Friday, 18 October 2019, Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany: At the Hessian State Chancellery, the Hessian Minister European and Federal Affairs Lucia Puttrich, Plenipotentiary to the German Federation, received for a bilateral meeting Irish Ambassador Dr. Nicholas O’Brien, in office since 11 September 2019.
The meeting was held on the light of Brexit, the Irish-British borders as well as monetary issues concerning the Eurozone.
Dr. O’Brien had been in Hesse already to attend the 71st Frankfurt Book Fair, largest of its kind in the world. This year the Kingdom of Norway was guest country. Ireland was one of the 104 participating countries, and Ambassador Dr. O’Brien was present to buttress up literary talents from his homeland as well as to seal partnerships for future events, such as the St. Brigid of Kildare‘s talks to be held in Berlin end of January 2020.
Prior to this ambassadorship to Germany, Dr. O’Brien served as Director General for EU and International Affairs at the Finance Ministry in Dublin from 2014 to 2019. He worked as such profoundly on matters concerning the Eurozone crisis and served as Ireland’s Director on the EU’s crisis mechanism funds, that is, the European Stability Mechanism and the European Financial Stability Facility.
From 2011 to 2014, he was Diplomatic Advisor to the Minister for Finance.
He is very well-acquainted to Germany, were he served as Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy in Berlin from 2008 to 2011 and as Consul General in Shanghai from 2004 to 2008.
Authorities in Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, with the active assistance of Eurojust and Europol, have taken action against an elaborate tax fraud scam by a Hungarian-led, international organised criminal group (OCG).
During two action days, seven people were arrested, including the leader of the criminal group, who was apprehended in the United States of America in a speedy procedure.
Overall, 193 premises were searched and 37 people were brought in for hearings regarding their alleged participation in the setting up of shell companies, which provided false invoices to avoid VAT payments to the Hungarian fiscal authorities. The scam, which also involved money laundering, led to a loss of approximately EUR 4.3 million to Hungary. In addition, approximately EUR 2.3 million in cash and goods have been seized, including real estate, two luxury cars and bitcoin.
The main suspect set up companies that provided fictitious invoices to other enterprises, without in reality delivering any goods or services. The enterprises that received the bills deducted these from their VAT payments in Hungary, leading to the net fiscal loss. The fraud took place between January 2015 and September of this year. To conceal the gains from the tax authorities, the suspect is alleged to have set up several companies managed by foreign nationals. The companies issuing fake invoices were on paper also directed by managers of foreign origin.
Eurojust set up a coordination centre to support the action days, and assisted in providing European Investigation Orders (EIOs) to facilitate the Hungarian investigation. In September of this year, a coordination meeting was held at Eurojust, which was attended by the Hungarian, Slovak and UK authorities, and with on-call coordination between the countries involved, to ensure a smooth exchange of information and efficient preparation for the action days.
National authorities involved:
Hungary: The Hungarian investigation was supervised by the Chief Public Prosecution Office of Komárom-Esztergom County and conducted by the National Tax and Customs Administration, Central-Transdanubian Criminal Directorate.
United States of America: The arrest of the alleged ringleader was made by the Federal Bureau of Investigation-led Task Force consisting of the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office. The US Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California are handling the extradition of the alleged leader.
Slovakia: The Regional Prosecutor’s Office Nitra.
Poland: The Regional Prosecution Office Częstochowa.
On October 15, 2019 a presentation of the book “One hundred and one” was held at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Netherlands. The novel was written by Anvar Irgashev, author from Uzbekistan, and Yulia Medvedovskaya, a Russian writer and his co-author.
The Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Belgium, the Youth Union of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Uzbekistan Film Holding take active part in this event.
“One hundred and one” was based on recently obtained documentary data about heroic and tragic destiny of one hundred and one Uzbek soldiers during The Great Patriotic War. They have courageously and praiseworthy got to fight in the Amersfoort concentration camp, and have died, without knowing that by their deed they destroyed Hitler’s cunning plan and prevented the Nazis’ attempts from changing the march of history.
For years it was believed that one hundred and one Uzbek soldiers were brought by German Nazis to the Amersfoort concentration camp to show the Dutch people whom the German army was fighting against. And whom are those Red Army’s soldiers frightening all Europeans from the Wehrmacht’s newspaper articles!
New data was received in 2017-2018 thanks to the unique research of the authors Anvar Irgashev and Yulia Medvedovskaya and the Dutch journalist Remco Reiding.
