Monday, 8 July 2019, Riga, Republic of Latvia: Latvia’s tenth head of state took office during a ceremony at the Saeima, the country’s parliament.
President Levits is a reputed judge who also represents Latvia with a seat at the European Court of Justice since 2004. Having served previously at the European Court of Human Rights. He served as a diplomat for his country between 1994 and 1995 when he was dispatched to Vienna, Austria, with concurrent accreditation to Hungary and Switzerland.
In Latvia the President is the country’s head of state and commander-in-chief for a period of four years with a possibility for re-election(s) yet not more than twice in a row. The Latvian president does share executive responsibility with the government, nevertheless, most of his political deeds must be countersigned by a minister.
In the picture H.E. Mr. Jaime Victor Ledda, Ambassador of The Philippines and spouse Gina Ledda.
By Roy Lie Atjam.
Every month Hotel Crowne Plaza The Hague, organize a Food Festival in cooperation with an Embassy. This time around it was the Embassy of the Philippines that showcase Philippines Flavours from Friday 21 June to Sunday 23 June.
As stated above, Filipino cuisine was in the limelight, customers had the opportunity to enjoy dishes prepared by the two renowned chefs:Â
Chef Maite Hontiveros-Dittke; Dusseldorf, Germany and Chef Tani Morabe, Amsterdam. Along with Crowne Plaza’s  Chef Sido de Brabander.
Mango cocktail at the Philippines Flavours dinner,
The chefs use authentic ingredients form the various regions of the Philippines archipelago.
H.E. Ambassador Jaime Victor Ledda of the Philippines accompanied by his wife Gina Ledda and a group of invitees inaugurated Philippines Flavours weekend 2019 with dinner. Featuring on the menu were top Filipino dishes such as Lumpiang Sariwa, chicken sisig flakes. The main dish was Beef Adobo, braised short ribs in Mama Sita’s cane vinegar. Dessert Biko and much more.
Many customers came around over the weekend to sample the gorgeous Filipino flavours.
Philippines Flavours dinner’s VIP Table.
It is not the first time Ambassador Jaime V Ledda, an advocate of Filipino cuisine organize a food event. He did so two years ago with a project named “KULINARYA” at several locations in The Hague.
The Philippines Flavours weekend 2019 has been a tremendous success.
The Ambassador of The Philippines welcomed H.E. Ms. Haifa Aissami Madah, Ambassador of Venezuela to the Multilateral Organizations.
11-13 July 2019, Luanda, Republic of Angola: Germany’s pro tempore Federal Council President Daniel GĂĽnther, Premier of Schleswig-Holstein, led a high-ranking political delegation to Angola. Central topics of bilateral exchanges included the issues of decentralisation, local politics and the economy.
In the Angolan capital Luanda, Daniel GĂĽnther was received by the Angolan President JoĂŁo Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço.Â
The President of the Federal Council likewise encountered the President of the Angolan Parliament, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos, the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources, Diamantino Pedro Azevedo as well as the Minister of Defence, General Salviano de Jesus Sequeira.
The Angolan Minister of Culture, Maria da Piedade de Jesus, received the President of the Federal Council for an evening at the Museum of Anthropology [Museu Nacional de Antropologia]. Since 2018, the museum agreed to cooperate with the Ethnological Museum in Berlin and the Goethe-Institut in Angola.
In the picture Bundesrat President Daniel GĂĽnther and President Dr. Hage Geingob – Picture by Staatskanzlei Schleswig-Holstein.
13-18 July 2019, Republic of Namibia: Germany’s President of the National Council Daniel GĂĽnther, Premier of Schleswig-Holstein, was on an official visit to Namibia, was received the country’s head of state, President Hage Geingob at the Presidential Palace.
Their conversation was focused on investment opportunities for the German economy, and the framework conditions for them. Moreover the colonial past openly addressed by both sides as reported by President GĂĽnther.
Address by President GĂĽnther before the National Council of Namibia – Picture by Staatskanzlei Schleswig-Holstein.
For a common future, the past must be clarified between the parties. Germany’s official position is that the country holds a moral responsibility for the suffering it brought to Namibia as a colonial power.
Other high-ranking representatives of Namibia met with President Daniel Günther during a visit to parliament, including: Deputy Parliament President Loide L. Kasingo and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.
As a particular honour during his visit to Namibia, the President of the Federal Council, Daniel GĂĽnther, was the first foreign dignitary ever to address the National Council, Namibia’s upper parliamentary chamber. He stated relations with the equivalent of the Federal Council, and met its President Margaret Mensah-Williams. The National Council met for a special session on the occasion of GĂĽnther’s visit.
