Friday, 22 March 2019, Santiago, Republic of Chile: the 36th President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera Echenique, hosted a summit for his counterparts hailing from Argentina; Mauricio Macri; Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro; Colombia, Iván Duque Márquez; Ecuador, Lenín Moreno; Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez; Guyana, David Granger as well as Peru, Martín Vizcarra.
Chile and Colombia have led the imputus for the new ‘Prosur’ political grouping after criticism that a previous bloc, Unasur, failed to take action on crisis-stricken Venezuela. In the “Santiago Declaration” inked in the leaders vowed to create a bloc open to any country, regardless of political ideology, to collaborate on solving regional problems, as long as they hold “a firm and clear commitment to democracy, freedom and respect for human rights”.
Boliva, Uruguay and Surinam despatched also emissaries to the summit that had been announced in January 2019 by Chilean President Piñera as “a South American coordination mechanism for public policies, in defense of democracy, the independence of powers, the economy of markets, the social agenda, with sustainability and with due application”
Togo – Slovenia – Picture by Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ljubljana, Republic of Slovenia: Togo’s Ambassador to Germany, H.E. Michel Bayédzè Dagoh, was co-accredited to the Republic of Slovenia after being received by the latter country’s President Borut Pahor.
The bilateral conversation that ensued focused on economic diplomacy, and ways to actively increase Togolese-Slovenian ties.
Concretely during his stay in Ljubljana, in February 2019, Michel Bayédzè Dagoh held a meeting at the Slovenian Foreign Ministry and furthermore sat down with the Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce of Slovenia which is connected to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Togo (CCIT) through an agreement of cooperation concluded in 2016.
In a rapid intervention, coordinated by Eurojust, the Hungarian authorities have arrested a high- profile target suspected of committing terrorist activities in Syria, linked to the so-called Islamic State. Essential to the arrest was the exchange of crucial information by the Belgian judicial authorities to their Hungarian colleagues via Eurojust, the EU’s Judicial Cooperation Unit.
The operation was concluded quickly by Eurojust’s Hungarian and Belgian National Members, who worked on-call arranging translation and the sharing of information within 24 hours. This quick intervention prevented the immanent return of the suspect from to Greece by the Hungarian migration authorities. The suspect had refugee status in Greece.
The 27-year-old Syrian national is suspected of active involvement in the killing of twenty persons. He was detained at Budapest Airport on 30 December 2018, and was imprisoned for using forged travel documents both for him and for his female partner. Due to the evidence from Belgium, the suspect can now be held by the Hungarian authorities on suspicion of committing terrorist activities.
Minister Lucia Puttrich, Picture by Hessische Landesvertretung.
Thursday-Friday, 20-22 March 2019: Hesse’s regional government consented to a partnership with the autonomous province of Vojvodina in Serbia. To the latter goal Minister of Federal and European Affairs of Hesse, Lucia Puttrich, travelled to Novi Sad, Vojvodina’s capital. Minister Puttrich was duly received by Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, her Serbian counterpart for European Affairs, Jadranka Joksimović as well as Igor Mirović, Premier of the Autonomous Province Vojvodina.
Since 2012 the Hessian Diet (Landtag) entertains a regional partnership with the parliament of Vojvodina. Hessian Premier Volker Bouffier paid an official visit to Serbia in 2017. Premier Bouffier’s coalition government supports Serbian membership into the EU, nonetheless, it shares the view that the path to membership still requires a lot of reforms to be implemented.
Minister Puttrich took the opportunity to pay her respects at Bački Jarak memorial. After World War II many members of the German ethnic minority were incarcerated and starve to death or succumbed to disease.
Former Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic sentenced to life in prison
By Roy Lie Atjam.
The Hague, 20 March 2019- In 2016, Radovan Karadzic was found guilty of genocide and war crimes by a UN tribunal and was given a 40-year prison sentence. Karadzic has subsequently appealed the court’s decision.
The Hague, 20 March 2019, Radovan Karadzic, dressed in a dark suit and red tie, was
led into court by U.N. guards and confirmed to the presiding judge that he
would be able to follow the proceedings in a language he understood.
The Appeals Chamber of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals comprised of the following judges:
Judge Vagn Prüsse Joensen, presiding
Judge William Hussein Sekule,
Judge José Ricardo de Prada Solaesa,
Judge Graciela Susana Gatti Santana and Judge Ivo Nelson de Caires Batista Rosa, on 20 March 2019, delivered its judgement on the appeals filed by Mr. Radovan Karadžić and the Prosecution against the judgement rendered on 24 March 2016 by a Trial Chamber of the ICTY.
