Authorities in Hungary and Germany, with the active support of Eurojust and Europol, have dismantled a criminal gang, suspected of blowing up three automated teller machines (ATMs) in the eastern part of the German State of Hesse.
In a coordinated joint action, approximately 20 premises were searched in Hungary and Germany and pieces of evidence, as well as assets originating from the crime, have been seized. Three out of eight suspects were arrested in Germany. Five more suspects have been interrogated, four in Hungary and one in Germany.
From 2016 onwards, the organised criminal group (OCG) has been suspected of blowing up or trying to explode cash machines in the State of Hesse, with an estimated illegal profit of EUR 285 000, and causing heavy damage to the surroundings of the ATMs. The OCG operated by breaking open the front part of the ATM and pouring explosive gas into the exit port of the machine, where the money usually comes out. With a pipe or a tube, the gas was subsequently passed into the safe of the machine and then ignited, with the explosion opening the vault of the ATM.
A Eurojust-supported joint investigation team was set up in the summer of this year between the Hungarian and German authorities. Eurojust further organised two coordination meetings, the second meeting to prepare for the joint action.
The operation was led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) of Hajdú-Bihar County in Hungary and the German General Prosecutor’s Office of Frankfurt am Main, together with the National Bureau of Investigation of the Rapid Response and Special Police Services (KR NNI) and the police department of Mittelhessen in Gießen, Germany. Europol supported the Hungarian authorities on the ground in Hungary, with one officer, as well as two German investigators, taking part in the actions in Hungary.
H.E. Mr. Fikrat Akhundov is the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He began his term on December 26th, 2019.
Mr. Akhundov was born in the Azerbaijani capital city of Baku. This is where he attended the Azerbaijan State University of Languages under the Faculty of German and English languages. After pursuing higher education for seven years, he eventually obtained a Master’s degree in 1990.
After completing his education, Mr. Akhundov did not begin a career in foreign service straight away. He first served in the military from 1985 to 1987 as a soldier in the Border Troops. Having fulfilled his mandatory military service, he then worked in the private sector from 1990 to 1999 at the Azerbaijan Deposit Bank. During this time, he cooperated with Wirtgen and Coke consulting for the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA) project.
Afterward, Mr. Akhundov finally started his career as a diplomat in 1999. He first served as Second Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and participated in the OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission in the same year. From late 1999, he served in the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Austria and the Permanent Representation of Azerbaijan to international organizations in Vienna. Here, he held the positions of Second, then First Secretary until 2005.
After returning to his country, Mr. Akhundov was appointed Head of the Western Europe Department in the MFA. He maintained this role for four years until 2009 when he began another term abroad at the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Germany. Here, he served as First Secretary until 2016. Having completed his term, he briefly returned to Baku for one year and was assigned Deputy Head of Department of the MFA’s Personnel Department. It was not long after that he embarked on another term outside of the country at the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Bulgaria, serving as First Secretary and Counselor for two years.
When Mr. Akhundov returned home in early 2019, he took on the role of Advisor in the Eastern European Office of the MFA until he came to the Netherlands.
Aside from German and English, Mr. Akhundov also speaks Russian.
The diplomat community in The Hague sends a warm welcome to Ambassador Akhundov and wishes him all the best in his new term.
During the meeting, the existing bilateral relations were acknowledged, and the further intensification of contacts were discussed.
In 2018, exports to Vietnam reached a volume of almost 24 million euros, while imports reached a peak of 52 million euros. Since 2004, the Office of the Delegate of German Business in Hanoi has had a State Representation of Saxony-Anhalt, which offers information, advisory, mediation, support and organizational services for companies from Saxony-Anhalt and Vietnam. Delegation trips to Vietnam are also organized on a regular basis. Most recently, Saxony-Anhalt’s Economics and Science Minister Prof. Dr. Willingmann visited Vietnam from 19 to 25 November with a delegation. Two cooperation agreements were concluded.
In the summer of 2019, the Magdeburg Chamber of Skilled Crafts conducted a further training project with vocational school teachers and trainers from companies in Vietnam at its vocational training centre.
The Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences and the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art Halle are cooperating with universities in Vietnam. 288 students from Vietnam were enrolled at the universities in Saxony-Anhalt in the winter semester 2018/19.
In 2013, the town twinning between Wernigerode and Hôi An was concluded, which among other things is characterised by regular mutual citizen meetings and a climate partnership that has existed since 2016.
Several friendship associations in Saxony-Anhalt are dedicated to spreading Vietnamese culture, expanding German-Vietnamese contacts and supporting and integrating Vietnamese citizens living in Saxony-Anhalt.
