“The collection is mainly made of silver and gold, wherein Patricia Maria de Botton exploits shapes and objects that relate to this activity: Sewing thread, ribbons, trimmings, buttons, yarns, fabric warp and weft are interwoven in a creative manner, with objects that represent the artisan Dressmaker such as a thimble, sewing needles and pins, needle holder and spools of thread.
The pieces I designed and handmade, use details of “Haute Couture”, using knitting, crochet, weaving and beading techniques, considering the limitations and rigour of Jewellery, conveying a light movement to the stiffness of metals as if the Dressmaker was still working on them. To complement this notion, I added silk and feathers to move into this profession’s atmosphere. It is like the Artist is a Dressmaker and the Jeweller is the Artist.
As it is a “Première”, I decided to create a scenery to reinforce the story behind the Dressmaker Collection. As such I created a series of show pieces (tiara, hair ornament, necklace, choker, brooch, earrings, bracelet, rings) that will act as in a Dressmaker’s Fashion show. These show pieces will transmit the trend behind the overall collection. The Collection consist of a set of jewels that reflect all this inspiration.“
Patricia Maria is essentially an artist; an early fashion model experience followed by a degree in fashion design in IADE Lisbon, were the basic ingredients that were to be used later, to convert her talent into fashion objects.
The brand PATZI CREATIVE DESIGN was born in 2011 to shape her first ideas and thoughts into fashion accessories and high-end bijouterie. After attending a Jewellery course in Lisbon in 2017, she continued experimenting with different shapes and techniques. Some individual pieces were created, and she started building up ideas and studying different avenues before going into full creation and development.
Her academic connection with fashion design, lead her to think of collections of pieces based on specific themes. As such she started to create a series of different items that reflected a common concept that would ultimately work as a collection. She planned to start her real Jeweller designer career with some kind of “Première” in 2019. Her first theme had to depict a story. In this case the story worked around the beauty and detail of the profession of the “Haute Couture” dressmaking, trying to put forward the handwork and dynamism of the people that are behind the development of this fashion activity. She called it “The Dressmaker Collection”.
This collection was present for the 18th Sieraad International Jewerelly Art Fair held at Amsterdam, and whose stand and artist were paid a visit by Portuguese Ambassador to The Netherlands, Rosa Batoréu.
Photography courtesy of Patricia Maria de Botton’s Collection.
On 28-31 October 2019, the Registrar of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Peter Lewis conducted an official visit to the Republic of Korea to meet with relevant members of the Government, national authorities and university representatives. During his meetings, the Registrar thanked the Republic of Korea for its strong support to the ICC and welcomed the opportunity to explore in-depth issues of mutual importance, including raising awareness in the Asia-Pacific region about the mandate and work of the ICC.
In Seoul, the Registrar met with high level officials of the Korean Government, including the Acting Minister of Justice, O-su Kim, the Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jeong-sik Kang, and the Vice Minister of National Court Administration Inkyeom Kim. The meetings tackled cooperation with the Court, the need for support for global justice in the region, amongst other issues of mutual interest.
On 29 October, the Registrar and the Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs, Jeong-sik Kang, signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the ICC and the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Memorandum aims at the promotion of equitable geographical representation and gender balance among the staff of the ICC.
The Registrar also attended an event on strengthening universality in the Asia-Pacific region with diplomatic representatives from the region, in the presence of the Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs Jeong-sik Kang, the President of the Assembly of States Parties O-gon Kwon, the Former President of the ICC judge Sang-hyun Song and the Director of the Treaties Division of the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ji-eun Pyo.
Furthermore, the Registrar delivered lectures at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy and the Seoul National University where he discussed the relevance of the Court’s work for the region with interested experts and law students.
The Republic of Korea signed the Rome Statute, the Court’s founding treaty, on 8 March 2000 and deposited its instrument of ratification of the Rome Statute on 13 November 2002. Out of the 122 States Parties to the Rome Statute, 18 are Asia-Pacific States.