The appeal chamber of the above mentioned court has
rejected the appeal by former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and has increased
his sentence to life in prison. The
tribunal ruled that his initial sentence
was too light.
The Mothers of Srebrenica
activist group, survivors of the war and others, cheered
jubilantly at hearing the court’s decision when the life sentence pronounced.
The exuberating sentiments could be felt throughout the entire courtroom. The
activist groups and other well-wishers all applauded
and exchanged hugs and kisses. However, Mr. Radovan Karadzic upon hearing the court’s decision, remained
somewhat emotionless.
As observed by an institution, the 20th March 2019 has been marked
as an historical day in many ways, that impunity for crimes against humanity
will not escape justice and human dignity will be upheld.
Here is a link to a statement by the Prosecutor on the occasion of Karadžić Appeals Judgement This is not an official document. http://www.irmct.org/en
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejects in the strongest terms the new escalation in the US behaviour against Cuba.
Statement by H.E. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba.
The US State Department announced today the decision to allow, as from March 19 this
year, the filing of lawsuits before US courts under Title III of the Helms-Burton Act only
against Cuban companies included in the List of Restricted Entities issued by that
government on November of 2017, which was updated one year later. This arbitrary
and illegitimate list, intended to tighten the blockade and expand its extraterritorial
effects, forbids US citizens from engaging in direct financial transactions with the
aforementioned entities.
The announcement made by the US State Department also indicated that it would
suspend only for 30 days the possibility to initiate legal action with the same purposes
against other Cuban entities or foreign companies which maintain commercial or
economic relations with Cuba.
Since its entry into force in 1996, the Helms-Burton Act has sought to universalize the
economic blockade through brutal and illegal pressures exerted by the United States
against third countries, their governments and companies. It is intended to suffocate
the Cuban economy and generate or increase shortages among the population with the
purpose of imposing in Cuba a government that serves the interests of the US.
Given the illegitimate character of the goals they pursue, which are contrary to
International Law, the Helms-Burton Act and the blockade arouse universal rejection,
which has been reiterated for almost three decades at the most important regional and
international fora. The most recent example of that was the United Nations General
Assembly meeting held on November 1, when said policy was rejected through 10
consecutive votes, thus leaving the US in complete isolation.
Title II of the Helms-Burton Act states that the overthrowing of the revolutionary
government, the subsequent tutelage by a US interventor and the ultimate
establishment of a counterrevolutionary government subordinated to Washington
would unequivocally pursue the return or compensation to former owners for all the
properties they or their descendants might claim, regardless of whether or not they were
US citizens at the moment when nationalizations took place or the fact that they
abandoned them. During all that period, the economic blockade would continue to be
fully implemented.
Consequently, Cubans would be forced to return, reimburse or pay to US claimants for
the house where they live, the area on which their communities are built, the arable
land where they farm their products, the school where their children are educated, the
hospital or polyclinic where they receive medical assistance, the place where their
workplace is located or where they have a private business, and also for subsidized
services such as electricity, water, and communications enjoyed by the population.
This is an aspiration that can only be conceived by the minds of those who identify
Cuba s a colonial possession. According to the Helms-Burton Act, the economic
blockade would be lifted only when that ambition is fulfilled.
This law relies on two fundamental lies: the notion that nationalizations carried out soon
after the triumph of the Revolutionary were illegitimate or inappropriate and that Cuba is
a threat to the US national security.
Cuban nationalizations were carried out in accordance with the law, strictly abiding by
the Constitution and in conformity with International Law. All nationalizations included
processes of fair and appropriate compensation, something that the US government
refused to consider. Cuba reached and honored global compensation agreements with
other nations which are today investing in Cuba, such as Spain, Switzerland, Canada,
United Kingdom, Germany and France.
The real threat against regional peace and security are the irresponsible declarations
and actions of the US government as well as the destabilizing plans against Latin
America and the Caribbean aimed at pursuing the stated purpose of imposing the
Monroe Doctrine.
The Reaffirmation of Cuban Dignity and Sovereignty Act of December 24, 1996, states
that the Helms-Burton Act is illegal, inapplicable and has no legal value or effect
whatsoever. It considers null and void any claim under that law by any natural or
juridical person.
According to that law, claims for compensation for nationalized properties could be part
of a process of negotiation on the based on equality, mutual respect between the
governments of Cuba and the United States, and be “reviewed together with the
indemnifications the Cuban State and people are entitled to as a result of the damages
caused by the blockade and aggressions of every sort, of which the US government is
responsible”. It also makes it clear that those who resort to procedures or mechanisms
under the Helms-Burton Act to the detriment of others shall be excluded from possible
future negotiations.
