Thursday, 15 August 2019, Free Hanseatic City of Bremen: Bremen’s novel state government – the Senate of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen – was elected today by the Bremen Legislative. Dr. Andreas Bovenschulte serves as President of the Senate and Mayor.
Bremen’s regional government is comprised of: Mayor Dr. Andreas Bovenschulte The President of the Senate Senator for Religious Affairs Senator for Culture
Mayor Dr. Maike Schaefer Senator for Climate Protection, Environment, Mobility, Urban Development and Housing
Senator Ulrich Mäurer Senator for Home Affairs (Interior)
Senator Anja Stahmann Senator for Social Affairs, Youth, Integration and Sport
Senator Dr. Claudia Bogedan The Senator for Children and Education
Senator Claudia Bernhard Senator for Health, Women and Consumer Protection
Senator Dr. Claudia Schilling Senator for Science and Ports Senator for Justice and Constitutional Affairs
Senator Dietmar Strehl Senator for Finance
Senator Kristina Vogt Senator for Economics, Labour and European Affairs
Friday, 12 July 2019, Washington D.C., USA: World Bank Group President David Malpass announced as per statement below, the appointment of Ms Anshula Kant in the capacity of Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of the World Bank Group.
Ms. Kant (born 7 September 1960), an Indian national from the city of Roorkee, is currently a Managing Director of the State Bank of India (SBI), where she previously served as Chief Financial Officer.
She is a graduate in Economic Honours from Lady Shri Ram College for Women and holds a Post-Graduate in Economics from Delhi School of Economics.
As Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, Kant will be responsible for financial and risk management of the World Bank Group, reporting to the President. Among other key management duties, her work will include oversight of financial reporting, risk management, and working closely with the World Bank CEO on mobilization of IDA and other financial resources.
The Rt Hon Stephen Harper together with Bavarian State Minister Dr. Florian Herrmann.
The Rt Hon Stephen Harper, former Prime Minister of Canada, now chairman of the International Democratic Union (IDU), on a visit to Munich.
State Minister Dr. Florian Herrmann said:..“It was a pleasure to welcome Stephen Harper at the State Chancellery of Bavaria I maintains close relations with Canada for many years, just over the Bavarian partner province of Québec and our local representation.
We had a very interesting and entertaining exchange on the political situation that challenges us in Germany, Europe and across the Atlantic. “
The Rt Hon Stephen Harper and Dr. Florian Herrmann during the meeting.
The Indonesian Embassy in The Hague held a “Journalists Gathering” at the Indonesian restaurant, Ron’s Gastro Bar in Downtown Amsterdam on August 7, 2019.
On display were works by the famous Italian artist Romualdo Locatelli (1905-1943) among them the famous piece “Javanese Girl”
Admiring the “Javanese Girl” by Romualdo Locatelli.
Present at the event were a good number of Dutch journalists from various media houses: Belindo Magazine, Diplomat Magazine, Groenteman met Veeninga, The Holland Times, KPN Planet and De Telegraaf
The event was opened by the Indonesian Ambassador in the Netherlands,
H.E. I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja.In his inaugural remarks, Ambassador Puja warmly welcomed the journalists and expressed his admiration for the various paintings by Locatelli which are full of exoticism, mystery and realistic elements.
Furthermore, the Dutch curator of Italian descent,Gianni Orsini, who is also a biographer and art expert, presented the biography book ‘Romualdo Locatelli, Eternal Green under an Eternal Sun’.The biography focuses in detail on the last four years of Locatelli’s brief but meaningful life, from 1939 to his tragic disappearance at the age of 37.
The biography also recounts his golden period, the period when he was living in Italy, North Africa, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines.
Today, after 75 years, the story of his life and his mysterious disappearance has become part of the mythological dimension.
H.E. Mr. I Gusti Wesaka Puja, Ambassador of Indonesia.
Before travelling to Indonesia (Dutch East Indies), Locatelli had close relations with the Italian Royal family, political elites and religious leaders. This has heightened the momentum of his career.
An example of one of his famous paintings in Europe is the one featuring the two sons of the heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Italy and that of Benito Mussolini’s daughter.
During his stint in Java(January-September 1939) and Bali(September 1939-1940), Locatelli produced rare and valuable works. In addition to the painting “Java Girl” which was also exhibited at this the event, one of his paintings of a Balinese girl entitled “Smoking”was sold for 4,200,000 HKD on March 31, 2019, at an auction held at the Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art Evening Sale, Hong Kong.