On 15 November 2019, the Seventh International Meetings of the Defence was hosted at the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s headquarters in The Hague, The Netherlands, organised by the ICC’s Office of Public Counsel for the Defence (OPCD) in partnership with the Defence Office of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), and with the support of the International Criminal Court Bar Association (ICCBA), and the Association of Defence Counsel practising before the International Courts and Tribunals (ADC-ICT).
The event was attended approximately by 60 Defence Counsels, Bar Associations representatives, international criminal law defence office staff, and experts in international criminal justice.
“There cannot be efficient international criminal justice without high quality defence,” ICC First Vice-President Judge Robert Fremr emphasised at the opening of the event. “Regular dialogue between those who deal with similar challenges is essential to staying on the cutting edge on your profession,” he added.
The event featured opening speeches by ICC First Vice-President Judge Robert Fremr, STL President Judge Ivana Hrdličková, ICC OPCD Principal Counsel, Xavier-Jean Keïta, and the STL Head of Defence Office, Dorothée Le Fraper du Hellen. The discussions covered a range of issues of interest to legal Counsels practicing before international criminal courts and tribunals. The Meetings were concluded under the chairmanship of Elisabeth Zakharia Sioufi, Director of the Human Rights Institute of the Beirut Bar Association, and Representative of the President of the Beirut Bar Association.
A strong defence is a vital component of a fair trial. The Defence teams represent and protect the rights of the defendant, who is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt before the Court.
“Tensions within OPCW are rising”, says Russian envoy at OPCW, Alexander Shulgin. The suppression by the chemical weapons watchdog of its own engineers report on the alleged chemical attack in Douma “is only another detonator which could unleash the explosive trends in our organisation.”
By Eric van de Beek.
On April 14, 2018, the US, France, and Great Britain launched a missile attack on Syria, in retribution for an alleged poison gas attack on Douma, Syria, at that time occupied by Army of Islam, for which they held the Syrian government responsible. Although chemical weapons watchdog OPCW did not identify any culprit in its final report, published in March 2019, it suggested the Syrian army was responsible for dropping two cylinders on the Damascus suburb from the air. This now has become under debate. In May of this year an internal document was leaked from OPCW to a group of British academics. The author, Ian Henderson, concluded that there was a “higher probability that both cylinders were manually placed at those two locations rather than being delivered from aircraft”.
Also, last month in Bruxelles, a panel of eminent individuals, among whom former OPCW-director-general José Bustani, met with a whistleblower of the investigation team of OPCW. Based on the information the engineer presented, among which internal emails, text exchanges and suppressed draft reports, the panel released a statement in which it expressed its concern over “unacceptable practices” in the investigation of the alleged chemical attack in Douma.
H.E. Mr. Alexander Shulgin, ambassador of the Russian Federation in The Hague and envoy at OPCW, has been expressing his doubts about the investigation from the start. He also has warned for a military conflict between Russia and US that accidently could arise as a result of unjustified accusations against the Syrian government about the use of chemical weapons.
At a press conferencein July 2019 you compared the three-party airstrike on Syria to the Cuban Missile Crisis. You said: “There was a smell of gunpowder in the air.” Why is it you think the situation was as dangerous as in 1962?
There were and there are Russian troops in Syria. And imagine what would have happened if the “smart missiles” of the Western coalition had accidentally flown in the wrong direction and hit our Khmeimim air base or any other Russian presence in Syria. That would have been an attack on us and we would have to defend ourselves and react. When the US announced they would launch an airstrike against Syrian targets, the Russian military warned the US that should any of their missiles fly towards any of our military bases they not only would be taken down but the carriers of these missiles would also be targeted. The US president then send out this tweet “Get ready Russia. Because they will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!”We were actually on the brink of major confrontation between two nuclear superpowers. Fortunately we avoided the worst-case scenario.
