Chamber II to reject the interim release of Ali Muhammad Ali Abd–Al-Rahman. Judge Piotr Hofmański, Presiding judge on this appeal, read a summary of the judgment in open Court.
On 14 August 2020, Pre-Trial Chamber II had rejected Mr Abd-Al Rahman’s request for interim release to the territory of the Court’s host State, The Netherlands, pending trial, pursuant to article 60(2) of the Rome Statute, the Court’s founding treaty. The decision was based on the Pre-Trial Chamber’s conclusion that the continued detention of Mr Abd-Al-Rahman detention appeared necessary to ensure that the investigation or court proceedings are not obstructed or endangered.
Today, the Appeals Chamber rejected all five grounds of appeal raised by the Defence and confirmed the Pre-Trial Chamber’s Decision. The Chamber found that the Pre-Trial Chamber did not commit any error in its decision. The judges confirmed that detention of the suspect remained necessary for the integrity of the investigation and the proceedings and the safety of witnesses.
Judge Ibáñez Carranza is appending a separate concurring opinion on the issues of the requalification of the alleged errors presented by Mr Abd-Al-Rahman under the first ground of appeal and on the interpretation of regulation 51 of the Regulations of the Court under the fifth ground of appeal.
A decision to maintain the detention pending trial is reviewed by the competent Chamber at least every 120 days, and may be reviewed at any time at the request of the detained person or the Prosecutor.
The Hague, 8 October 2020– Today, at the Hague branch of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism), a Trial Chamber composed of Judge Burton Hall (Presiding) of the Bahamas, Judge Joseph Masanche of Tanzania, and Judge Seon Ki Park of the Republic of South Korea, concluded hearing witness testimony in the trial of Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović. As the Presiding Judge said in his closing remarks, this is a milestone in particular in the context of a pandemic. The final five Defence witnesses were heard from 1 September to 8 October 2020 in a modified court room with enhanced safety measures.
Judge Hall announced that final requests for the admissions of documentary evidence would be due on 2 November 2020, final trial briefs would be due on 26 February 2021, and closing arguments will be heard in the last week of March 2021. The trial judgement is expected in the first half of 2021.
Originally, the evidence presentation was expected to conclude in June 2020, but it was interrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic, which limited movement in the Netherlands and Serbia. The Mechanism adopted numerous safety protocols to ensure the continuation of its cases, and Judges, staff, and counsel worked remotely, to the extent possible, until conditions were safe to resume in-court hearings.
This is the first retrial held before the Mechanism. Stanišić, formerly Deputy Chief and Chief of the State Security Service (DB) of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia, and Simatović, formerly employed in the Second Administration of the Serbian DB, were charged before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) with having directed, organised, equipped, trained, armed, and financed special units of the DB and other Serb forces, which were involved in the commission of murder, persecution, deportation, and forcible transfer of non-Serb civilians from large areas of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1991 and 1995.
On 30 May 2013, an ICTY Trial Chamber found that Stanišić and Simatović could not be held criminally responsible for these crimes and acquitted both accused of all charges. Following the appeals proceedings, on 15 December 2015, the ICTY Appeals Chamber quashed the ICTY Trial Chamber’s decision and ordered a retrial and the immediate detention of the accused.
The retrial commenced before the Mechanism on 13 June 2017 with the Prosecution’s opening statement. The Prosecution case was closed on 21 February 2019. A total of 51 witnesses were heard in court for the Prosecution. The Defence case commenced on 18 June 2019, and 29 witnesses were heard in court for both accused.
On Monday, October 5, First Secretary Ms. Seljan Verdiyeva, of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Hague, held a virtual press conference via Zoom regarding the escalating conflict between the nation and its neighbor, the Republic of Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
She clarified the official position of the Republic regarding the conflict, especially emphasizing the salient nature of the fighting and its position as a point of longstanding dispute; the positions of other international actors; and addressed media reports regarding current status belli.
The region has, in the past two weeks, seen its heaviest fighting since the 1994 war between Azerbaijan and Armenia and international actors have urged for a peaceful resolution between the two states.
Monday, 5 October 2020, Berlin, Germany: the President pro tempore of the Group of Ambassadors of Latin America and the Caribbean in Germany (GRULAC), Mexican Ambassador to Germany Rogelio Granguillhome, met with his colleagues from the region accredited in Germany as well as Mr Peter Limbourg and Mr Carlos Delgado, Director-General of Deutsche Welle (DW) and Deputy Director of DW Español, respectively.
DW DG Peter Limbourg spoke with the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries about the importance of this region of the world in the daily work of the German broadcaster. DG Limbourg exchanged views with Latin American and Caribbean diplomats in a format that underlines the value of the region’s profile as a partner of Germany.
In the second half of 2020, GRULAC is chaired by the Mexican Ambassador to Germany, Ambassador Rogelio Granguillhome. Since July, the GRULAC has held meetings with the Secretary of State of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Miguel Berger; with the Executive Director of the European Union-Latin America and the Caribbean Foundation (EU-LAC Foundation), Dr. Adrián Bonilla; and with representatives of the CoronaWarnApp project, an initiative of the German Federal Government, SAP and Telekom. ———————
On the image (Image by Embassy of Mexico in Germany) – all ranked as ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary unless otherwise noted.
Front row f.l.t.r.: Florencia Vilanova de von Oehsen (El Salvador); Lydia Peralta Cordero (Costa Rica); Christa Castro Varela (Honduras);Ramón Maniglia Ferreira (Venezuela).
Second row f.l.t.r.: Tatiana García Silva (Nicaragua); Manuel Mejía Dalmau (Ecuador);Roberto Jaguaribe (Brazil).
Third row f.l.t.r.: Enrique Thayer Hausz (Panama); Chargée d’affaires Keisha Witter (Jamaica); Hans Peter Knudsen Quevedo (Colombia); Ramón Ignacio Ripoll Díaz (Cuba); Rogelio Granguillhome(Mexico); Peter Limbourg (DW Director-General);Elmer Schialer (Peru).