Journalists during the lunch at Ron’s Gastro Bar in Amsterdam.
Orsini, a biographer, has a strong interest in art and Indonesia, this is due to his grandfather who was a well-known Italian sculptor who lived in Batavia (Jakarta) 1892 the city where his father was born. After completing his education at the Technical University in Delft, Orsini then chose to pursue arts, especially painting. The books he wrote include a biography of G.P.Adolf (2008), W.G. Hofker (2013), Blackmann (2017), as well as a book collection of the Pasifika Museum collection in Nusa Dua Bali (2017).
The journalists and guests were treated to typical dishes of the contemporary archipelago. As an appetizer, the guests were served with tacos, tuna tartar, tartar meat, and satay wrapped around the lemongrass stem. As for the main course, an Indonesian food menu was served with a typical Dutch serving, rijsttafel. The treats were in great demand by all. There was: balado fish, rendang, satay goat, chicken satay, fresh vegetables, lodeh vegetables, balado eggs, fried rice, and not to forget fried bananas and sambal. And for dessert, a passion fruit ice cream was served.
Two journalists from Groenteman met Veeninga, Djoeke and Cora said they were very impressed with this “gathering” program. Cora also had a special interest in Dutch East Indies art and was himself a biographer. While Djoeke was very happy to be able to participate in this activity. He has several times held journalistic activities in Indonesia. Indonesian cuisine is one of his favourite dishes, sometimes he even prepares Indonesian fish soup.
Ron’s Gastro Bar, Amsterdam.
Roy Lie Atjam from Diplomat Magazine said that he regularly covers the activities organized by the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague. He also felt very pleased to be able to take part in this luncheon. Nanda from The Holland Times made similar remarks.
“Journalists Gathering”is an initiative of the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague, its aim is to embrace the Dutch media and strengthen relations with them. “Journalists Gathering” is also a means to promote culture, in this case through the beauty of paintings, and also to further promote the delicacies of the archipelago’s cuisine which is rich in herbs and spices.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — 21 August 2019 — The Government of New Zealand is contributing €64,000 toward the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ (OPCW) Trust Fund for Syria Missions in support of the operations of the team tasked with the identifying the perpetrators of chemical weapons use in Syria, as determined by the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission.
The team was created pursuant to the decision on addressing the threat from chemical weapons use adopted by the Conference of the States Parties at its Fourth Special Session in June 2018.
OPCW
The donation was formalised through a formal exchange of letters between the OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, and the Government of New Zealand through the Permanent Representative of New Zealand to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Lyndal Walker.
At a ceremony at OPCW Headquarters today, the Director-General expressed his gratitude to the Government of New Zealand for its contribution and continued support of the Organisation, adding that all OPCW Member States in a position to make voluntary contributions were encouraged to do so.
Ambassador Walker remarked: “New Zealand remains a strong supporter of the OPCW and its work towards a world free of chemical weapons. New Zealand’s contribution to the Trust Fund for Syria Missions will assist
If your company does business with China, or you are planning a holiday there, consider learning the basics of Chinese. Not only can this help you communicate better with your Chinese colleagues or friends, it can help you immerse into the culture in a unique way and enrich your travel or business experience. There is no better way to learn about a people and their way of life than to learn something of the language.
Kickstart School introduces ‘Communicating in Chinese Level I, II and III’. These are introductory courses designed for beginners and are taught in English. Students learn in a small group using a textbook with extra practice exercises on Kickstart’s online learning platform, KickstartNet.
Instructor Xiyu Wang explains that the course focus is on building a solid foundation in Mandarin Chinese for anyone from those who are simply curious about Chinese to those who intend to further their Chinese studies. Integral to the course is understanding of culture, exploration of grammar and frequently used vocabulary, and functional communication. Xiyu uses pinyin – the common method of spelling out Chinese sounds using the English alphabet – to help make pronunciation easy to learn. Once the link between sound and character is made, says Xiyu, students will be able to pronounce Chinese like a native speaker.