Why is it you think the US, Great Britain and France immediately put the blame on the Syrian government and started their airstrike before OPCW’s Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) had even started its investigation?
That’s because their agenda was and still is to topple the legitimate Syrian government. And that’s why the Americans, French and British were not interested in any investigation into the Douma incident by the OPCW. They needed only an excuse to carry out an act of aggression against Syria. By doing so, not only did they violate the UN Charter, but they also showed disrespect for the OPCW.
It was not the first time something like this happened. The Americans have stated more than once they didn’t need any investigation by the OPCW. You will remember the US executed a missile strike on Syria in reaction to the alleged chemical attack on Khan Sheikhun in April 2017. I remember being at the State Department in Washington, the day after the incident, as part of the delegation of OPCW. The lady we talked to was convinced Khan Sheikhun was “yet another crime committed by the Syrian regime”. I was the only member of the delegation to ask her a question: “Wouldn’t it be wise to wait for the conclusions of OPCW before taking action?” But she just brushed aside my remark, saying: “We don’t need this. Based on our intelligence we are pretty sure what happened there.”
At the press conference you blamed OPCW for being responsible for the three-party airstrike. Why is that? The missiles struck Syria before the investigation of the FFM had even started and OPCW had spoken out.
Indeed, the FFM is indirectly responsible for this. This mission has more than once taken for granted dubious, so-called evidence, coming from unknown sources and presented to her by forces that oppose the Bashar al-Assad government. Thus, a consistent background was created in support of the thesis advocated by the western countries that the “bloody regime” in Damascus was committing chemical crimes and should be held accountable. If the work of the FFM were truly objective, impartial, then the reports it had issued before the events in the Douma probably would not have appeared.
At the press conference you mentioned all reports about chemical attacks in Syria resurface against the backdrop of victories held by government forces. Are you suggesting the Syrian government has never performed a chemical attack, and that all these reports are in fact false flags, staged by rebels to provoke military action by the US and its allies?
There have been reports by JIM, the Joint Investigative Mechanism of OPCW and the UN in Syria. In three cases they blamed the Syrian Government for chemical attacks, and in one case Islamic State. But we were not convinced at all the Syrian government was to blame for any of these incidents. For instance in the case of Khan Sheikhun the point of impact of the cylinder did not match with the flight path of the Syrian plane that had supposedly dropped it. It was against all ballistic laws. In another case [Sarmin] the diameter of the cylinder that had allegedly been dropped from high altitude into a ventilator shaft that was exactly the same as the diameter of the shaft. One in a million chance it really happened like that.
The Syrian government used to provide elementary reports to OPCW about provocations under preparation by the armed opposition. But these reports – to put it mildly – were not very well treated. I remember once the director-general of OPCW agreed to send a special mission to investigate reports of the Syrian government about depots of ammunitions and chemical devices, discovered on territory liberated from the armed opposition, the terrorists. This mission went to Syria, and when they came back there was a briefing, organized at the OPCW headquarters in The Hague. I vividly remember the chief of the mission saying: “We discovered lots of chlorine cylinders, but these cylinders can be purchased in any convenience store. As you know, chlorine is used to purify swimming pool water.” Everybody was baffled actually. He seemed to suggest Syria was a wealthy prosperous country with fully operational swimming pools everywhere, while at that time Syria was completely devastated, in ruins. It didn’t seem to matter to him that alongside these chlorine cylinders detonators and fuses were found. In his mind the cylinders were stored there just for domestic purposes, not to produce chemical weapons.
Since the engineers report that was leaked from OPCW about the Douma incident contradicts the official OPCW report you suggested a general briefing of OPCW with all experts who had worked on the Douma case. But the Technical Secretariat denied your request. Why?
I proposed such briefing during the March session of the Executive Council. A representative of the US delegation then took the floor saying he opposed a briefing, because it would encourage the Russian site to replicate Stalinist trials, with cross-examinations and intimidations of witnesses. The US delegation then suggested putting the question of a briefing to a vote. Given the fact that the Americans and their allies have a comfortable majority within the Executive Council our proposal was simply rejected.