The Cuban Government reiterates to all economic partners and foreign companies
operating in Cuba that full guarantees will be granted to foreign investments and joint
projects. Article 28 of the Cuban Constitution, which was ratified by an overwhelming
majority on February 24, 2019, also recognizes those guarantees, which are also
included in Law No. 118 on Foreign Investments of March 29, 2014.
Today’s decision imposes additional obstacles to our economic development and
progress goals, but the United States will keep on failing to achieve its main purpose of
submitting by force the sovereign will of Cubans and our determination to build
socialism. The majority feelings of the peoples of Cuba and the United States in favor of
improving relations and establishing a civilized and respectful coexistence shall prevail.
Havana, March 4, 2019.
Information:
http://www.minrex.gob.cu/es/cuba-strongly-rejects-new-aggressive-escalation-united- states
The book ‘Romualdo Locatelli, Eternal Green under an Eternal Sun’ was presented at the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague on 18 March.
Following biographies on G.P. Adolfs, W.G. Hofker, and W.C.C. Bleckmann, the well-known author Gianni Orsini MSc. spent five years of extensive research on Romualdo Locatelli. Orsini presented the newly published book to H.E. Mr. I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Kingdom of The Netherlands, who has written the Foreword to the biography.
For four years, from 1939 until his tragic disappearance at the age of 37, the Italian painter Romualdo Locatelli lived and worked in the former Dutch East Indies and the Philippines. Although his paintings from Java and Bali are by far his rarest and thus most expensive and sought-after works, previous biographies have mainly described and illustrated Locatelli’s Italian and North African experiences and oeuvre. The 1994 Memoirs of Erminia Locatelli Rogers (1908-2005), the artist’s widow, have been the sole relevant guideline to his Southeast Asian fortunes and misfortunes. Mr. Didier Hamel, who published these Memoirs, has written a Preface to the current book.
‘Romualdo Locatelli, Eternal Green under an Eternal Sun’ is the first-ever biography to focus in detail on the final four years of Locatelli’s brief yet eventful existence. It tells the story of a painter who reached fullest artistic bloom in the turbulent period when Southeast Asia was plunged into World War II, who tragically and mysteriously disappeared there, and thus, during the following 75 years, attained a status that evolved to mythological proportions.
‘Romualdo Locatelli, Eternal Green under an Eternal Sun’ by Gianni Orsini includes images of several paintings by Locatelli which have not been seen since the end of World War II. One of these, a Balinese oil painting entitled ‘Smoking’, will be auctioned on 31 March 2019, during the Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art Evening Sale at Sotheby’s Hong Kong.
In the picture H.E. Mr. Kevin Kelly, Ambassador of Ireland in the Netherlands.
By Roy Lie Atjam.
St.Patrick’s Day or Paddy’s Day as it is also known was celebrated this
weekend, not only in Ireland but worldwide. For instance, in the USA, it is the
custom that the Chicago River is dyed green, the national colour of Ireland.
St Patrick is about inclusiveness, in fact, it is alleged that the most
famous Irishman was a born and bred in the UK (Welshman)
Here in The Hague, H.E. Mr. Kevin Kelly, Ambassador of Ireland in the Netherlands hosted an official St. Patrick’s Day reception in the Grote Kerk on 14th March 2019. The reception was held a few days ahead of the actual date, 17th March.
The guest of honor was the Hon. Michael D’Arcy TD, who is Minister
of State at the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure
and Reform with special responsibility for Financial Services and Insurance.
The festive ambiance was felt by all in attendance at the Grote Kerk. The
program included Irish dance and music, sampling of Irish food and a steady
flow of the “black stuff,” Guinness, Ireland’s world-renowned
national drink. Hundreds of Irish nationals, Dutch dignitaries and a large
number of Ambassador Kelly’s colleagues came by to congratulate him on this
special day.
The speakers at the Irish festivities that evening were Ambassador Kevin
Kelly and the guest of honor the Irish Minister of State, Hon. Mr. Michael
D’Arcy TD.
A resume of Ambassador
Kevin Kelly’s welcome remarks follow hereby.
Ladies and
gentlemen, may I begin by wishing you all a Céad Míle Fáilte, or, a hundred
thousand welcomes.
It is a great honour to host you at this, my third St Patrick’s Day in the Netherlands. And my first in the wonderful venue that is the Grote Kerk. I am particularly pleased to have as our guest of honour, Mr Michael D’Arcy TD who is Minister of State at the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with special responsibility for Financial Services and Insurance.
St Patrick’s Day , Grote Kerk in The Hague.