The novel “One hundred and one” is based on documentary facts using elements of art fiction.
As it turned out, the Uzbek soldiers were the victims of the fascist Germany “propaganda machine” and were specially selected for a particularly important and secret action. Adolf Hitler personally ordered the Reich Chancellor Goebbels and the Reichsfuhrer Himmler made a propaganda film about the Red Army soldiers, where they had to look stripped of human dignity, weak and primitive being. And all of these just to raise the German soldiers’ broken spirit before one of the most important battles of the Great Patriotic War – the battle for Moscow!
Hitler declared such ideological film as a priority. It was expected to release in the beginning of November 1941, involving the best Reich filmmakers. And the material for this film had to be prepared in the Amersfoort concentration camp, the prisoners of which were one hundred and one Uzbek.
Ambassadors Khakimov and Shulgin at the Russian Embassy in The Hague.
It seemed that Goebbels and Himmler were ready to report to the Fuhrer on the successful operation, but they made a mistake! Heroism, firmness and national culture, shown by Uzbek prisoners in the Amersfoort concentration camp, did not allow Hitler’s plans to be implemented. They were only one hundred and one! But they were real soldiers!
Hitler’s soldiers haven’t received the ideological support, and their broken spirit wasn’t raised before the battle for Moscow! They have not just lost the battle, but also more than half a million soldiers that were injured and died.
On April 9, 1942 Uzbek heroes were executed by shooting in a forest near the Amersfoort concentration camp. It was a top secret execution, and only concentration camp officers participated in it. Uzbek heroes went to execution with their heads held high, with an unbroken spirit, singing a song about the Motherland.
The collective deed of one hundred and one Uzbek heroes, who made an invaluable contribution to the victory of Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War will be remembered forever by grateful people all over the world!
On Friday 11 October 2019 also Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicos Christodoulides and his Dutch colleague, Minister of Foreign Affairs Stef Blok, visited the exhibition “Cyprus, A Dynamic Island” in the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden. They also had a diplomatic meeting and discussed bilateral cooperation and current issues in and outside the EU.
Cypriot Minister of Transport, Communications and Works H.E. Ms. Vassiliki Anastassiadou officially opened the exhibition “Cyprus – A Dynamic Island” at the Netherlands National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden on Thursday 10 October 2019, which showcases a large number of Cypriot antiquities.
Over 400 objects, including 300 archeological masterpieces from the national collections of Cyprus are put on display.
H.E. Ms. Vassiliki Anastassiadou , Minister of Transport, Communications and Works in Cyprus, officially opened the exhibition “Cyprus – A Dynamic Island”.
In her speech Minister Anastassiadou “It is universally agreed that a country’s history and cultural heritage are among the most important factors that shape both its relations with the outside world and its internal development. Cyprus’ cultural heritage dates back to at least eleven thousand years. Its settings at the crossroad of vital sea routes made the island a melting pot of cultures, an extremely important commercial centre but at the same time, a land much fought for by conquerors.”
She also said: “Although to this day suffers as a result of its strategic location, at the same time, it has greatly benefited from its intense interaction with a diversity of cultures and this is certainly reflected on its cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible.”
Director of the National Museum of Antiquities Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Mr. Wim Weijland, Curator Professor Ruurd Halbertsma, Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicos Christodoulides, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Stef Blok, Cypriot Ambassador to the Benelux, H.E. Mr. Elpidoforos Economou.
The current exhibition is the result of the strong and fruitful collaboration between the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities and the Department of Antiquities of Cyprus. Part of this close collaboration between the two organizations concerns the protection and repatriation of Cypriot cultural heritage.
An example of this close collaboration occurred in 2018, when the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities alerted the Department of Antiquities in Cyprus that a Hellenistic limestone head from the Cesnola collection in New York was part of an art fair in Brussels. Cyprus was able to acquire the object and return it to the island. The sculpture now plays a prominent role in this exhibition.
Minister Anastassiadou expressed her warmest gratitude and admiration to the Museum’s director as well as to the amazing people of the Museum who worked with such professionalism and passion on the exhibition.
She gave a special thanks to the Ambassador of Cyprus in The Hague, H.E. Mr. Elpidoforos Economou for all the effort he put to make this project happen. The opening was attended by many ambassadors and archeological scholars.
15-19 October 2019, Germany: Premier of North Rhine Westphalia, Armin Laschet received the Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Fra’ Giacomo dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, for talks at the State Chancellery. The discussion focused on the exchange about the commitment and the manifold activities of ‘Malteser International’ in the field of health and social affairs in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as on current issues of asylum and refugee policy in Europe.
The Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta is currently visiting Germany to intensify the order’s activities, and for a bilateral meeting with Federal President Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin.
During his visit to the State Chancellery, the Grand Master was accompanied by Baron Maciej Heydel, Ambassador of the Order of Malta to the Federal Republic of Germany, Baron Albrecht von Boeselager, Grand Chancellor of the Order of Malta (i.e. Foreign Minister), Prince Dominique de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel, Grand Hospitaller of the Order, and Count Georg von Khevenhueller, President of the Malteser Hilfsdienst in Deutschland e.V., amongst others.
About the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta
The Order of Malta, founded in Jerusalem in the XI century, is a Catholic order with about 13,500 members, which is internationally recognised as a sovereign, non-governmental subject of international law. The order dedicates itself world-wide to the charitable support of needy, sick and suffering people and maintains diplomatic relations with more than 100 states.
In Germany, the Order of Malta maintains the Malteser Hilfsdienst e. V. (Malteser Aid Service), which is a member of the German Caritas Association. Malteser International has a total of 49,800 volunteers and 30,700 full-time employees in Germany.
The Sovereign Order of Malta also has its own government, based in Palazzo Malta in Rome (enjoying extraterritoriality), which is led by Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, officially titled the “Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Knights and Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and Malta”.
Ambassadors of Uzbekistan H.E. Dilyor Khakimov and Russia H.E. Alexander Shulgin during the launch of the novel.
In the framework of preparation for the celebration of the 75thanniversary of the Victory in World War II, the Russian Embassy in the Netherlands hosted on October 15 last a presentation of the novel “One Hundred and One”, which was written by the Uzbek and Russian authors Anvar Irgashev and Yulia Medvedovskaya respectively.
The book tells a story of the tragic and, at the same time, heroic fate of more than a hundred Red Army soldiers from Uzbekistan who were captured by the Nazis and went through all the torments of hell in the dungeons of the Dutch concentration camp of Amersfoort, where they were shot on April 9, 1942.
Guests at the Russian Embassy on The Hague during the launch of the book: One Hundred and One.
Among the participants of a joint reception organized by the diplomatic missions of Russia and Uzbekistan on the occasion of the presentation of the abovementioned book along with the Russian and Uzbek diplomats were representatives of compatriots of both countries, living in The Hague, the diplomatic corps and civil society. There was also Albert Gitelink, a member of the Dutch Resistance movement, who fought against the fascist occupation in 1940-1945.
In his address to the audience the Russian Ambassador to the Netherlands Alexander Shulgin emphasized the “necessity to restore the historical truth”, as well as “a decisive rebuff to those who, refusing the common sense, tries to impose equal responsibility on fascist Germany and the Soviet Union in unleashing of World War II”.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands —17 October 2019 — The Government of Turkey has contributed €30,000 to a special Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Trust Fund to support the project to upgrade the current OPCW Laboratory and Equipment Store. This project will result in the construction of a new facility, the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (“ChemTech Centre”).
The contribution was formalised during a ceremony at the OPCW Headquarters between OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, and the Permanent Representative of Turkey to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Şaban Dişli.
Ambassador Dişli remarked: “OPCW plays a significant role in the field of disarmament and international security and it is the central actor in the chemical non-proliferation regime. This contribution is another display of the strong commitment of Turkey to the Chemical Weapons Convention and to the OPCW. The transformation of the OPCW laboratory into a Centre for Chemistry and Technology will be a qualitative leap in the Organisation’s capacity to perform its core tasks in verification, inspection and capacity-building. It will contribute to the strengthening of our collective security”.
Director-General Arias expressed his gratitude to the Government of Turkey for its support and appealed to all OPCW States Parties in a position to make voluntary contributions to do so. He further emphasised the important role the new ChemTech Centre will play in strengthening the OPCW’s ability to address chemical weapon threats, boost its investigative capability, and enhance capacity building activities.
So far, twenty-one States Parties and the European Union have contributed or pledged to contribute financially to the project, and a considerable amount has been raised to date.
In the picture H.E. Mr. Tigran Balayan, Ambassador of Armenia to the Netherlands
The Embassy of Armenia celebrated in The Hague the country’s main state holiday, which remembers the 1991 referendum in which the people of Armenia proclaimed independence from the Soviet Union.