H.E. Mr. Alexander Shulgin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation.
What will be Russia’s next step towards the Technical Secretariat of OPCW to clarify the discrepancies between de official report and the leaked engineers report?
We have sent two verbal notes in which we asked to publish the results of the three reports of so-called independent experts, on the basis of which in the final report on Douma it was concluded that the chlorine cylinders broke a roof and hit the rooms from the air. The first time our request was denied on the pretext of alleged need for protection from public exposure of those specialists who carried out this examination. We made a second request, explaining that we did not ask to disclose the names of these people or their nationality, but just to disclose their reports, for all Member States to be able to read the technical calculations prepared by them in order to understand how convincing they are. A long time has passed now; we are still waiting for an answer.
The amazing thing is: the Director-General of OPCW urges us to trust the findings from the FFM like the gospel word while at the same time putting the emphasis not on the conclusions of the experts of FFM but rather on the conclusions provided by three so called independent experts. The refusal of the Technical Secretariat to unveil the reports of these anonymous outside experts makes us question whether these reports ever existed.
If I understand you well you question the existence of these reports, but not the existence of the external experts? Do you know who they are? And have they ever been to Douma to do research at the alleged crime scene?
There has been no research of external experts in Douma and I mayknow the name of one of them. He has a rather dubious reputation in terms of his impartiality, and he is anything but a specialist in ballistics. But I can’t tell you his name. We are bound to respect the confidentiality rules of the Technical Secretariat.
Until June 2019 OPCW was not authorized to attribute blame for chemical attacks. This changed with the establishment of the Investigation and Identification Team (ITT). Russia disagrees. Why is that?
We do not agree with the creation of the attributive mechanism in OPCW because such functions are not provided for in the UN Chemical Weapons Convention. There is nothing like it and never has been. Moreover as we have repeatedly stated, the OPCW Technical Secretariat is illegitimately authorized to identify those responsible for chemical crimes; it’s an intrusion into the exclusive prerogatives of the UN Security Council to designate perpetrators. Only this body and international courts have the right to attribute and punish those responsible for the commission of the most serious crimes under international law.
In June 2018 the US and its allies literally pushed OPCW’s attribution decision to be voted at the Conference of States Parties (CSP). Less than half of the members of the OPCW voted ‘yes’, but because of the way votes are counted at the CSP the proposal to move the attributive mechanism from the UN Security Council to OPCW was nevertheless adopted. Washington has long embarked on a slippery slope when it seeks to replace international legal norms with the so-called rules that it itself creates on the move in order to advance its geopolitical interests.
The reason behind taking the attribution away from the UN Security Council in New York and bring it to OPCW in The Hague was that Russia and China would no longer be able to veto initiatives from the western powers. This was openly said by western delegations. And they didn’t even bother to present justifications for this based on provisions in the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Russia is not against attributing blame to those who have used chemical weapons?
Not at all. We proposed the prolongation of the mandate of the Joint Investigation Mission (JIM), under the condition JIM would operate in strict compliance with the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention and under supervision of the UN Security Council. The western countries just bluntly rejected this proposal.
I understand you think OPCW has become a tool for the US to undermine the authority of the UN Security Council and the Chemical Weapons Convention?
Indeed. There is extreme politicisation in the way OPCW is acting. The Technical Secretariat has come under a very strong influence of the Americans and their allies.The practice of consensus driven decision-making has been completely forgotten. Tensions are getting higher and the scandal around the FFM report is only another detonator that could unleash the explosive trends in our organisation. For some time this was all happening behind closed doors and only national delegations knew of it. But now this is an open issue, outside of OPCW. And even Dutch parliamentarians here in The Hague are concerned about the OPCW situation. They have sent a requestto the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands asking what’s happening in the OPCW. It is clear that is cannot continue this way. We would like to hope that we can come back to the normal working practice, since the current OPCW leadership always says that our organisation should be our common home, where each and every one of us, each delegation has the right to state its concerns and problems – an organisation, where we can take into consideration our interests and speak on a basis of mutual respect, and discuss all our problems.