As a strong
champion of honesty, accountability and integrity in public life, it is fitting
that we are hosting the Minister this evening in a Church (Grote Kerk). Perhaps
however it is even more fitting for a Minister with responsibility for
financial matters to be addressing you from this small stage carefully
positioned in front of the figure of Prudence! Yet again we are a little ‘ahead
of ourselves’ this year, in that our national day, St. Patrick’s Day, actually
takes place on Sunday the 17th of March. Given however that throughout the
world the day has stretched into a weekend, and even a week – we decided to
hold our reception this evening – to allow you make an early start into what
promises to be an excellent weekend in celebration of all that is good about
our country.
And speaking
of Britain and St. Patrick’s Day, a simple illustration of how the annual
celebration of Irish culture and identity has become a means of transcending
narrow national boundaries you might be interested to hear that it was in fact
my good colleague Ambassador Peter Wilson (UK) who actually launched the 2019
festivities in The Hague with a small St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the
British Embassy yesterday evening. Thank you for that gesture Peter which I see
as a tangible expression of the binding connections, the enduring warmth and
the close, almost family, relationships that will continue to flourish between
the neighbouring islands, despite the political turbulence of a changing
political landscape in the European Union.
Between The
Hague and Amsterdam, it will be a weekend of celebration – both for the growing
Irish diaspora in this country (now estimated to be 10,000) and for our many
Dutch and international friends who proudly wear the green and become part of
our Gaelic family at least once every year! St Patrick’s Day is all about
connection. It is an opportunity to connect with our more than 70 million
diaspora around the world. It offers us the chance to acknowledge how the
Ireland of today is being shaped and invigorated by new diaspora communities
from all over the world – One in every six people living in Ireland today was
born abroad. And therefore St. Patrick’s Day provides an opportunity to
reinforce Ireland’s connection with the world, as a truly global island.
I know Minister D’Arcy will say some more
about this topic during his remarks.
We fully
recognise that the role that our membership of the EU has played in Ireland’s
journey towards becoming what our Taoiseach now calls “a small island at the
centre of the world”. Without our positive engagement in the EU, Ireland would
not have made the progress it has in recent years. This is partly why opinion
polls consistently show huge support in Ireland for our EU membership. Although
we remain disappointed by the decision of the UK to leave the EU and have
concerns about the risks that Brexit poses both to our economy, and more
importantly our peace process, we have been heartened by the steadfast support
and solidarity we have experienced from right across the European Union,
especially here in The Netherlands, in making sure that the Irish issues have
remained front and centre of the negotiation process.
As we prepare for the departure of the United
Kingdom from the European Union, much remains uncertain. But what is certain is
that the Government remains steadfastly committed to the compromises enshrined
in that transformative Good Friday Agreement of 1998. In our efforts to prevent
a hard border in Ireland, we have drawn on strong solidarity from the
Netherlands and from our other partners in the European Union. For that, thank
you.
One hundred
years ago, on 19th January, 1919, a small group of people gathered in Dublin’s
Mansion House to convene the first meeting of Dail Éireann, the first truly
democratic and freely elected Irish parliament. The meeting lasted under two
hours. But changed forever the course of Irish history. Amongst three seminal
documents agreed that afternoon was ‘‘A message to the free nations of the
world’’. Outward looking and ambitious, just as Ireland is today, it proclaimed
that: “Internationally, Ireland is the gateway of the Atlantic. Ireland is the
last outpost of Europe towards the West: Ireland is the point upon which great
trade routes between East and West converge: her independence is demanded by
the Freedom of the Seas: her great harbours must be open to all nations” The
message of that first Dail was intended, above all, for the many influential
members of our diaspora, notably those in Europe and the USA. In asserting the
global outlook of our small nation, the message is equally relevant for where
we find ourselves today.
We hope that you will enjoy a small taste of
Irish hospitality this evening – listening to Irish music, sampling some of our
food and drinks – and shortly, we will have a small treat for you – with a
demonstration of Irish dancing performed by the very talented Kilkenny School
of Irish Dance from right here in The Hague! St Patrick symbolises much of what
is great about our land and our people. The triumph over adversity, the
wandering spirit, the global outreach, the peace that we have for so long
yearned in Ireland, a peace that we so jealously guard. It is in that spirit
that I wish to raise a toast to the King and people of the Netherlands, to their
Irish and other international guests, and to the growing friendship between all
of our countries.
Then, Ambassador Kevin Kelly proudly announced the next speaker with the following words: it is my great pleasure to hand over to my guest of honour, Minister Michael D’Arcy.
In the picture United States Special Representative for Ukraine, Ambassador Kurt Volker.
By Guido Lanfranchi.