Friday, 15 November 2019, Düsseldorf, NRW, Germany: Premier Armin Laschet received the 40th Governor of the US state of Nebraska, Pete Ricketts, for talks in the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia. Topics included a deepening of economic relations in the fields of agriculture, mechanical engineering and chemicals, an exchange on the current political situation in the USA and on the US presidential election in 2020, as well as on current issues of European policy, in particular the customs debate between the European Union and the USA. Â
As per statement Premier Laschet said: “Nebraska, as one of the largest agricultural producers in the USA, is an important market for North Rhine-Westphalian companies that have established a strong presence in the state. In agriculture, chemistry and mechanical engineering in particular, there are many opportunities for cooperation with Nebraska. With Governor Ricketts, we welcome a friend of Germany and have convinced transatlanticists to come to North Rhine-Westphalia.
Governor Peter Ricketts: “Germany is a close friend and ally of the USA. I had a pleasant and constructive discussion with Premier Armin Laschet today and am grateful for the warm hospitality. The Federal State of Nebraska is looking forward to further economic cooperation with North Rhine-Westphalia and to deepening our scientific and cultural contacts”.
Governor Ricketts (Republican Party), accompanied by an economic delegation and three cabinet members, is currently visiting Germany, one stop is also North Rhine-Westphalia. Here the governor visits the mechanical engineer Claas in Harsewinkel, Westphalia, Evonik Industries in Essen and the city of Münster to become acquainted to the city of the Peace of Westphalia.Â
On November 14, 2019, Governor Ricketts had already invited representatives from North Rhine-Westphalia to a reception at the Industrie club Düsseldorf.
Nebraska-NRW relations
In Nebraska, one of the granaries of the USA and also called “The Cornhusker State”, 1.9 million people live on approximately 200,000 square kilometres (North Rhine-Westphalia in comparison: 34,098 square kilometres). More than 90 percent of the land in Nebraska is used for agriculture. The capital is Lincoln. Several North Rhine-Westphalian companies are active in Nebraska, including Claas, Bayer and Evonik Industries. Just last July, Evonik opened its “Vermaris” production site in Nebraska, a joint venture with the Dutch chemicals group DSM. Around 40 percent of the U.S. population has German ancestors, most of whom emigrated to the Midwest in the 19th century.
Congratulations to the new Prime Minister of Cuba.
Diplomat Magazine takes this opportunity to sincerely congratulate H.E. Mr. Manuel Marrero Cruz, first Prime Minister of the country since 1976 when the figure was abolished by the Cuban government now reinstalled by the new constitution.
Marrero Cruz assumed office on Saturday, 21 December 2019. Here at FIT Cuba 2019 last May in La Habana with Diplomat Magazine’s publisher Dr. Mayelinne De Lara, he was the host of the annual Cuban international Tourism Congress serving his country as Cuban Minister of Tourism.
Manuel Marrero will take under his responsibilities some of the President administrative tasks.Â
H.E. Mr. Manuel Marrero Cruz, Prime Minister of Cuba with Dr. Mayelinne De Lara, Diplomat Magazine’s Publisher.
In the picture H.E. Mr Million Samuel Gebre, Ambassador of Ethiopia, H.E. Ms Hissa Abdulla Ahmed Alotaiba, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, H.E. Ms. Maria Isabel Gomes, Ambassador of Angola, H.E. Mr. Lounès Magramane, Ambassador of Algeria.
H.E. Ms. Laura Dupuys Lasserre, Ambassador of Uruguay, H.E. Mr. Nicolas P. Plexidas, Ambassador of Greece, H.E. Ms Kateřina Sequensová, Ambassador of Czeck Republic, Mr Hidehisa Horinouchi, Ambassador of Japan and Mrs. Sabine Horinouchi, H.E. Mr Amaral Sumith Nakandala, Ambassador of Sri Lanka.
The Peace Palace was the venue for an extraordinary welcome ceremony of newly arrived ambassadors. The ceremony took place on Monday 9 December 2019 and was organized by the Carnegie Foundation and Diplomat Magazine.
Featured on the program were the ambassadors who presented their credentials to HM King Willem Alexander in late 2019.
Among those attendance of this special welcome ceremony was the Ambassadors of Angola, Croatia, Czech Republic, UAE, Qatar, Japan, Algeria, Greece, Zambia, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Ethiopia, just to mention a few.