You explained the grip of the US on OPCW by the steadfast support of its many allies in the Executive Council. Are there any other explanations? The former head of OPCW, José Bustani,declared that in 2002, in the lead-up to the war in Iraq, John Bolton, then serving as under secretary of state for Arms Control and International Security Affairs,threatened him by saying: “We know where your children live.”
I’d rather not comment on that.
At the press conference you said: “He who pays the piper decides the tune.” You referred to the way the FFM in Syria is being financed, namely by the US and its allies.
The activities of the Fact Finding Team are funded by voluntary contributions, mainly coming from the US and other western countries. Of course, it would be more correct to finance these activities from the regular budget of OPCW. But then it would be necessary to increase the annual budgetary contributions of the States Parties, which many developing countries strongly oppose.
So why doesn’t the Russian delegation financially contribute to the FFM?
We are of the view that the activities of the FFM are not in compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention. For instance, the members of the FFM are supposed to collect samples themselves at the place of the incident, and, all the more important, take custody of the collected evidence. Many times this basic procedure has not been respected at all. Questions I asked about this have not been properly addressed.
Also, I insisted upon the necessity for the Fact Finding Team to be better represented geographically, not solely consisting of experts from countries hostile to the Syrian government. But this was turned down. The former Director-General said two years ago: “I will never invite Russians, nor Iranians, because they belong to parties fighting in Syria.” And so I asked him: “What about the other countries fighting in Syria?” But I received no reply to that question.
Still nothing prevents us from working with western countries to overcome the current situation. And hopefully we will resume the practice of consensus driven decision-making. Let’s be constructive and optimistic.
Thought of Gabriela Mistral’s life, poetry and prose
In the picture H.E. Ms. Maria Teresa Infante, Ambassador of Chile, Dr. Ricardo Cuadros and Ms. Edith Bergansius, President of the Hispanic Association of The Hague.
Celebrating the 130th anniversary of the birth of Gabriela Mistral, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1945, the Chilean Embassy in The Netherlands together with the Hispanic Association of The Hague organized a conference dedicated to the work and life of this Chilean poet.
Ambassador Infante Caffi during her welcome remarks.
Numerous affiliates of the Hispanic Association of The Hague, as well as members of the Chilean diaspora and diplomats from Latin American countries, notably from Uruguay and Mexico, attended the celebration. During the event, the professor and novelist Dr. Ricardo Cuadros toured the life of the famous writer from her childhood in Vicuña, Chile to the final stages of her life that she spent in New York, USA.
Dr. Cuadros’ account for the writer, of whom he confessed is one of his favourites, was filled with deep knowledge, and by recounting her eccentricities, travels and constant relocations, her tragedies and style, as well as the anecdotes of her life unknown to most, the public attending the event was left truly captivated.
“Gabriela Mistral’s work is rich, profound, contradictory with an extraordinary beauty; her poetry and prose are as deep and actual today as they were in her time. Her work is immense, since she was a prolific writer from an early age until her death. Her poems have been known since the age of 13, and she wrote for the rest of her life until her death. I definitely recommend re-reading Gabriela Mistral”, expressed H.E. Ms. Maria Teresa Infante Caffi, Ambassador of Chile to the Netherlands.
In her words of welcome, the Ambassador of Chile voiced her thanks to Ms. Edith Bergansius, the President of the Hispanic Association of The Hague, for organizing this memorable event and to the guests for their interest in the Chilean Nobel Prize-awarded writer.
Ambassador Infante Caffi and Edith Bergansius.
The Chilean ensemble “Santo Remedio” presented music and songs based on Gabriela Mistral’s poems through the evening. Moreover, Ambassador Infante organized a draw of many books for those who answered hands up questions about Gabriela Mistral works and life.