After 24 hours of Chinese instruction at Kickstart School, you will:
have a good grasp of pronunciation and the tonal system
know about pinyin
be able to recognise Basic characters
have an idea of how to build up and write a character
have an idea of the basic grammar
be able to tell Chinese speakers about family relations and tell your age
be able to make appointments with people (time, clock, numbers, days, months)
know how to meet and greet Chinese speakers
be able to ask the price in shops, talk about money, and count
Contact Kickstart School today to find out how to get started on your Chinese language journey. We can also provide tailor-made (in-) company Chinese training for individuals and groups. Prices can be obtained at your request.
Not interested in Chinese? Kickstart School is also here for your Dutch and English learning needs! We offer Dutch and English courses at all levels for both adults and children in general language, communication, business, and exam preparation. No time for a course? Call about booking a private tutor who can work with your schedule needs. Don’t hesitate to get in touch, sign up for a course (or two), and let Kickstart take you further with your Dutch, English, or Chinese language learning!
I.A. Kuwait, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Republic of Korea, Kosovo and Senegal
With nearly seventy participating countries, the two-day Embassy Festival will be bigger than ever this year. There isn’t an event in the world where somany embassies unite to present and celebrate culture. Thanks to the collaborations with the embassies, the Embassy Festival is able to present an authentic and worldly experience with four stages offering music (classical, traditional and contemporary) and dance.
There’s also an International Market present with many culinary and cultural discoveries to be made. The free festival will take place on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 September at the Lange Voorhout in The Hague. Although most embassies reside in The Hague – The International City of Peace and Justice – there are also more and more embassies from Brussels that have joined in. Mongolia, Nepal, Uzbekistan and Haiti will make their way to The Hague to participate in the colorful unity that the Embassy Festival inhabits.
A culinary adventure is a given when visiting the Embassy Festival. Cozonaci (Romania), Biko (Phillipines), Dolma (Azerbaijan), Banhm (Vietnam), Sirnica (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Khachapuri (Georgia) and Kürbiskernöl (Australia) are just some of the delicious treasures that can be tasted and discovered. And it’s not just one’s taste buds that are in for a treat.
The countries participating have much more up their sleeve to tickle the curiosity of its visitors. Want to know more about Uzbekistan or Azerbaijan? The Embassy Festival offers that opportunity. And you can hop onboard this two-day trip of cultural adventures with more countries than ever before.
Nearly seventy countries are represented this year, with eightnew entries. Kuwait, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Republic of Korea, Kosovo, Senegal, Nigeria and Denmark will make their debut this year.
Culture Unites
Walking around the Embassy Festival shows visitors how culture unites. An example of what’s to be expected: At the festival you will see stars shine and perform from Palestine (Faraj Suleiman), Australia (Anna Smith), Morocco (Mâalem Reda Stitou) and Israel (Boom Pam).
Ambassadors roll up their sleeves and put on an apron to help prepare delicious meals from their home countries. Women from Bosnia and Herzegovina dancing dressed in traditional clothing. It’s not uncommon to find yourself dancing in a spontaneously organized South-African party and to then be swept away by several other countries that are celebrating their heritage on the International Market.
Embassy Festival
You can taste bites and drinks from all over the world. Our youngest visitors will also be entertained at this family-friendly festival. At the Kids Compound or at one of the many pavilions inhabited by all the countries present.
Children will have their own voyage of discovery to experience. By painting Nón Lá’s (Vietnamese conical hats), or by taking a picture with Joulupukki (Finland’s very own Santa Claus) or by getting a henna tattoo at the Saudi-Arabia stand. You won’t want it to stop.
Embassy Festival
Facts & Figures
Last year, the Embassy Festival attracted more than 60.000 visitors. The festival brings together the richness of nearly seventy participating countries and seduces its visitors to meet with each other, to step outside the familiar and to indulge themselves in sea of culture. In The Hague – City of Peace and Justice, The Embassy Festival proves that culture creates unity and causes amazement.
Participating countries: Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Hungary, Ireland, India, Israel, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sint Maarten, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen.
Quotes
H.E. Ambassador Rawan Sulaiman, Chief of Palestinean Mission.
Quote Rawan Sulaiman – Head of Mission State of Palestine: “The Embassy festival brings together people from across the world to showcase their culture, food, music, and dance. For me, participating in the festival is a great opportunity to share with people from all over the world a taste of Palestine. It is heart-warming to see people learning about and experiencing other cultures by exploring the lovely colours, rich flavours and traditional customs of different countries. The Embassy festival is a brilliant mean to celebrate diversity, difference and tolerance in The Hague, the city of justice and peace.”
