Minister Sigrid Kaag.

By Guido Lanfranchi.

On March 8^th, 2019, the premises of the Supreme Court in The Hague hosted the event “Conflict Resolution in the Middle East”, co-organized by UPEACE Centre The Hague and SIB-Leiden. The event’s keynote speech was delivered by Ms. Sigrid Kaag, Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development, who analyzed the emerging global challenges and stressed the need for suitable solutions.

The challenges in nowadays world are abundant and daunting, and addressing them will not be easy. Yet, we can address them, and we should not spare any effort in trying do to so. This could be the takeaway from the keynote speech of Ms. Sigrid Kaag, Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development, in the occasion of the event “Conflict resolution in the Middle East”. The event, co-organized by the UN University for Peace’s Centre The Hague and by the student association SIB-Leiden, attracted a large audience composed by politicians, ambassadors and diplomats, researchers and students from several different backgrounds.

The event started in the early afternoon, with the introduction by Mr. Robert Serry, Chairman of UPEACE Centre The Hague, and Mr. Paco Vervaet, President of SIB-Leiden. The introduction of the hosts was followed by a presentation of UPEACE by Mr. Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo, Dean of UPEACE Costa Rica, who described the mission of UPEACE and its activities around the world.

This presentation was followed by the intervention of Prof. Aaron Wolf. From the IHE Delft Institute of Water Education, who stressed the importance of water-related issues in conflict situation and outline the Institute’s activities. Finally, Mr. Tomás Alberto Chang Pico, a Venezuelan alumnus of UPEACE, described his experience as a student at UPEACE Costa Rica, paving then the way for a lively questions and answers session.

After a networking break, Mr. Serry reconvened the audience in the main room for the keynote speech of Ms. Kaag. The Minister exposed her analysis of the current challenges facing the international system, with a particular focus on the increase in the number and size of conflicts around the world. She touched upon the current geopolitical and geoeconomics shifts, which are leading to multipolarity and fragmentation on the international scene. While such developments can be seen as opportunities, they can also lead to some negative consequences, such as for example the undermining of fundamental values such as those enshrined in the concept of universal human rights – the Minister said, deploring for instance the rise of illiberal democracies.

Ms. Kaag identified several of the potential causes of instability, such as conflict, poverty and the increased role of non-state actors, and stressed the importance to address such issues in order to prevent, rather than resolve, conflicts. The approach towards conflict prevention – the Minister stressed – should be multi-dimensional, involving different issues such as diplomacy, defence and development. The Minister stressed the importance of mediation, calling for more efforts on track 2 diplomacy and for more involvement of women in peace processes. At the same time – she stressed – developmental issues, and especially those related to the youth, remain crucial in order to prevent the emergence of conflicts.

Minister Kaag clearly claimed that “we need to change the way we work” in order to adapt our responses to the evolving challenges of the 21^st century. “We must be more creative, embrace risks, use new technologies, and we must believe that conflicts can be solved” – the Minister told the audience in her concluding remarks, stressing the importance of values in the fight against conflicts.

During the ensuing Q&A session, the Minister addressed a large number of topics. She delved more in detail into the situation of the Middle East, congratulating countries such as Lebanon and Jordan for their actions towards Syrian refugees in the region, as well as praising the facilitation efforts led by Oman in the region. Moreover, on the occasion of International Women Day, the Minister repeatedly stressed the importance of including gender considerations in Dutch foreign policy all over the world, as well as of improving gender equality targets in the Netherlands and in Europe.

While conflicts seem set to remain a daunting challenge for the world in the decades ahead, hopefully politics and civil society will find the means to adapt to this constantly changing world and find the adequate solutions to ensure peace and well-being for everyone in the world.

By Roy Lie Atjam.

The Hague, Netherlands – 5^th March 2019.  Diplomat Magazine and Diplomatic Card organized a Ceremony of Merit for the outgoing Ambassador of Iran, H.E. Dr Alireza Jahangiri, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Netherlands.