The Ambassadors were cordially welcomed by Mr. Erik de Baedts, General Director of the Carnegie Foundation- Peace Palace and Treasurer of the Hague Academy of International Lawand Dr. Mayelinne De Lara, Publisher of the Diplomat Magazine.
A visit of the Peace Palace by Mr. Erik de Baedts.
The program also featured a tour of the Peace Palace. The director took his guests on a tour of the palace and provided them with detailed information. The tour included the Grand court room, Japanese Room and the small court room.
Mr. Erik de Baedts and the group of new ambassadors at the Japanese Room.
It concluded near the gallery in the huge Russian Vase Room with a speech by the director, followed by a toast and group picture on the marble staircase.
Harpist Carla Bos.
The harpist Carla Bos entertained the guests at the event with her stirring performance. Furthermore, the Peace Palace with its beautiful gardens and carillion provided the perfect ambience for what was indeed a pleasant afternoon, and everyone at the event left the venue in high spirits.
Brief history of the Peace Palace.
In 1900 the Russian diplomat Friedrich Martens and the American diplomat Andrew Dickson White proposed to build a “peace palace” in The Hague. International disputes should be legally reviewed there. This had already been discussed at the Peace Conference in that city.
The American had persuaded his friend in the United States, benefactor Andrew Carnegie, to finance the construction. Carnegie (1835-1919) was a steel magnate who had sold his companies in 1901 for 485 million dollars. He did not use that money for his relatives, because “they started arguing about it”, but for improving the world. “A man who dies rich, dies in shame,” was his motto. He donated 2,509 libraries and the only Peace Palace in the world.
Mr. Erik de Baedts welcome ambassadors at the Grand Court Room.
The International Court of Justice ICJ
The Court has had its seat in the Peace Palace in The Hague since 1946. From 1922, its predecessor, the Permanent Court of International Justice, occupied the same premises, made available to it by the Carnegie Foundation, which owns and administers the edifice.
Built between 1907 and 1913 for the Permanent Court of Arbitration thanks to a donation from Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish-born industrialist who made his fortune in the United States, the Peace Palace is situated in seven hectares of parkland in the heart of the city.
Peace Palace welcome to new ambassadors 2019.
The granite, sandstone and red-brick building designed by the French architect Louis Cordonnier and topped by an imposing roof of greyish slate is in a predominantly neo-renaissance style. The facade, overlooking the lawns, features a series of figures that evoke justice and peace. On the left, the clock tower with its chimes rises to a height of 80 metres. Inside, woodwork, stained-glass windows, mosaics, tapestries and art objects presented by the States which participated in the Hague Peace Conferences reflect the diversity of the world’s cultures.
A museum of the history and work of the institutions housed in the Peace Palace was inaugurated in May 1999 by Mr. Kofi Annan and Judge Stephen M. Schwebel, the then United Nations Secretary-General and President of the Court respectively. It is situated in the southern wing of twing of the building.
H.E. Ms. Laura Dupuys Lasserre, Ambassador of Uruguay, Dr. Mayelinne De Lara and H.E. Ms. Maria Isabel Gomes, Ambassador of Angola.
Hosting the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the International Court of Justice, the Palace is home to one of the world’s largest libraries of public international law (the Peace Palace Library, which is public, unlike the Court’s library) and hosts the summer courses of The Hague Academy of International Law.
Guided tours take place on weekends and during holidays.
As a souvenir of the special occasion, ambassadors received a plate with a replica of the Peace Palace.
Monday 16 December, The International Institute of Social Studies bid farewell to 144 successful MA graduates in Development Studies. During the graduation ceremony, the fresh ISS alumni collected their well-deserved MA certificates.
We wish them all success in their future endeavours!
British director and writer Robert Icke has committed himself to Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, as Ibsen Artist in Residence. This new way of supporting talent is established by the Philip Loubser Foundation.
The Ibsen Artist in Residence supports artists with an international reputation, so that they can enhance their relationship with ITA.
The Philip Loubser Foundation ensures that Robert Icke will be part of the team of ITA-directors for two seasons. The famous British director will create new work with the ITA-ensemble and will be working together with Ivo van Hove and Wouter van Ransbeek. The Ibsen Artist in Residence will receive a yearly budget to use for his or her own artistic development, in or aside from ITA.
The agreement has been signed by ITA director Wouter van Ransbeek and the board of the Philip Loubser Foundation, in the presence of the ITA supervisory board and Robert Icke.
Michael Loubser on behalf of the Philip Loubser Foundation: ‘The Philip Loubser Foundation is proud to be associated with the new Ibsen Artist in Residence at ITA, once again celebrating the name of the great Henrik Ibsen.’’
