Monday, 25 March 2019, Paris, French Republic: German and French parliamentarians have set up their own joint parliamentary body after a ceremonious signing of a convention between the Bundestag’s Speaker Wolfgang Schäuble and the President of the French National Assembly, Richard Ferrand. 

In total 50 deputies from Germany and 50 from France partook for the first time in a joint parliamentary session at the Salle Lamartine, a committee hall located at the Palais Bourbon. 

The project meant to drive forward European integration is the first concrete step taken since the Treaty of Aachen/Aix-la-Chappelle was inked on 22 January 2019. Substantial debates are to be focused on a citizens’ fund, language exchanges and promotion or border-crossing collaboration. 

Altogether 14 parliamentary fractions will be represented at joint sessions, six Germans and eight French. A initial topic of contention was the common “European” seat at the UN Security Council, whereby some Germans call upon France to forfeit their own seat to pave the way for one for the European Union. 

According to the parliamentary agreement the new assembly is to come together twice per annum. They are able to issue influential yet non-binding resolutions upon their governments. 

For further information:

French National Assembly: http://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/presse/espace-presse/communiques-de-presse/mars-2019#node_57707

Main image by Assemblee nationale de France

Franco-German Treaty with UN ambitions

« 70 ans de relations diplomatiques belgo-indonésiennes : renforcer davantage la coopération entre les deux peuples »

In the picture H.E. Mr. Yuri Thamrin Indonesian Ambassador.

Savez-vous que cette année l’Indonésie et la Belgique fêtent le 70^e anniversaire de leurs relations diplomatiques ? Au fil des années, des liens d’amitié se sont profondément tissés entre les deux pays qui se reflètent dans plusieurs domaines d’activités. Les relations entre les deux pays ont débuté depuis 1947 lorsque Dr. Paul Van Zeeland, alors sénateur coopté, a été choisi comme membre du « Comité des Trois Nations », aux côtés de l’Australien Richard Kirby et de l’Américain Dr. Frank P. Graham, dans le cadre des bons offices pour le règlement du conflit entre l’Indonésie et les Pays-Bas.   

À l’occasion de la commémoration du 70^e anniversaire des relations diplomatiques entre le Royaume de Belgique et la république d’Indonésie, l’Ambassade d’Indonésie à Bruxelles organise une série d’événements importants, le premier s’est tenu le 30 mars dernier, sous forme de réunion rassemblant les citoyens belges auxquels le gouvernement indonésien avait attribué depuis 2011 divers programmes de bourse leur permettant d’effectuer une visite organisée en Indonésie.

Ainsi, parmi les 80 anciens boursiers, certains ont pu bénéficié d’une bourse appelée« Darmawiswa » pour étudier la langue indonésienne et des danses traditionnelles dans différentes universités du pays ; d’autres ont pu bénéficier d’une bourse pour participé soit à un programme d’études d’art et culture indonésiens, soit à la Conférence des étudiants du Bali Democracy Forum ou bien à un voyage de familiarisation vers des destinations touristiques en Indonésie. Enfin un programme de bourse a également été proposé à des citoyens belges mais aussi à des responsables du Parlement européen, dans le cadre d’échanges et dialogues interconfessionnels.

L’Ambassadeur indonésien, Yuri O. Thamrin, a tenu à préciser durant cette réunion, l’importance de renforcer la coopération bilatérale surtout au sein de la jeune génération, ceci conformément au slogan de la commémoration, « Allons plus loin ensemble ». Cette réunion a été un véritable moment aussi bien de partage et d’exploration de nouvelles idées et contributions apportées par les anciens boursiers du gouvernement indonésien.

Certaines d’entre elles sont intéressantes à noter notamment la coopération entre l’Université Udayana de Bali et l’Université de Liège, basée sur accord de partenariat, concernant les recherches effectuées sur la population des macaques de la région d’Uluwatu à Bali. Des boursiers ont mis en valeur d’autres aspects de l’Indonésie, comme son image pluralistique, ainsi que les produits pouvant valoriser le pays dont la qualité de son cacao.  

Toujours dans cet état d’esprit de renforcer une étroite collaboration belge-indonésienne, d’autres activités seront ouvertes au public cette année sous forme de séminaires, de promotions culturelles, d’expositions de photos, de forum des affaires, et le tout clôturé par une réception diplomatique.

Plus de renseignments :

Ambassade d’Indonesie en Belgique et Luxembourg, S.E. l’Ambassadeur Yuri Octavian THAMRIN:https://www.kemlu.go.id/brussels/en/default.aspx

By Guido Lanfranchi.

After a long campaign, the Global Coalition against ISIS declared that the Islamic State has been militarily defeated. Yet, the organization will continue to pose a threat in the Middle East and beyond, and efforts to counter their narrative and actions are still very much needed – the Coalition warned.

At the end of March 2019, the years-long campaign to deprive the Islamic State of its hold on territory in the area across the Syrian-Iraqi border finally came to an end. The campaign has been jointly managed by a coalition of 74 countries and 5 international organization, named the Global Coalition against ISIS, in cooperation with the Iraqi Security Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which have been operating on the ground on the two sides of the Syrian-Iraqi border. Since the beginning of the operations in 2014, over 111.000 square kilometres of territory have been freed from the Islamic State’s control, thus taking 7.7 million people out of the group’s control – official data provided by the Coalition show.

In the wake of the liberation of Baghouz by the SDF, British Major General Christopher Ghika, Deputy Commander of Strategy and Information for the Coalition, exposed the Coalition’s view to the press. While welcoming the military defeat of the Islamic State and its deprivation of controlled territory, Maj. Gen. Ghika warned that “this is not the end of them [the Islamic State], nor of the military campaign against them”. As it has been denied territorial control, the Islamic State is now set to turn into an underground movement – he noted, warning that such development would still pose a major threat to countries in the region and beyond, as the group is expected to still rely on around one thousand active fighters. 