Not least, as the Embassy of Chile catered for the guests with a selection of excellent Chilean wines, the pleasurable atmosphere was only amplified through the night. A great interest in Gabriela Mistral and her books was shown by people of all ages, who led lively discussions during the whole evening, and promised to come to the next event by the Spanish Association of The Hague, which is always a success.
In the picture Polish Ambassador H.E. Mr. dr Marcin Piotr Czepelak in discussion with Rabbi Soetendorp.
By John Dunkelgrün.
The Embassy of Poland in the Netherlands and the Liberal Jewish Community (LJG) in The Hague organised a screening on November 13th of the astonishing movie ‘Passports to Paraguay’ in the glass reception hall of the old Portuguese synagogue now the home of the LJG. The evening was attended by Mr. Markus Blechner, Honorary Consul of Poland in Berne, Dr. Mateusz Szpytma of the Institute of National Remembrance and above all Mr. Uri Strauss, one of the original recipients of a Polish organised Paraguayan passport.
The Polish ambassador H.E. Dr. Marcin Czepelak in an impassioned speech pointed out that so much has been written about the Holocaust that we tend to think that everything about it is already known, that we can put a full stop at the end of the research and close the book. However, this tragedy is so enormous, so inexplicable that each of us needs to come to terms with it, within him or her self.
The famous passport to Paraguay.
And then, every so often new facts come up, facts of evil and facts of goodness. One of the latter is the story of the Paraguayan passports. From the beginning of the war the Polish Legation in Bern was buying blank passports from a Bernese notary Rudolph Hügli, who was the honorary consul for Paraguay. The embassy staff under Ambassador Ładoś would get the necessary information and photos of people to be saved.
Consul Konstanty Rokicki would fill out the passports by hand and return them to Mr. Hügli for signing and stamping. The people involved in the Embassy were the ambassador, Juliusz Kühl, and Stefan Ryniewicz. Together with the consul, they were known as the ‘Bernese Group’. This operation was started by Mr. Kühl but soon gained more and more helpers.
Mr Strauss, Mr Blechner, the Ambassador, Ms Laura Renberg (LJG The Hague), Mr. Szpytma (INR Poland).
They received names of people to be saved through Jewish organisations and funds to purchase the blank passports through the World Jewish Congress funded by the orthodox Jewish help organisation Agudath Yisrael, whose representative in Bern was Chaim Eiss. Resources indicate that some part of this activity has also been secretly financed by the Polish government in exile. The passports were expensive, 500 to 2000 Swiss francs each depending on the number of family members they contained.
This system became so successful that other Latin American consulates came into the game, e.g. Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Peru. In Poland, the longing for freedom in Latin America became so strong the famous poet Władysław Szlenger wrote a poem about it, ‘Paszporty’, which was even set to music (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh5c0J91DVs).
Mr Strauss holding his passport.
The Nazis became aware of the operation and pending authentication of the passports by the ‘issuing’ countries interned the holders in various places but mainly in the Palace Hotel in Vittel, France. Several organisations involved in trying to save Jews from the slaughter put pressure on President Roosevelt to ask Paraguay and the other countries involved to authenticate the passports.
As this was not a priority for him, the action came too late and early 1944 all but twelve of the hundreds of people locked up in the Palace Hotel were deported and murdered in Auschwitz. The twelve survivors were hidden in the enormous hotel oven, which was still hot from the morning’s baking!
Mr Blechner and Mr Strauss in discussion during a Q&A session.
Whereas the honorary consuls made fortunes out of this, the Polish diplomats did not touch a frank or even a few rappen. Breaking all sorts of laws and regulations with the knowledge and blessing of the Polish government in exile under General Sikorski, they acted purely on humanitarian grounds. They were all recognised by Yad Vashemas Righteous Among the Nations for the thousands of people saved, Poles, Germans, Belgians, and Dutch.
Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp reminded the audience in a closing statement that not just evil is contagious, but so is bravery and goodness.
“The Holocaust was a tragedy; I don’t believe anyone knows the terror unless you have been through it yourself. But, what we can do is to confront our past. We are currently in the process of exploring this part of history that is often swept under the carpet, the process of governmental institutions and diplomats helping the Jews from escaping such ordeal. Many details and stories are yet to be discovered, and it is our duty to let this part of history be known.” – H. E. Mr. Marcin Czepelak
By Wei Hung.
The Polish Embassy, in collaboration with the Liberal Jewish Congregation in The Hague, showed the film ‘Passport to Paraguay’, a premiere for the Netherlands. Stories of Polish and Jewish cooperation are often forgotten, but through this documentary the wartime cooperation between the Jewish community and the Polish diplomats in Switzerlandresurfaced.
Mass extermination of the Jewish people became ubiquitous in eastern Europe. The unprecedented scale of deliberate and systematic violence and mass murder was organised, executed and encouraged by the Nazis. Rescue efforts were undertaken by diplomats of several countries, notably the Japanese consul in Lithuania, Chiume Sugihara, the Portuguese consul in Bordeaux, Aristide de Sousa Mendes, and the Polish embassy and consular staff in Berne under Ambassador Alexander Ładoś.
Of these only the so called ‘Berne Group’’s activities were condoned and later encouraged by their government. Shamefully governments across Europe did nothing. Polish diplomats such as Konstanty RokickiandJuliusz Kühl were issuing illegal but genuine passports in Switzerland, smuggling them back to Occupied Poland and the Netherlands with the help of Jewish aid organisations such as Ayudat Yisrael.
A passport to Paraguay
Paraguayan passports, among other Latin American passports, had incredible life-saving value. Instead of being sent to death camps for extermination, citizens or bearer of Latin American passports were first sent to internment camps when detained.
In all due to the valiant actions of the ‘Berne Group’ thousands of Polish, German, Belgian and Dutch Jews were saved.
The Holocaust was a the most tragic moment in human history. But is was during our darkest moments that the light was shined upon the heroic acts of people who risked their lives to save others. As it is written in the Talmud:
‘Whoever saves one life, saves the entire world.’
Photography by the Embassy of Poland in The Hague.
Ambassador Dr. Bum Goo Jong & Premier Armin Laschet – Picture by Land NRW
Tuesday, 12 November 2019, Düsseldorf, NRW: Premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet received the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Germany, Dr. Bum Goo Jong, for his inaugural visit to the State Chancellery in Düsseldorf. In addition to bilateral relations, the discussion focused on increased cooperation in important economic sectors such as IT, electronics, semiconductor technology and intelligent manufacturing.
As per statement Premier Armin Laschet: “South Korea is a pioneer in important technology sectors. North Rhine-Westphalia is the only state that has had a representative office in South Korea for more than three decades, and is cultivating intensive cooperation, particularly in the field of higher education. We want to expand this cooperation and learn from and profit from each other through constant exchange, especially in future technologies”.
Laschet continued: “Ambassador Dr. Bum Goo Jong is also an ambassador for the close relations between our countries, as he – like more than 1,000 South Korean students in North Rhine-Westphalia – completed part of his studies in Germany. South Korea and Germany share the experience of a divided country. Especially on the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which was a stroke of luck in German history, it is important to value our unity and at the same time support the path of inner-Korean rapprochement on the Korean peninsula.”
North Rhine-Westphalia and South Korea South Korea is one of North Rhine-Westphalia’s most important partners in Asia. North Rhine-Westphalia is the only state to have had a representative office in Seoul since 1988 via its NRW.Invest business development agency. North Rhine-Westphalia is home to around 60 South Korean companies, and numerous North Rhine-Westphalian companies have offices in South Korea. They thus contribute to the trading volume of 3.3 billion euros. Most recently, the Minister for Economics, Innovation, Digitisation and Energy, Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, was on a two-day trip to South Korea in October 2018, where he met representatives of the South Korean economy.