Diplomat Magazine being the first diplomatic magazine of its kind in the Netherlands, presented a Certificate of Merit and an award to H.E. Dr. Alireza Jahangiri, Ambassador of The Islamic Republic of Iran.

The certificate of Merit and Public Diplomacy Award were presented in recognition for the outstanding contributions that Ambassador Alireza Jahangiri has made in solidifying Iran’s bilateral ties with the Netherlands, as well as for promoting strategic diplomatic engagements. Furthermore, Dr. Jahangiri has been significantly involved with international organizations and has served as the chairman of the OPCW SCP.

The Ceremony of Merit was also an opportunity to express profound gratitude to Ambassador Alireza Jahangiri for his support to the diplomatic community and the media.

The auspicious occasion was attended by members of the Diplomatic community, the International judiciary, academics as well as individuals of the Iranian community.

Glowing remarks were delivered by a total of six speakers including H.E. Mr. Alexander Shulgin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation, H.E. Mr. Victor Ledda, Ambassador of the Philippines, H.E. Mr Bruce Koloane, Ambassador of South Africa, H.E. Mr. I Gusti Wesaka Puja, Ambassador of Indonesia, H.E. Sheik Mohammed Belal, Ambassador of Bangladesh, and the Ambassador of India who presented the award, H.E. Mr. Venu Rajamony.

The speakers all lauded Ambassador Alireza Jahangiri for his fine contributions within the diplomatic community and his pivotal involvement in the OPCW, but above all, great emphasis was placed on Alireza Jahangiri himself, the man, the colossus.

Several references were made to the personal and friendly relationship that existed between Jahangiri and his fellow Ambassadors. One speaker in addressing Ambassador Jahangiri cited a quote from Hubert H. Humphrey which states, “the greatest gift of life is friendship and I have received it.”

It is undeniable that anyone who came into contact with Ambassador Alireza Jahangiri will attest to his professionalism, academic qualities and his great humanity.

There was no better way to bid farewell to a stalwart of the diplomatic community and also a dear friend. A grand reception concluded the Ceremony of Merit at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

18-19 February 2019, Brussels: After attending the Munich Security Conference in Bavaria, Germany, the 52nd Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, went on a multi-and bilateral visit to Brussels that took her to meet with NATO, Belgian and EU dignitaries. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the latter’s deputy Rose Gottemoeller met Speaker Pelosi to discuss the importance of increasing national budget towards NATO in order to succeed in the alliance’s collective defence and deterrence mission. 

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel welcomed her for a candid conversation about the global security challenges facing Belgium and the USA as well as the importance of a partnership rooted in trust to effectively combat terrorist threats.

Meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, they discussed the need for values-based leadership and the importance of protecting human rights and democratic principles, and fighting anti-Semitism. Our far-ranging meeting covered critical regional, economic and energy security questions facing Europe, and the challenges and opportunities of EU expansion.

With Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, the two dignitaries exchange views on how the USA and EU could enhance their common objective on trade and defence initiatives, human rights around the globe as well as a democratic and peaceful resolution to the crisis in Venezuela.

Speaker Pelosi was accompanied to the EU meetings by US Ambassador to the EU,Gordon Sondland as well as Senator Bob Menendez (New Jersey), and other US delegation members. 

For further information: 
Speaker Nancy Pelosi: https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/21919/

Mission of the USA to the EU (Ambassador Gordon Sondland): https://useu.usmission.gov/mission/useu/

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — 7 March 2019 — The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, H.E. Ms Margot Wallström, met today at OPCW Headquarters in The Hague.

The Director-General and the Foreign Minister discussed progress in the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), with a focus on OPCW activities in Syria and the effort to investigate and identify perpetrators of chemical weapon attacks.

Director-General Arias also briefed the Foreign Minister on the project to upgrade the OPCW Laboratory into a Centre for Chemistry and Technology, and the initiatives to change the Annex on Chemicals to the CWC.

The Director-General thanked the Swedish Government for its enduring support for the OPCW and remarked that “Sweden has made significant contributions to disarmament around the world. We look forward to our continued cooperation to ensure that chemical weapons become a thing of the past”.