The National Day of Armenia was organized by the Armenian Embaasy at the Diligentia Theater in The Hague on October 10th. The event was a tribute to Armenian identity, as well as a symbol of the close relations among the many countries from across the world, represented at the event by many ambassadors, head of missions and diplomats.
The event was also a reminder of the significantly growing collaboration between Armenia and the Netherlands under the mandate of H.E. Mr. Tigran Balayan, Ambassador of Armenia to the Netherlands; the presence of many Dutch civil servants, politicians and businesspeople at the event was a clear sign of this strong bond.
Ambassador Balayan, Mrs. Natalia Shulgina, H.E. Mr. Alexander Shulgin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation and H.E. Mr. Dilyor Khakimov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan.
The central theme of the National Day celebrations was a great concert, which celebrated Armenia and commemorated the 150thjubilee of Komitas Vardapet. The musicians, violinist and pianist Serge and Lusine Khachatryan, geniuses of immeasurable talent acclaimed worldwide, performed a program based in Komitas Vardapet’s best known compositions, but also featuring music by Eduard Bagdasaryan and Aram Khachaturian.
The guests of Ambassador Balayan filled up the whole Diligentia Theater, and their enthusiastic and long applauses showed to the artist their great appreciation. Flooded with flowers, compliments and never-ending applauses, Serge and Lusine Khachatryan leaved the sale to continue their European tournée.
H.E. Dr Jan Anthonie Bruijn, President of the Senate and Ambassador Balayan with guests.
The event started with a warm, spontaneous and generous reception by the Armenian Embassy, attended by H.E. Mr. Alexander Shulgin, Ambassador of Russia, and his spouse and Natalia Shulgina; H.E. Mr. Dilyor Khakimov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan; H.E. Ms. Adia Sakiqi, Ambassador of Albania, H.E. Ms. Heidemaria Gurer, Ambassador of Austria; H.E. Ms. Mirsada Čolaković, Ambassador of Bosnia Herzegovina; H.E. Mr. Andrea Perugini, Ambassador of Italy and his spouse Mrs. Mariska Perugini-Visser; H.E. Mr. Rumen Alexandrov, Ambassador of Bulgaria; H.E. Mr. Kevin Kelly, Ambassador of Ireland; among the many.
Notably, the event was also attended by the President of the National Assembly of Armenia, Mr. Ararat Mirzoyan, who was on an official visit in The Netherlands and the President of the Dutch Senate, H.E. Dr Jan Anthonie Bruijn, guest of honor. At the reception, preceding the concert, the first copy of Dutch translation of Hovhannes Tumanyan’s fairy tales ( prominent Armenian author whose 150th anniversary is celebrated this year, also by UNESCO) was presented to the President of Dutch Senate Dr. Bruijn.
Welcoming the many guests attending the National Day reception and the concert, H.E. Mr. Tigran Balayan, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia, delivered his remarks.
“I am delighted to welcome you all on the 150th Anniversary of the great Armenian composer, priest and song collector Komitas: an incredible occasion, which has also been marked by UNESCO. We are honored to have organized this concert and lucky enough to have the opportunity to listen to miraculous music performed by Sergey and Lusine, world renowned musicians and Cultural Ambassadors of the Armenian people. This concert is in many ways exceptional and we are deeply grateful to Sergey and Lusine for their presence and performance.”
Trying to describe the genius of Komitas, Ambassador Balayan said: “He has everything to offer to everyone who appreciates music. His is the author of one of the most impeccable Christian Liturgies ever composed. He collected and transcribed several thousands of songs from around the Armenia more than a century ago. Among those are some rather courageous, from a musical point of view, choral works. Devoting his entire life to research of traditional Armenian music, he created a national Armenian style of music composition and outlined paths for development of Armenian music. He was one of the pioneers in ethnomusicology in the world. This list can continue.”
“I would like to emphasize once more that Komitas is the collective consciousness of Armenians, he summarizes our aspirations and our pain. After 1915 Komitas spent more than 20 years in psychiatric hospital in Paris never talking nor reacting to anyone. The horrors of the Armenian Genocide which he witnessed were too much for a human being to tolerate. Thus, what we have of his music was created before April 1915, before life stopped in the biggest part of the historical fatherland of Armenians.”
Sergey and Lusine Khachatryan, Armenian masters.
“We have kept Komitas’ memory alive. Despite the attempt to annihilate an entire nation we survived and nowadays are building a modern democracy. This is the reason why Komitas’ Anniversary today is marked in the context of Armenian Day of Independence.”