Around 7,500 South Koreans live in North Rhine-Westphalia, almost every fifth South Korean in Germany. There are almost 30 university cooperations between South Korean and North Rhine-Westphalian universities, of which RWTH Aachen University alone has 15. In addition, more than 1,000 South Koreans study in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Arab ambassadors in Germany – Picture by Land NRW, Ralph Sondermann.
Thursday, 7 November 2019, Düsseldorf: With the I German-Arab Business Conference North Rhine-Westphalia, which was opened by Premier Armin Laschet, the exchange is to be further intensified between NRW and the Arab states. With this event, the state government together with the Arab-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce Ghorfa and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce NRW will support companies in their activities on the Arab markets.
Ambassadors from various Arab countries, market experts and company representatives provided information on opportunities and challenges. NRW Minister of Economics and Innovation Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart emphasised the importance of the Arab markets for the North Rhine-Westphalian economy at the event. Likewise Premier Armin Laschet encountered with ambassadors from Arab countries on the fringes of the economic conference.
As per statement below Premier Laschet: “The Arab region is a valuable partner for North Rhine-Westphalia with great market opportunities: numerous companies from North Rhine-Westphalia have been offering their know-how in the various countries of the Arab region for many years, they are active locally and universities and police units also work together. We also face international challenges such as climate change, the energy revolution and digitisation, which we can better master together and in exchange. With today’s economic conference, the state government, together with the Ghorfa Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Bielefeld Chamber of Industry and Commerce, is initiating new impulses to further deepen cooperation with the countries of the Arab region.”
Minister Pinkwart: “The Arab region is undergoing radical change and would like to develop new industries and technologies as well as expand its infrastructure. North Rhine-Westphalia offers itself as a strong partner, especially in the fields of mechanical engineering, innovation and specialist training.
Digitisation also plays a major role in this. The I German-Arab Conference North Rhine-Westphalia brings companies from both regions together and sends a strong signal: “We want to cooperate even more closely economically in the future and to continue the mutual exchange. Further impetus for economic cooperation is also expected at the world exhibition “Expo 2020” in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). North Rhine-Westphalia will be represented there with its own state week at the German stand. This will take place from 23 to 29 November 2020.
Saturday, 9 November 2019, Berlin, Germany: A commemoration ceremony was held on Bernauer Strasse on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
In addition to German Federal President Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel, President –pro tempore– of the Federal Council of States, and Premier of Brandenburg Dietmar Woidke, the Speaker of the Bundestag Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble and Berlin’s Governing Mayor Michael Müller, the ceremony was also attended by the presidents of Slovakia, Zuzana Čaputová,Poland, Andrzej Duda the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman and Hungary, Dr. János Ader, the ambassadors of the latter countries, other members of the diplomatic corps,contemporary witnesses and pupils. During the commemoration, Steinmeier, Merkel and the foreign state guests laid roses in the Hinterland wall for the victims of the Wall.
Candles were lit to commemorate the courage of the GDR opposition in the autumn of 1989. Students from various countries shared their thoughts on the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in their mother tongue.
Chancellor Merkel gave a speech during the central commemoration ceremony in the chapel of the Berlin Wall Memorial on Bernauer Strasse. At the ceremony she warned against hatred and racism. Freedom and democracy must also be defended in the future.
Image by Embassy of Slovenia in Germany.
In attendance were the US Ambassador Richard A. Grenell, French Ambassador Anne-Marie Descôtes, Magyar Ambassador, Dr. Péter Györkös, Slovak Ambassador Dr. Peter Lizák, Polish Ambassador, Prof. Dr. Andrzej Przyłębski, Czech Ambassador, Tomáš Podivínský, Slovenian Deputy Chief of Mission, Aleš Marčič, Italian Deputy Head of Mission, Alessandro Gaudiano, amongst others.