The Foreign Minister expressed: “Sweden has full confidence in the OPWC and will continue to support its important mission, politically, technically and financially. I look forward to continued fruitful discussions with Director-General Arias”.

Opening of the art Kuwait exhibition by H.E. Mr. Abdul Rahman Al-Otaibi, Ambassador of Kuwait with Mrs. Jamilah Al-Otaibi and Mr. Mark Zellenrath together with many honorable guests.

By Sheila Turabaz.

A national day reception serves as the perfect occasion to showcase a country’s culture in all its glory. The Kuwaiti embassy is no exception in this regard. On the 21st of February, the embassy celebrated its National Day and Liberation Day as well as 55 years of diplomatic relations between the State of Kuwait and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, or as they refer to it as “55 years of friendship”, with a rich and diverse art exhibition at the Grand Hotel Amrâth Kurhaus, where they showcased the work of 25 Kuwaiti contemporary artists. 

The exhibition was organized in collaboration with the Kuwait Arts Association. The association was founded in 1967 with the aim of supporting, celebrating and promoting Kuwaiti contemporary artists worldwide. The association considers art “to be one of the most important tributaries of culture”  (…) “radiating aesthetic sense and expression of the human dimensions of authentic values”. According to Abdul Rasoul Salman, President of the Kuwait Arts Association and President of the Union of Arab Arts “these endeavours (by the contemporary Kuwaiti artists) are an invitation to merge cultural heritage and sensory inspiration (…) to codify a contemporary take on the psychological and intellectual dimensions of the humans of the region (…)”.

Kuwait has the oldest contemporary art movement in the Arabian Pensinsula, emerging in the 1930s. It is also the first country in the Gulf area to grant art scholarships. The country’s capital, Kuwait City, is home to one of the most prominent and thriving art scenes in the Gulf area, with over 30 galleries focused on promoting local artists. 

The Kuwaiti Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, H.E. Mr. Abdul Rahman Al-Otaibi’s enthusiasm and pride could be felt in the tone of his speech in which he stated that “the organization of such a cultural exhibition which highlights the role of Kuwaiti artists, will contribute positively to highlighting (the civilization) of the State of Kuwait through its cultural heritage and will enable the Dutch community to gain a positive understanding of the culture of Kuwaiti society and allow it to have a closer look at a part of Kuwait’s cultural heritage”.

Furthermore, the Ambassador emphasized the importance of organizing such an art exhibition by stating that “this will have a great effect on exchanging cultural knowledge between the artists of the two countries as well as opening new horizons for cultural cooperation in the near future” while adding that the aim is “to achieve a common understanding of the value of art in establishing human relations among peoples”.

The Kuwaiti artists who were invited to exhibit their work all made use of different materials, techniques and subjects. Lively paintings, intricate ceramic art, sculptures and impressive photographs were all put on display, offering viewers an intriguing glimpse of the Kuwaiti art scene.  The creative thought process of these artists is influenced by society, the country and its people. Through a lens of their own emotions, their art is shaped and coloured accordingly.

The Embassy of Kuwait and the Kuwait Arts Association invited the following Kuwaiti contemporary artists to participate in the exhibition:

Mr. Abdulrasoul Ibrahim, Ms. Zulaikha Al-Qabandi, Ms. Amira Ashkanani, Mr. Abdullah Al-Rashed, Mr. Abdullah Al-Otaibi, Ms. Zeenab Dashti, Ms. Tahani Alkhurafi, Ms. Mai Alnour, Mr. Mahmoud Al-Qattan, Mr. Mohammad Al-Bahar, Ms. Atared Althaqeb, Ms. Jamila Salem, Ms. Hana Al-Beloushi, Ms. Hanouf Almonaifi, Ms. Basmah Al-Saif, Ms. Athar Al-Ansari, Mr. Mohammad Al-Azemi, Ms. Fatemah Ibrahim, Mr. Abdulaziz Mubarak, Mr. Jawad Al-Najjar, Ms. Muna Al-Shafei, Mr. Ali Sulaiman, Mr. Ahmad Al-Hussaini, Ms. Mona Eyadah,Mr. Yousef Ayada.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — 6 March 2019 — The Government of the Swiss Confederation is contributing CHF 150,000 toward the formation and operation of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ (OPCW) team to identify the perpetrators of the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic 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.