On the fifth anniversary of Russia’s claimed annexation of Crimea, the
United States reiterated its full support to Ukraine. The U.S. Special
Representative for Ukraine, Ambassador Kurt Volker, called on Russia to resume
negotiation in good faith to find a way out of the current impasse.
It was on March 18th, 2018, that, in the wake
of the referendum on the status of Crimea, the Russian Federation formally
declared the annexation of Crimea. Five years later, the issue of Crimea
remains a hot topic in international politics.
On March 18th, 2019, the United States’ Special Representative for Ukraine, Ambassador Kurt Volker, briefed the press on the situation in Ukraine, as well as on the stance of the U.S. and its partners. Ambassador Volker strongly condemned Russia’s annexation, as well as the “substantial clampdown on political rights and freedoms” that followed it. He noticed that five years into the conflict, the situation has not improved: the status of Crimea remains contested, the fighting in eastern Ukraine continues, and confrontations are erupting also in the Kerch Strait.
Ambassador Volker reiterated the U.S. position of full support to Ukraine’s territorial integrity, in full respect of the principle established by the Helsinki agreement of 1975, which prohibit the seizure of territory by means of force. He underlined the international community’s rejection of Russia’s claim, and he welcomed the concerted efforts of the U.S., Canada, and the European Union in applying pressure on Moscow through economic sanctions.
In a moment in which a solution does not seem in sight – Ambassador Volker noted – the international community should not give the impression that the situation can be normalized, and the pressure on Russia will be released only when Moscow will resume negotiations in good faith.
In the meanwhile – Ambassador Volker reiterated – the
U.S. fully stands behind Ukraine, and is ready to support the Ukrainian
government not only via diplomatic channels, but also militarily. While a
number of weapons and military systems have already been delivered to Ukraine,
Ambassador Volker did not exclude that more supplies could come in the future.
However, he also specified that “there is no military solution in the sense of
Ukraine taking Crimea back by force”, and only a political process has the
potential of resolving the conflict.
On the political front, Ukraine is headed towards
presidential elections, which are scheduled for March 31st, 2019 and
see the participation of 39 candidates competing for the post. Ambassador
Volker welcomed the unfolding of the democratic processes in Ukraine, clearly
stating that the decision on who will be the next president is in the hands of
the Ukrainian people. The U.S. does not have any preferred candidates – he
stressed, noting that although the same seems to apply with Russia, it is
nevertheless more evident that Russia would not favour the re-election of the
incumbent president, Mr. Petro Poroshenko.
Ambassador Volker also touched upon the societal
situation ahead of the elections. Over the last five years, the Ukrainian
people – he claimed – have developed a stronger sense of national identity,
arguably in reaction to the confrontation with Russia. This has resulted in a
number of developments, such as the request for autonomy by the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church, as well as the diffusion of increasingly pro-European and
pro-NATO sentiments among the Ukrainian people – Mr. Volker claimed.
Special Representative Volker also defended himself
and his government from the critiques voiced by presidential candidate Ms.
Yulia Tymoshenko, who recently argued that the West is to blame for the
conflict in Ukraine, and that Ambassador Volker’s negotiation style sidelines
the Ukrainian government. Ambassador Volker countered such claims by pointing
at his frequent contacts with the Ukrainian government, and counterattacked by
fully blaming Russia for the stall in the situation. Until the Russian
government will not engage in the negotiations in good faith, there will be no
solution to this conflict, regardless of the willingness of external actors or
of the negotiations’ format – he explained.
Five years on, thus, the conflict over Crimea is still
an open wound for Ukraine, the U.S., and for international politics. The
efforts to close such wound continue, hopefully with more success in the
future.
NEW YORK, 12 March 2019 – Director of the International Institute for Middle-East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES) Assist. Prof. Dr. Zijad Bećirović, accompanied by IFIMES Main Representative at ECOSOC/UN Irena Mernik Knee, met UN Secretary-General António Guterres at UN Headquarters in New York.
Director of the Institute Assist. Prof. Dr. Bećirović presented to the UN Secretary-General Guterres the work of the Institute in the region of the Balkans and the Middle East, with a special emphasis on projects related to the special consultative status of IFIMES whit the ECOSOC/UN.
The IFIMES International Institute intends to issue a special edition of the European Perspectives International Scientific Journal in the next period, dedicated to the UN and its role in the world.
The Secretary-General of the UN, Guterres, stressed the importance of the UN and importance of global stability and peace to enable universal progress of humanity.
At the end of the talks, UN Secretary-General Guterres and Bećirović agreed that global security, stability, peace and fast solutions of open issues are of great importance.