President GĂĽnther and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah – Picture by Staatskanzlei Schleswig-Holstein.
In his speech, President GĂĽnther once again touched on the common colonial history of the two countries. “The horrors that Germans perpetrated on the people of this country at the beginning of the 20th century – in particular on the Herero and Nama – remain unforgotten,” said GĂĽnther as per allocution’s transcription found below in the links. The consequences of the crimes of that time still have an effect today and Germany acknowledges this historical guilt. “Even though the term was only later backed by legal norms – the atrocities committed in the German name at that time were what would today be called genocide,” the President of the Bundesrat continued.Â
On the same day GĂĽnther laid flowers on the Memorial Park Cemetery in the coastal town of Swakopmund. During the Herero and Nama uprising from 1904 to 1908, the German colonial power operated a prison camp there.
In the picture Premier Laschet welcomes Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov and Ambassador Sergej Netschajew – Picture by Land NRW, Uta Wagner.
18-19 July 2019, NRW, Germany: For the first time since its foundation, the ‘Petersburg Dialogue’, one of the most important events of German-Russian civil societal cooperation, takes place in North Rhine-Westphalia.Â
Under this year’s theme “Cooperation as a Leitmotif for a Europe in Peace: Contributions from Civil Societies in Russia and Germany”, around 350 guests from all areas of German-Russian cooperation gather for the high-level conference held at Bonn and Königswinter. The two foreign ministers of the Federal Republic of Germany, Heiko Maas, and of the Russian Federation, Sergei Lavrov, attended the opening event on Thursday. After his arrival in Germany, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov initially met for bilateral talks with the Premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Armin Laschet, at Hotel Petersberg near Bonn.
Together with the two co-chairs of the Petersburg Dialogue, Ronald Pofalla and Viktor Subkov, Premier Armin Laschet received the guests at the Petersberg and delivered a greeting.Â
As per statement below Premier Armin Laschet remarked: “Following the 15th German-Russian City Twinning Conference, another of the largest and most important civil society cooperation events between Germany and Russia is now coming to North Rhine-Westphalia with the Petersburg Dialogue. This clearly shows that Germany’s cooperation with Russia is of great concern to us as a country in the heart of Europe. As a centre of competence for international politics, Bonn is an excellent location for the orientation of the Petersburg Dialogue”.
The ‘Petersburg Dialogue’was initiated in 2001 by then Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and President Vladimir Putin. Named after its first venue, St. Petersburg, it has since taken place in annual rotation in Germany and Russia. The aim of the St. Petersburg Dialogue is to intensify cooperation between Germany and Russia in all areas of civil society, to counteract prejudices in the perception of the other country and thus to give new impetus to German-Russian relations.
In the picture Laurent Boillot and Angelina Jolie – Image by Guerlain
8-9 July 2019, Paris, French Republic: Guerlain was honoured to welcome Brand Ambassador Angelina Jolie, the muse behind its Mon Guerlain fragrance. During her visit the Maison revealed the new Mon Guerlain campaign and celebrated, the upcoming launch of ‘Mon Guerlain Eau de Parfum Intense’, set to go on the market for the end of August.
Since 2017, Angelina Jolie has been the muse of Mon Guerlain, the Maison’s most recent feminine fragrance, created by the duo of Master Perfumer Thierry Wasser and Delphine Jelk, Guerlain’s Perfumer. On July 8th Guerlain President and CEO Laurent Boillot welcomed the actress for a press conference at the HĂ´tel de Crillon in Paris. During the event they unveiled the new Mon Guerlain film, shot by Emmanuel Lubezki at Angelina Jolie’s home in Cambodia.
Laurent Boillot and Angelina Jolie also announced a joint sustainable development project to protect bees in the Samlot area of northwestern Cambodia, working with local communities and drawing on the expertise of bee specialists that Guerlain has supported for over ten years.
His Excellency, Dr. Alireza Kazemi Abadi, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ambassador to the Netherlands, opened “Drawing Dreams”, an exhibition of Persian Calligraphy at the “Iran House ” on Wednesday, 17 July.
Ambassador Abadi warmly welcomed members of the diplomatic community, specially invited guests and other “friends of Iran,” who turned out in large numbers for the mid-summer event to admire numerous artworks by Azar Safari, Mahnaz Abedini and S. Kamal Mirkhalaf on display.