The donation was formalised recently through an agreement signed by OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs represented by H.E. Ambassador Ms Nadine Olivieri Lozano, Head of the Division for Security Policy, and Minister Nicolas Plattner, Head of Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-proliferation Section, Division for Security Policy.

The Director-General has appealed to all OPCW Member States in a position to make voluntary contributions to do so. In making such appeals, he has emphasised, “Identifying perpetrators will advance existing endeavours to tackle the re-emergence of use of chemical weapons”.

As part of implementing the above-mentioned decision, the OPCW is currently assembling a team of experts and setting up necessary procedures.

Ambassador Pedrescu and artists from Young European String Camerata/YES Camerata at Diligentia Theatre.

On February 19, 2019, under the auspices of the Romanian Presidency of 
the Council of the EU, the Embassy of Romania in the Netherlands in 
collaboration with the Romanian Cultural Institute in Brussels organized 
an extraordinary chamber music concert performed by the Young European String Camerata/YES Camerata at the prestigious Diligentia Theater in The Hague.

The special guest of the concert was the well-known Romanian violinist and composer, Vlad Maistorovici.

The concert wanted to be an argument for Europe and its common values, 
starting from the cultural ones. The program incorporated reference 
works from the Romanian repertoire (composers George Enescu and Bela 
Bartók), European repertoire (composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), as well as a musical premiere for the Netherlands, the composition signed by 
Vlad Maistorovici, ”Transilvan Concert”, a spectacular rhapsody on 
Romanian themes and a tribute to the Romanian medieval melodies.

At the opening of the event, the Romanian Ambassador, H.E. Ms. Brândușa Predescu addressed a strong pro-European message, starting from the acronym of the YES Camerata, evoking the significance that Romania attributes to the country’s belonging to the European family, and underlined that in the motto of the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council, “Cohesion, a common European value”, the major principles of the Romanian diplomacy are found.

Among the attendees at the event were the former Dutch Minister of 
Foreign Affairs, Bernard Bot, on whose term Romania joined the EU, the 
Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the level of leadership, other 
ministries, representatives of the Dutch central and local 
administration, of the academic and cultural institutions in the Hague, 
accredited diplomatic community, the President of Eurojust, the 
President of the International Criminal Court, honorary consuls of 
Romania in the Netherlands, and personalities from the Romanian 
community in the Netherlands.

By Guido Lanfranchi.

The United States Agency for Global Media is launching VOA 365, a 24×7 Persian language global network to better reach out to Iranians all over the world.

As the tensions between the United States and Iran remain high, the U.S. Agency for Global Media is set to launch a new initiative, VOA 365, a 24×7 Persian language global network aimed at providing better information to Iranians living in their country as well as abroad. “Given the dynamic political situation, it’s more important than ever that Iranian citizens get the facts about U.S. positions, responsible analysis and discussion about important developments bilaterally and regionally” – USAGM Director Mr. John Lansig said.

This new initiative is set to build upon the current activities of VOA Persian and RFE/RL Radio Farda. These two networks already have a measured weekly audience of over 23%, and the majority of this audience does trust the information relayed by these channels – Mr. Lansig said, also explaining how the interned freedom tools provided by USAGM allow Iranian citizens to “circumvent Iranian government censorship”.

The content broadcasted by the VOA 365 network will be organized around four pillars: news and information, long form talk debate, programs on culture and science, and breaking news coverage of U.S. news. The network will take advantage of all platforms available and, differently from previous initiatives, it will target not only people living in Iran, but all Persian speaking people across the world, thus including the large diaspora communities of Iranians.

Mr. Lansig also stressed that, while the U.S. Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy is represented in the board of directors of USAGM, the Agency is “by law and by statute protected from any government interference”.