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 (…)”.
H.E. Mr. Abdul Rahman Al-Otaibi, Ambassador of Kuwait with Mr. Mark Zellenrath at the art exhibition.
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.
H.E. Ms. Brândușa Predescu, Ambassador of Romania.
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 BartĂłk), 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. BrânduČ™a 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.
Romania Young European String Camerata:YES Camerata.
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.
The animosity between Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and self-declared interim leader Juan GuaidĂł has been gradually increased and opening a new chapter for Venezuelan crisis following the dramatic come-back of Juan Guido from his overseas trip. Thousands of supporters welcomed Juan GuaidĂł at the Caracas airport, while the US and EU diplomats received him as interim president. Venezuela’s self-proclaimed interim president Juan GuaidĂł says he come back to Venezuela despite the risk of being arrested upon arrival.
Juan GuaidĂł left the country to attend a fund-raising concert on 22 February in Colombia organized by billionaire Richard Branson despite a ban on his overseas trip by Venezuelan Supreme Court.
Prior his return back, US Vice President Mike Pence warned Venezuelan authority as saying,`the world is watching – Interim President GuaidĂł must be allowed to re-enter Venezuela safely.’
Following an opposition boycotted election last year Nicolas Maduro re-elected as President and took oath on January 10, the US and some other countries refused to recognize his government. The leader of opposition dominated National Assembly Juan Guido declared himself interim president and US led countries recognized him.
In the meantime, the first phase of the US President Donald Trump’s `Venezuelan adventure’ has failed as Venezuelan armed forces blocked the US aid convoy and turned them back.
Since the crisis, the situation in Venezuela has been changed dramatically, Nicolas Madur opposing US aid but welcoming huge Russian humanitarian aid, aiming to mitigate the suffering of the Venezuelan people.
Nobody believes that President Donald Trump will give his Venezuelan adventure up. Trump will participate in the next US- presidential election for his second term. If he is able to uproot Nicolas Maduro regime and liberate Venezuelan people, then a feather of success will be added his cap and very logically he can demand the votes from US citizens to re-elect him as president.
So we have to wait for the second move of the US President Donald Trump’s Venezuelan adventure. Trump may launch cruse- missiles to tear apart the Venezuelan armed forces. Other option is to start a frontier war with Venezuela from Colombia or Brazil or both and occupy some land for Juan Guido loyalist supports.
On the otherhand, Russian interference puts the Venezuelan crisis in a new light. Russian `food aid’ has proved that Putin’s blessing of President Nicolas Maduro is higher than before.
`US aid’ or `Russian aid’ to Venezuela becomes totally highly politicized. Those highly politicized aid could do a little to mitigate the suffering of `non-partisan’ or `non-political’ people of Venezuela. UN has wide responsibility to resolve these food straggle. If UN agencies takes over the responsibly of the distribution of US led aid instead of US-Aid, the aid will be freely entered into Venezuela and create a opportunity of well distribution irrespective of any political influences.
That initiative will promote Russian aid to do so. UN will also be a sponsor of world-wide fund-raising concert for Venezuelan people. In the mean time, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the only way the political conflict in Venezuela can be resolved is through political dialogue. But this is not enough, UN has to do huge task for alleviation of hunger of Venezuelan people and avoid blood shading.
What is the definition of a failed state? Does Venezuela deserve this brand? Maybe `yes’ -in the context of good governance, lack of food, gradually deteriorating law & order and lack of democracy. Therefore Donald Trump, the US President would appear before the Venezuelan people as their `liberator’ as did his predecessors in Iraq and Libya. In the aftermath of the US led interventions in Iraq and Libya, the people of both countries realize the meanings of freedom and a failed state.
Then the US led western countries were crying out for Iran’s weapons of mass destruction or for the democratic rights of the Libyan people or for the economic suffering and hunger of the Venezuelan people. If the Venezuelan people refuse his force-feeding then President Trump might decide to attack the Venezuelan forces. If they succeed in tearing apart the Venezuelan armed forces and overthrowing Nicolas Maduro what next?
President Nicols Maduro is still an iconic leader to the majority of Venezuelans. Above all, nobody can deny the `Latin mentality’ of the Venezuelan people. So US led intervention will ignite the anti Yankee flames not only in Venezuela but across Brazil, Colombia or other Latin-countries.
But those causes are not enough to stop the USA President Trump’s Venezuelan adventure. Therefore Venezuela is on the verge of a long lasting civil war like Syria. The Venezuelan people have to pay with their blood in exchange for `Trump’s freedom’ or `Trump’s democratic move’ or for obstinacy of President Nicolas Maduro.