“After the victory of last year’s non-violent velvet revolution in Armenia” declared ambassador Balayan, “we have opened an entirely new page in its history, a page full of hope and confidence in a better future. Armenia has embarked on a new path of creating a truly democratic and corruption-free society, market and competitive economy, strengthening the justice system and the rule of law, as well as good governance, securing equal opportunities in social and economic life to promote sustainable development.”
H.E. Ms. Adia Sakiqi, Ambassador of Albania, H.E. Ms. Heidemaria Gurer, Ambassador of Austria; H.E. Ms. Mirsada Čolaković, Ambassador of Bosnia Herzegovina and H.E. Ms. Katerina Sequensova, Ambassador of Czech Republic.
“Certainly, achieving coherent democracy is a difficult process, which requires substantial time, unconditional commitment and even a change in mentality. In this challenging path Armenia needs to be supported, especially by the Netherlands, as a leading advocate of human rights and fundamental freedoms. And we highly value the continued engagement of the Netherlands to expand political dialogue, deepen economic and trade cooperation, intensify cultural exchanges.”
Armenian diaspora in The Hague at Armenia National Day 2019.
“The year started with a meeting of Prime-Ministers Pashinyan and Rutte in Davos, and today we have a delegation of the President of Armenian Parliament in the Hague. For next year we hope to have other high-level visits, but more importantly intensification in people-to-people contacts. In this context I would like to inform you that the trade turnover between our countries is on the rise, and the number of Dutch tourists visiting Armenia has raised with at least 30%. Next year Drents museum will host the exhibition ‘Under the spell of Mount Ararat – Treasures from ancient Armenia’, which will showcase the rich cultural heritage of my country.”
Armenias at Diligentia Theatre after the concert by Sergey and Lusine Khachatryan celebrating Armenia National Day.
The beauty and generous spirit of Armenia was visible throughout the evening, and the music of the masters was a gift from heaven. A reception with Armenian delicacies, wine and brandy preceded and followed the concert, and the event itself was possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of Adibekyan Family Foundation for Advancement, ARMA leather company, MAAS Travel, Armenian Church Council of Almelo, the Kaashoeve Rotterdam, and the Armenia’s Honorary Consul in Amsterdam.
ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda & Vice President of Nigeria, H.E. Yemi Osinbajo in Abuja
On Monday, 14 October 2019, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “the Court”), Mrs Fatou Bensouda, concluded a two-day visit to Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria. It was her fourth mission to this situation country.
During her visit, Prosecutor Bensouda met with the Vice President of Nigeria, H.E. Mr Yemi Osinbajo, to discuss the Nigerian Government’s support and cooperation with the preliminary examination of the situation in Nigeria currently being conducted by the Office of the Prosecutor (“Office”).
The Vice-President reaffirmed Nigeria’s firm commitment to the ICC and assured of its continued cooperation with the Office.
The Prosecutor reiterated her commitment to this process, and updated the Vice President on the status of the preliminary examination. She underscored that in accordance with the principle of complementarity, the primary responsibility to investigate and prosecute crimes allegedly committed by Boko Haram and the Nigerian security forces falls on the Nigerian authorities.
The Prosecutor welcomed the submission of additional information on national proceedings from the Nigerian Government to facilitate her Office’s ongoing analysis and assessment of the applicable Rome Statute criteria.
Wednesday, 16 October 2019, Toulouse, Occitanie: A Franco-German Council of Ministers was held together with Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and members of the Federal German Cabinet and the French Government.
Additionally Germany’s Federal Plenipotentiary for Cultural Affairs under the Treaty on Franco-German Cooperation, Premier of North Rhine-Wesphalia, Armin Laschet, partook therein as were the officials in charge for European affairs, Minister of State Michael Roth (Germany) and State Secretary Amélie de Montchalin (France).
This get-together in Toulouse is the first Franco-German Council of Ministers to take place since the signing of the Treaty of Aachen. The Aachen Treaty is the counter model to ‘my country first’. More community, more exchange, more Europe. This renewed Franco-German Friendship Treaty demonstrates the capacity of Germany and France to act and further intensifies the cooperation between our two countries”, said Premier Armin Laschet as per statement below.
Exchange with the President of the Occitan Region, Carole Delga
Premier Laschet subsequently held a tête-à-tête with Carole Delga, President of the Regional Council of the Southern French Region of Occitanie, for political talks in Toulouse. One of the topics discussed at the meeting was the deepening of cooperation between the French regions and the German Länder as laid down in the Aachen Treaty.