As a result – Maj. Gen. Ghika announced – the Coalition will not stop its efforts. First of all, the countries active in the Coalition will continue to support, not least through direct military training, both the Iraqi Security Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces, in order to ensure that local forces will be able to fight any threat that might emanate from the Islamic State’s cells in the two countries. To this end, the Coalition will keep a certain number of troops on the ground – Maj. Gen. Ghika noted, although declining to specify any figure in this regard.

The continued engagement of the Coalition will be broader than its military training – Maj- Gen. Ghika stressed. He underlined the importance of countering the narrative of the Islamic State, with a view on winning the hearts and minds of the group’s silent supporters. In addition to that, he noted that work will be needed to disrupt the international network supporting the group, as well as to ensure that displaced people will be able to return to their homes. 

Moreover, much work will need to be done to ensure that those who have committed crimes will be held accountable. Currently, a large number of fighters and civilians associated with the Islamic State is being held in Syria. As among these fighters there are several foreign nationals, it will be important to reach an international consensus on how to deal with the cases of these people – Maj. Gen. Ghika said, stressing however that the decision to readmit or not foreign fighters in their countries of origin will depend on the will of sovereign national governments.

In the wake of the military defeat of the Islamic State, many challenges still lie ahead, and the Global Coalition against ISIS will have to face the hard task of trying to tackle them.

By Guido Lanfranchi.

In the wake of meetings with representatives from both the Venezuelan opposition and Russia, U.S. Special Representative Elliott Abrams blamed the government of Nicolás Maduro and its supporters for the crisis in Venezuela. The United States – he announced – will continue to push for the restoration of democracy in the country.

As the situation of Venezuela continues to be characterized by the power struggle between Mr. Nicolás Maduro and Mr. Juan Guaidó, this political clash has implication on the international diplomatic scene too. The international community remains split on the political crisis faced by Venezuela: on the one hand, 54 countries, led by the United States and the Lima Group, have recognized the legitimacy of interim President Guaidó; on the other hand, other countries around the world, including powerful states such as Russia and China, continue to consider the government of President Maduro as the legitimate one. While the positions of these countries remain distant, diplomats from both sides are currently attempting to jointly address the situation in Venezuela, as proved by the recent talks between Senior U.S. and Russian officials in Rome.

While the positions of these countries remain distant, diplomats from both sides are currently attempting to jointly address the situation in Venezuela, as proved by the recent talks between Senior U.S. and Russian officials in Rome.

In the wake of the Rome talks, Mr. Elliott Abrams, U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela, addressed the press to explain the U.S. administration’s position on the situation in the country. Touching upon the situation in Venezuela, Mr. Abrams regretted the continuation of the blackouts that have been recently affecting the country, defining them as “a symbol of the mismanagement that the Maduro regime is responsible for”. He went on by accusing the government of weaponizing and politicizing the humanitarian aid distributed in Venezuela, as well as of ensuring the loyalty of the army through a mix of fear and clientelism.

Special Representative Abrams continued by outlining the U.S. strategy in Venezuela. He reiterated that the only aim of the United States is “supporting the Venezuelan people in their desire to get rid of the Maduro regime and return Venezuela to democracy”. In doing so – he pledged – the U.S. will continue to back interim President Juan Guaidó, as shown by the recent meeting held by Guaidó’s wife, Ms. Fabiana Rosales, with U.S. President Trump and Vice President Pence. Moreover, the U.S. will continue to insist for the delivery of humanitarian aid in the country – Mr. Abrams noted, dubbing as “ridiculous” the narrative portraying the U.S. aid as malign interference.

As for the relations between the U.S. administration and the Maduro government, Special Representative Abrams underlined that past attempts to negotiate with Mr. Maduro did not lead to any steps forward for the country. Therefore, “the only thing to negotiate with Maduro is his terms of departure” – he claimed, stressing that the U.S. administration will continue with its strategy of applying pressure on Mr. Maduro through sanctions. Questioned about the potential negative effects of such sanctions on the Venezuelan population, Mr. Abrams underlined that the economic crisis affecting Venezuela dates back to well before the recently-imposed U.S. sanctions, thus fully blaming the government for the current situation.

After blaming the government of Mr. Maduro, Special Representative Abrams went on by pointing the finger at its international supporters, chiefly Russia. He condemned Russia for its support to the government of Mr. Maduro, accusing Russian authorities of being interested in protecting the money owed by Venezuela to Russia, without caring about the Venezuelan people. Moreover, Mr. Abrams condemned the recent arrival of military flights from Russia to Venezuela, describing such actions as “counterproductive for any solution”. However, he noted that the discussions between the U.S. and Russia on Venezuela continue, including at a very high-level, with the direct involvement of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Finally, Special Representative Abrams voiced its concern for the arrest of Mr. Roberto Marrero, Guaidó’s chief of staff, pointing at it as an example of the increasing repression perpetrated by the government of Mr. Maduro. Speaking about the potential challenges faced by interim President Guaidó himself, Mr. Abrams warned that “the regime will pay an enormous price for doing anything to Interim President Guaidó, not just diplomatically but internally from the Venezuelan people”, and expressed his hope that the Venezuelan government will decide not undertake any such measures. 

Until now, the U.S. has decided to employ economic, political, diplomatic, and financial pressure to address the situation in Venezuela – Special Representative Abrams argued. Yet – he specified – all options remain on the table, as recently remarked by U.S. President Trump. As the situation in Venezuela evolves, international dynamics are set to play a key role in shaping the course of events.