Quote visitor Philip: “I’m from El Salvador, one of the participating countries. Every year, me and my El Salvadorian friends meet at the festival. We live all over the Netherlands, so it’s a great day to get together and enjoy our culture, the food and the music. I know a group of Mexicans that do the same. An annual reunion!”
EMBASSY FESTIVAL 2019
FRIDAY 6 SEPTEMBER | 17.00 – 23.30: world music, dance on two stages | Bites & Drinks
Arusha, 16 August 2019– Mechanism ProsecutorSerge Brammertz visited Kigali from 14 to 16 August 2019, following his biannual address on the Mechanism to the UN Security Council on 17 July 2019.
During the visit, the Prosecutor met with Prosecutor-General Jean Bosco Mutangana of the Republic of Rwanda, senior members of his team and other senior government officials to discuss issues of mutual interest, including avenues for strengthening existing cooperation, the Turinabo et al. contempt proceedings and the search for the remaining eight fugitives indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
The visit was part of ongoing cooperation between Rwandan authorities and the Office of the Prosecutor.
Already 74 years ago Indonesia’s independence was declared on Friday the 17thaugust – two days after Japan capitulated and thus the second world war ended – at 10.00 in Jakarta by Sukarno, Indonesia’s first president. The declaration started a troublesome relation between The Netherlands, the colonial overlord of Indonesia, then called the Dutch East Indies, and the Indonesian independence movement. Now more then 74 years later The Netherlands and Indonesia enjoy a friendship that is as strong as ever.
His Excellency I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja, in his last Independence Day speech as ambassador of Indonesia to The Kingdom of The Netherlands welcomed the many guest – among them many veterans – at the Indonesian school in Wassenaar to commemorate the 74thAnniversary of his country’s independence.
2019 has been a special year for Indonesia – including all Indonesian citizens in The Netherlands, as last April a general election was held in which President Joko Widodo was reelected. Mr. Widodo’s priorities for the coming 4 years will the continuity of infrastructure development, development of human resources, the ease of doing business, bureaucratic reform and the right spending of state budget.
Among the many highlights between The Netherlands’ and Indonesia’s relationship Ambassador Puja noted that in the field of investment, the Netherlands, for several years in a row, is still the largest source of foreign direct investment from Europe to Indonesia. As recorded in the second quarter of 2019, the realization of FDI from The Netherlands has reached USD 738.5 million in 1183 projects. An increase of 62.5% compared to the same period in 2018.
Many of these investments are in the field of strategic areas including the development of key infrastructures in the maritime, water management transportation and logistics. Considering trade – until June 2019 – Indonesia’s surplus amounted USD 1.3 billion, with still great opportunities to increase export to The Netherlands. Also, in tourism there’s an increase of visitors to Indonesia, resulting in 2018 in more than 209.000 Dutch visitors.
H.E. Mr. I Gusti Wesaka Puja, Ambassador of Indonesia and Mrs Rusdijana Puja with Anton Lutter.
The Indonesian Embassy in The Netherlands also encourages the intensification of people-to-people contact through the promotion of creative economy, including through movies. A number of Indonesian movies were shown at various festivals in The Netherlands. In addition, this year the 6thmeeting of Interfaith Dialogue was held between Indonesia and The Netherlands in June 2019 in Nijmegen, under the theme of Islam Wataniyah (seeking the middle path: articulations of moderate Islam) in cooperation with the Dutch branch of Pengurus Cabang Istimewa Nahdlatul Ulama (PCINU).
An important field of Dutch-Indonesian cooperation is education. Ambassador Puja mentioned the fact that The Netherlands is one of the most favourite destinations for Indonesian students in pursuing higher education at various universities. The numbers continue to increase by around 3-5 percent each year, with around 2000 students. Cooperation between the two countries in the field of health has also been running more intensively, especially after signing of the MoU of the Health Cooperation in November last year in Bali.
Indonesia is also a forerunner considering peace and stability in ASEAN, supporting cooperation that includes maritime, connectivity, SDG 2030 and economic cooperation. This cooperation will create new opportunities for all countries to achieve economic growth and become the new center and engine for global economy. This positive contribution and the involvement of aal countries will ease the achievement of peace, stability and prosperity in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Lastly H.E. I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja mentioned that this year will be his last year as the ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of The Netherlands. Pak Puja: I would like to thank all counterparts, the community and the Indonesian Diaspora, all Friends of Indonesia in The Netherlands and ofcourse all staff of the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague for the continuous support and cooperation as well as sincere friendship which certainly encourage me in carrying out the duties that had been entrusted by the President of Indonesia 4 years ago. I hope that the same friendship and support will also be given to my successor later. “Sekali layer terkembang, mundur kita berpantang” (Once the sail is expanded, we shall not back down)!