About the author: Mr. Sazzad Haider is Editor & Publisher of The Diplomatic Journal in Bangladesh, diplomatic editor of Bangladesh News, writer & filmmaker. On the picture Sazzad Haider, Photographer Habib Raza.
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”.
The embassy of Poland celebrates this year the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Poland and the Kingdom of the Netherlands with an extensive program covering all aspects of the successful past and present collaboration between the two countries.
One of the greatest cultural events organised by the embassy was the
classical concert by the very young Polish pianist Tomasz Ritter, winner
of the International Chopin competition 2018 and the Arthur Rubinstein in
Memoriam international competition at the Piano Polish Festival last year. The
event was held at the premises of the Embassy of Poland in The Hague, on
Monday, March 4th. It was the first of the series of concerts related to 100 anniversary of
establishing diplomatic relations between Poland and the Netherlands.
Many guests attended the concert, including friends of Poland coming from different Dutch institutions, diplomats and ambassadors, notably the ambassadors of Germany, Australia, Peru and many others. H.E. Mr. dr Marcin Piotr Czepelak, Ambassador of Poland, proudly welcomed his guest and presented the talented pianist.
Polish pianist Tomasz Ritter. Photography by the Embassy of Poland in The Hague.
Tomasz Ritter was born in 1995 in Lublin, Poland. In 2008, he started his musical education at the Karol Szymanowski State School of Music in Warsaw, under the direction of Irina Rumianceva-Dabrowski, and concluded his path with a graduation with special honors.
From September 2014, he has been a student of the Pyotr Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. He participated in festivals and concerts in Poland and abroad, performing with the Polish Radio Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, Sinfonia Baltica, Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, MartinĹŻ Quartet from Prague and Stradivari Quartet from Zurich.
The Ambassador of Poland, H.E. Mr. dr Marcin Piotr Czepelak and Erica Schouten – Director Department of European Affairs cutting the 100 Anniversary cake.
After the concert, ambassador Czepelak invited Ms. Erica Schouten, Director Department of European Affairs at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to cut with him the 100th Anniversary cake, a symbol of the solid diplomatic relations between the two countries and a wish for further collaboration in the next 100 years to come.
By H.E. Mr. George Sharvashidze, Ambassador of Georgia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
It is my immense pleasure and privilege to represent my country in the
Kingdom of the Netherlands and to have the opportunity, but huge responsibility
at the same time, to facilitate further development of Georgia-Netherlands
relations.
I am delighted to note that cooperation between Georgia and the Netherlands is developing in the right direction. This cooperation is not limited only to the political, economic and cultural dimensions but includes wide range of priority areas such as jurisdiction, finances, environment, education, healthcare and other areas that have an outmost importance for my country.
The Netherlands appears to be among top investor countries for Georgia for last few years. Dutch support to my country focusses on improving the quality of life of Georgians in a tangible and visible manner. This support has facilitated implementation of projects related to reforms, civil society, strategic communications, economic development and education.
However, there is still a huge
untapped potential in Dutch-Georgian cooperation. I will try my best to ensure
that friendly and partnership relations between the two countries further
deepens in the years to come.
It should be highlighted that the Dutch Government has always supported Georgia’s European aspirations. The role of the Netherlands in reaching our main foreign policy objectives – becoming fully-fledged member of the EU and the NATO – is crucial.
The King of the Netherlands, His Majesty Willem Alexander and H.E. George Sharvashidze, Ambassador of Georgia during the ceremony of presentation of its credentials. Photography by Jeroen van der Meyde.
Georgia’s Western Path:
In 1999, the late Georgian Prime
Minister, Zurab Zhvania, concluded his milestone speech at the Council of
Europe with the following historically significant words: “I am Georgian,
therefore I am European”. That time it was very difficult to imagine that Georgia
would stand so close to the European family as it does today.
In fact, Georgia has always been a part of European civilization. All our cultural achievements belong to the European heritage. Moreover, historically we, as an ancient Christian nation, have contributed a lot to the development of this civilization. Though our western development was hampered for centuries due to multiple invasions and aggression, we have always been gazing towards Europe. Even today, when 20% of our territory is still under Russian occupation, I firmly state that our European integration as well as Euro-Atlantic aspirations are irreversible.
Since the day we regained our
independence in early 90s, Georgia has been aspiring to join – or rather
re-join – the European and Euro-Atlantic community of nations, with whom we
share the common history, culture and values. These aspirations, which were
defined by the resolute choice of the overwhelming majority of our people,
manifested in Georgia’s declared foreign policy goal of fully-fledged
integration into the NATO and the EU.
Georgia
is using all the existing mechanisms of cooperation to ensure more comprehensive
and transparent integration process with the EU. Today, five years after signing
the Association Agreement with the DCFTA, we enjoy a qualitatively new stage in
our partnership with the European Union. Trade has picked up with many items of
Georgian agriculture and other products finding their way to the European
market, as have people-to-people contacts. All this lays the solid groundwork
for further stages of Georgia’s European integration.