Robert Icke: ‘It was an honour to create the production Oedipus in 2018 with the ITA-ensemble – one of the world’s foremost acting ensembles. To be Artist in Residence with this company is a great opportunity for me to take the next step in my own work as an artist.’
Wouter van Ransbeek: ‘I see it as ITA’s responsibility to introduce new national en international talents towards creating large-scale productions at the right time in their careers. With Robert Icke – after Simon Stone as house director – we once again commit an international artist with an immense theatrical talent to ITA. We are certain that ITA will prove to be an exciting place for Robert’s further development.’About Robert Icke Robert Icke (1986) is a British director and writer. He previously made a well-received modern version of Oedipus at ITA. In the spring, Robert Icke will create Children of Norawith the ITA-ensemble, his first production as Ibsen Artist in Residence.
About the Philip Loubser Foundation The Philip Loubser Foundation (PLF) has a long tradition of supporting talent in dance and music in collaboration with renowned international institutes such as the Royal Ballet School, the English National Opera and the Royal College of Music. The Ibsen Artist in Residence follows the International Ibsen Fellowship, aimed at international young directors.
The Registrar of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism), Olufemi Elias met with the President of the Seventy-fourth Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Ambassador Tijjani Muhammad-Bande of Nigeria, at United Nations Headquarters in New York.Â
Registrar Elias briefed His Excellency Muhammad-Bande on the key activities and developments at the Mechanism. Registrar Elias underscored the importance of the support of Member States in a number of key areas of Mechanism’s work. Registrar Elias further outlined the budgetary requirements of the Mechanism in 2020, emphasising the need for support by the Members States in this process, for an effective and timely implementation of the Mechanism’s remaining judicial workload and ongoing functions at both branches of the Mechanism.
His Excellency Muhammad-Bande expressed his unwavering support for the mandate and work of the Mechanism, stressing that its operations are essential for the continued development of international criminal justice.
Registrar Elias is currently in New York in connection with the consideration of the Mechanism’s budget submission for 2020 by the Administrative and Budgetary Committee (Fifth Committee) of the United Nations General Assembly.
12 December 2019, Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany: Premier Dr. Reiner Haseloff received H.E. Mr. Wu Ken, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, for his inaugural visit to the State Chancellery. Dr. Jürgen Ude, State Secretary in the Ministry of Economics, Science and Digitization, was likewise present during the meeting from the Saxony-Anhalt side.
The discussion partners exchanged views on current political issues and bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
China is one of Saxony-Anhalt’s most important foreign trade partners. In 2018, goods worth almost 805 million euros were delivered to the People’s Republic, more than ever before. Imports also peaked in 2018 at around 1.6 billion euros.
Delegation and business trips to China take place regularly, most recently at the end of October 2019 under the direction of State Secretary Dr. Ude, who among other things took part in the opening of the investment and cooperation forum of the Chinese-German “Hidden Champions Qingdao 2019”. Representatives from Saxony-Anhalt will also be present at the annual logistics trade fair in Shanghai.
At the beginning of September, a delegation from the south-western Chinese province of Guangyxi visited Saxony-Anhalt to discuss future opportunities for cooperation.
In the office of the German Chamber of Commerce Abroad in Shanghai there is an economic representative office of the state of Saxony-Anhalt with a special range of services for companies from our state for market exploration and market entry in China.
Several investments by Chinese companies have been implemented in recent years. In 2013, for example, Greatview Asepctic Packaging started production of aseptic packaging material in the Star Park near Halle (Saale) with the support of the state of Saxony-Anhalt. Due to the good capacity utilisation, the plant has been expanded in the meantime.
In the state capital Magdeburg, a regular China regulars’ table is held.
All universities in Saxony-Anhalt maintain cooperative relations with corresponding institutions in China. More than 1,000 students from China are enrolled at the universities in the federal state, most of them at the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences.
A number of cultural institutions in Saxony-Anhalt also have contacts in the People’s Republic. A delegation from the China Design Museum was a guest at the opening of the new Bauhaus Museum in Dessau. The exhibition “Bauhaus imaginista” was also shown in Hangzhou in 2018. This year, the Michaelstein Monastery accompanied a double bass lecturer at the Zhejiang Conversatory of Music as well as some of her students during their participation in the master classes for double bass “Bass Europe Academy”.
The Kunstmuseum Moritzburg Halle houses the second largest European collection of Chinese coins. The special exhibition “China’s Money” took place there in 2017.
There are currently five school partnerships and three city partnerships between China and Saxony-Anhalt.