On sunny 27thJune Museum Sophiahof in The Hague was officially inaugurated by His Majesty King Willem-Alexander. Many guests from the Dutch-Indies community were invited next to guests such as Indonesian Ambassador I Gusti Wesaka Agung Puja, the State Secretary of the Ministry of VWS Mr. Paul Blok, the Kings commissioner in Zuid-Holland Mr. Jaap Smit, the mayor of The Hague Mrs. Pauline Krikke and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Bernard Bot.
The Museum Sophiahof is housed in a monumental building on the Sophialaan 10. It’s a national monument and was built by the former Minister of Colonies Guillaume Louis Baud in 1858. Through its new destination is has regained its connection with the Dutch Indies past.
At the end of 2015, then State Secretary Martin van Rijn of VWS introduced the Backpay Benefit Scheme, after negotiations with the Indisch Platform. Part of the negotiations result was the implementation of the so-called Collective Recognition, whereby the government wanted to safeguard the significance and importance of shared history for the future.
To achieve this goal five leading organizations from the Dutch-Indies community: Indisch Platform, Indisch Herinneringscentrum (Indies Remembrance Center), Nationale Herdenking 15 augustus 1945 (National Remembrance 15 August 1945), Pelita and Moluks Historisch Museum (Moluccan Historical Museum), initiated the Museum Sophiahof a place where one can meet, provide education, a museum as well as offering opportunities for cultural activities.
In his speech before the King, Mr. Silfraire Delhaye, president of the Indisch Platform, the leading Dutch Indies organization in The Netherlands, noted that: after a long period of efforts today we may open the doors to the public of the Museum Sophiahof, with this there’s now a nice place where the public has access to the shared past of the Netherlands and Indonesia.
There’s joy and pride from the reactions of those present here. But that joy was preceded by a long period of grief. The Dutch from the former Dutch East Indies have unresolved grievances after the Japanese occupation and upon arrival in the Netherlands. Namely, exclusion from payment of overdue wages to Dutch soldiers and civil servants in the service of the Dutch East Indies and the disqualification of war damage on the basis of the “territoriality” principle of Dutch citizens from the Dutch East Indies.
At the heart of that grief is a government that has always been very formalistic and legalistic since the end of the war. They acted within the rules, but the outcome did not take away the deep-rooted feeling of being treated unjustly.
So much for the Indies sorrow and now back to the joy. That was on the 3d November 2015 when Mr. van Rijn wrote in a letter to the Dutch Parliament that an agreement had been reached: “By making arrangements on “moral grounds” for the issue of overdue salary and for the interpretation of the collective aspect a “Collective Recognition”.
Secretary of State Mr.Paul Blokhuis: It feels like today a long-held wish is being fulfilled by many people with roots in the former Dutch East Indies. Own place. To be able to remember, to meet, to learn, to investigate. Here, in the Sophiahof. The people who lived in the former Dutch Indies, are still in our midst. Unfortunately, with less and less. And that’s why their stories are so important.
The past colors differently for everyone. But there was and is shared sadness. Sadness for the loss of what you knew. To the departure, that was often forced. The traumas of the Japanese occupation, the camps, forced labor, the Bersiap, the decolonization war. Arriving destitute in a country that many never had before known, be treated as a third-party citizen. You all come from the same house. And how different you are recognizing each other in what you share. The course of history that cannot be reversed. But the own identity it is deeper than anything else. We have come a long way to get to where we are today. Together, based on that past in which so many people have their own story, we have built a new home!
After the speeches, the King together with representatives of the founding organizations performed the opening ceremony which was the composition of a melatiflower, which symbolizes the Dutch Indies community, followed by a variety of cultural performances.
Afterwards His Majesty took the time to converse with both war victims as well as young people and visited the exhibition “Fighting for Freedom” the many faces of resistance during WWII in the Dutch Indies. The sunny and joyful opening of Museum Sophiahof was ended by a traditional Indonesian dinner, which was hugely enjoyed by the attendants.