Apart
from concrete practical benefits, visa-free regime bears a tremendous symbolic
and political value for Georgia as it brings us even closer to the European
family and manifests EU’s strong political support to Georgia’s European path.
It is both – a result of Georgia’s extensive efforts and a well-deserved
response to the European choice of Georgian people. Due to those efforts,
Georgia has established itself as a leader in the region in terms of
consolidated democracy, human rights protection, rule of law, good governance,
transparency and economic reforms.
Every Georgian understands that European and Euro-Atlantic integration is a lengthy process full of challenges but huge opportunities at the same time and we are fully committed to continue our close cooperation with our western partners using all existing cooperation formats.
George Sharvashidze, Ambassador of Georgia presenting credentials to The King of the Netherlands also present during the ceremony the diplomatic personal of the embassy. Photography by Jeroen van der Meyde
10 Years Anniversary
of Eastern Partnership:
When we are talking about cooperation
formats, we should refer to the Eastern Partnership (EaP) foremost. This is
indeed a partnership for stronger economy, connectivity, stronger society and
governance. In the course of the past decade, the Partnership matured into an effective
political project, advancing the relations between the EU and Partners (Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine) to a new level.
Since its inception, all the
stakeholders – the EU, member states, EU institutions, governments and civil
societies of participating countries – have invested in and gained from the EaP
initiative. We have built differentiated bilateral partnerships with the EU and
developed a multilateral cooperation format. And this was done, based on
inclusiveness and differentiation. We believe that the firm and continuous
adherence to the differentiation and “more for more” principles is extremely
important to maintain the attractiveness of the EaP for all partner countries.
2019 marks the 10th anniversary
of the EaP providing an excellent opportunity to take stock of the past 10
years and focus on its future perspectives. The EU, its member states and
partner countries are organizing the whole range of events to celebrate the EaP
10th anniversary and Georgia will be part of these activities. One
of the events planned by Georgia is a traditional Batumi International
Conference (11-12 July, 2019) which this time will be fully dedicated to the
EaP. Along with high officials from EU, member and partner states, academia,
non-governmental sector and business representatives are invited to participate
in the Conference.
Georgia remains committed to
contributing to the success of the EaP, including through the effective
implementation of the milestones of 20 Deliverables for 2020. It is worth of
mentioning that the Dutch Government has always underlined the leading role of
Georgia in implementing the reforms envisaged by the EaP Program.
Georgia – a Reliable
Partner for the EU:
As we are talking about Georgia’s
further integration into the EU and our ambition to become its full-fledge
member, we should concentrate not only on the benefits my country will get out
of this process but also on mutual benefits. Through years, Georgia has proved
to be a reliable partner for the EU and its member states. Georgia
has a crucial importance and a huge potential as energy, transport and
logistical hub linking Asia with Europe. Being situated in the region bridging
the Caspian energy resources with the Black Sea provides Georgia with the
multitude of opportunities. That is why Georgia multiplies its efforts to play an
important role for the long-term diversification of energy supply of Europe and
promoting regional and international projects like Belt and Road,
Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, Anaklia Deep Sea Port, number of international
transit routes and corridors and many more.
Undoubtedly,
strong and united Europe has never been as vital as in today’s globalized world,
full of challenges. Only together, by common efforts, we are capable to
overcome all problems we face and Georgia is ready to continue be a trustworthy
partner for the Western institutions in the region.
Set up by fashion and textiles curator Oriole Cullen and set designer Nathalie Crinière, Designer of Dreams is the first fashion exhibition to be staged in the V&A’s new Amanda Levete-designed galleries, and the largest of its kind at the museum since Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty in 2015.
The narrative of the exhibition begins with Dior’s lifetime to subsequently move further from to the themes that inspired him. The extensive “Travels” section looks at the idea of cultural appreciation and what it means today; “The Garden” room is a sensory delight with paper wisteria, clematis, lily of the valley and Princess Margaret-roses cascading from the ceiling; and “Diorama” is a curiosity closet of colour-coded accessories, trinkets and 123 magazine covers from 1947 to the present day.
“The Ballroom” section: the all-out unabashed celebration of the glamour of Dior and the fantasy that’s contained within a ballroom. Displayed within the last section are the liquid-gold numbers Charlize Theron wore in the J’adore fragrance adverts during her 20 years as brand ambassador; the first dress Galliano designed at the helm of the house for Diana, Princess of Wales to wear in 1996; and other extravagant Galliano creations that took six people to mount and are a testament to the strength of the models that wore them.