In the picture Mahnaz Abedini
During his brief introduction, he noted, that all of the calligraphic artworks being exhibited were created “locally” by Iranians and Dutch-Iranian artists residing in the Netherlands. He also mentioned that the exhibition is open through Monday, July 22nd and personally extended an invitation to his guests to invite family members and friends to pass by the “Iran House” to view the exhibition during the coming days.
Following H.E. Dr. Abadi’s welcome, Mr. M. K. Eshragh addressed the ambassador’s guests with a short history on the “Art of Calligraphy in Persia,” one of the nation’s oldest and most culturally significant forms of artistic expression. Calligraphy, in addition to being an artistic meaning put to paper, has been applied as a decorative element to architecture (mosques and shrines), metalwork, ceramics and, more recently, even textiles–both apparel and the decorative arts.
Eshragh specifically referenced the six major types of script, including the “Naskh”, in the Aglam-i-Setteh (The Six Styles of Writing) which was first codified by Ibn-Mogleh Beidhavi Shirazi. He also briefly referred to the twelve major design principles employed by calligraphers to interpret the styles of calligraphic script. Centuries later, Mr. Eshragh explained, as Persian calligraphy continued to develop as an art form, Mir Ali Heravi Trabrizi combined Naskh and Tali, two of the major scripts, and creating the elegant cursive Nas’taligh style which is still preferred—even today.
Azar Safari followed Eshragh’s address with a presentation titled, “Persian Calligraphy, From Being a Mean to a Meaning.” She focused on the beauty of the form of the written word, in Persian Calligraphy, emphasizing that form often supercedes meaning as a source of inspiration for artistic expression. She further elaborated on the three mains methods employed by calligraphers in creating a work and introduced her audience to the calligraphic concepts of Deformation, Exaggeration and Stylization.
Ambassador Kazami Abadi and his family.
Calligrapher S. Kamal Mirkhalaf, who also serves as Counsellor to the Iran’s mission in the Netherlands, has been particularly inspired by his time in the the international city of justice and peace. His work “Dream Lands,” a poetic conception of the beauty of two civilizations (Iran and the Netherlands) employs both the “Nas’taliq” and “Shekasteh Nas’taliq” styles, which he juxtaposed with a colorful painting evocative of a Dutch landscape in spring. “Dream Lands” received considerable attention and admiration from Ambassador Abadi’s guests as the theme was particularly fitting for the occasion.
S. Kamal Mirkhalaf.
Mirkhalaf’s poem, equally inspired by both countries, is, in part, a tribute to the iconic “Peace Palace” and all that it represents to humankind. As such, “Dream Lands” incorporated a fascinating representation of the “Peace Palace” in an calligraphic, artistic and poetic form.
The ambassador’s program concluded with a short performance of traditional Iranian music, refreshments and hors d’oeuvres. It was a beautiful summer evening and many guests lingered, exchanging pleasantries before the beautiful artworks on display.
Effective 20 August 2019, the Open Society Foundations’ (OSF) novel Chief of Staff shall be Nicole Wilett, in a newly created position. Wilett shall lead the foundations’ work on public policy and advocacy, and advise the president on new programmatic ideas and initiatives as per statement below.Â
According to the OSF’s press release, Wilett has extensive experience in international democracy and governance, human rights, development, and security issues. She joins the OSF from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she worked as deputy director for programme advocacy and communications, leading global strategies promoting gender equality and improved family planning policies.Â
Previously, she served as senior vice president for Africa at the Albright Stonebridge Group and a senior professional staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She served twice as director for African Affairs at the National Security Council during the Obama administration, and was senior advisor and chief of staff at the U.S. Embassy in South Africa as part of her long tenure at the U.S. Department of State.Â
Before joining the State Department, Wilett worked for the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. She has an MPA from Indiana University, where she also concentrated in African studies, and a BA from Syracuse University in psychology and women’s studies.
Open Society Foundations (OSF) is an international grant-funding global network that was founded by Hungarian-born, US entrepreneur George Soros. It provides pecuniary support vis-Ă -vis civil society groups around the world, with a stated aim of advancing justice, education, public health and independent media inspired by the philosophy of the late Austro-British philosopher Sir Karl Popper, or rather his literary œuvre ‘The Open Society and its Enemies’.Â
An organised crime group involved in extended online fraud and money laundering in several European countries was targeted by the Irish and Finish national authorities with Eurojust’s support.
A coordinated investigative and prosecutorial strategy was agreed at Eurojust, which enabled the speedy execution of mutual legal assistance requests between the countries concerned to advance their investigations, as well as the collection and exchange of evidence to ensure solid prosecution.
3 suspects were convicted in Finland for aggravated money laundering and forgery, with sentences of between 1 year and 2 years and 3 months. Another 9 suspects were arrested in Ireland. Five people were charged, one of whom pleaded guilty. The remaining four were remanded in custody pending trial. The estimated amount of the illegal proceeds laundered by the criminal group exceeds €3 million.
The members of the organised crime group (OCG) used fabricated online platforms to offer to unknowing customers non-existent goods, including luxury cars, tractors, expensive jewellery and watches, or services, such as accommodation.
To receive the online payments from the victims, the criminals created numerous bank accounts in Ireland and Finland, using forged documentation, inter alia identity cards, passports, working permits, rental contracts and utility bills. When the transactions were concluded, the suspects transferred the payments to other bank accounts and withdrew the money from cashpoints in various European countries.
Following several searches by the Garda SĂochána (Ireland’s National Police Service) and the Finnish Border Guard and Police in both countries, a large number of items were seized, including fake documentation, equipment for document forgery, laptops and cash. Europol assisted the national authorities in the cross-checking of data and identification of the victims of the fraud.
The OCG members are suspected of participation in a criminal organisation, fraud, money laundering, forgery of documents and registration offences. The national investigations are ongoing.
The Principals of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism), President, Judge Carmel Agius, Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz, and Registrar Olufemi Elias, participated last June in a conference entitled “Stop Genocide and Holocaust Denial” in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
All three Principals delivered keynote remarks as part of the conference opening session, which also included a video message from Mr. Adama Dieng, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide.Â
The conference, was organised by the Association of Victims and Witnesses of Genocide and The Mother’s Action of the Srebrenica Ĺ˝epa Enclave. It was the fourth in a series of conferences dealing with various aspects of adjudicating and coming to terms with acts of genocide at the domestic and international level. Building on the work of the previous conferences, this year’s event focused on the theme of genocide denial, bringing together legal professionals, academics, representatives of the media and the non-governmental sector, as well as victims, witnesses and survivors of genocide, and others.  Â
During his keynote remarks President Agius condemned the recent acts of Republika Srpska in setting up commissions on the Srebrenica genocide and seeking to rewrite the history of those tragic events. The President outlined four ways to tackle denial and revisionism, emphasising the importance of bringing perpetrators of genocide to justice through international and domestic courts, enhancing the role of politicians and members of civil society in championing the truth, reforming the education system, and taking steps to criminalise the denial of genocide. Â
He concluded by stating: “We must leave no stone unturned in our efforts to isolate the deniers. They will continue to lie but, in time, through our efforts they will be diminished. History is on the side of justice, and we will prevail.”Â
Prosecutor Brammertz addressed the status of national prosecutions of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, the work of the Office of the Prosecutor in support of those efforts, and the ongoing challenge of denial and glorification of war criminals. He recalled that over the last several years he had reported to the United Nations Security Council about the alarming rise of denial and glorification.
He noted, “The uncomfortable truth is that the situation today is worse than in many years because very few within and outside the region have reacted and drawn a line.” Prosecutor Brammertz emphasised that the facts of the crimes committed were established by the ICTY and are beyond dispute. He concluded his remarks by saying: “This situation cannot be tolerated anymore. The denial of crimes and glorification of war criminals must be stopped. I firmly believe that today, there is no more important task ahead of us.”
Finally, in discussing the Mechanism’s role in preserving and protecting the legacy of the ICTY, Registrar Elias emphasised the importance of facilitating public access to the Tribunal’s legacy as one safeguard against the denial of genocide and other crimes. By underscoring the need to understand, respect and preserve the events of the past on the basis of established facts, he further noted: “Preserving this legacy also means having the responsibility to ensure that the findings contained in the thousands of pages of judgements, witness testimonies and evidence, are not lost to false narratives.” He concluded his remarks by stating: “Memory, aided by facts, established beyond reasonable doubt, accessible to everyone, is our best shield against denial and revisionism.”
As part of their visit to Sarajevo, the Principals of the Mechanism held a joint diplomatic briefing for members of the diplomatic community accredited to BiH and representatives of international organisations. During the briefing, which was attended by some 45 members of the diplomatic corps, the Principals provided an update on the Mechanism’s ongoing work and activities.Â
