By H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
At the end of July, I took office as the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), the OPCW not only oversees the global endeavour to permanently and verifiably eliminate chemical weapons but also works to prevent the proliferation of dangerous chemicals and to improve the safety and security of the management of such chemicals.
We must take into account the fact that we live surrounded by chemicals (used in e.g. agriculture, medicine, pharmaceuticals, industry, etc) and the OPCW has the responsibility to contribute to the peaceful uses of such chemicals while protecting the public and the environment.
Since entering into force in 1997, the CWC remains the foundation of global efforts to eliminate and prevent the spread and use of chemical weapons. Indeed, it is arguably the most successful treaty of its kind, banning a wholecategory of weapons of mass destruction under a strict and effective global verification regime.
One remarkable achievement of the Convention is that it has yielded concreteand measurable disarmament progress. Today, over 96 percent of all declared chemical weapon stockpiles have been irreversiblydestroyed under the watchful eye of OPCW inspectors. One hundred percent of declared stockpiles will be eliminated once the United States completes its chemical demilitarisation process, planned to happen by 2023.
When this occurs, the OPCW will have overseen the destruction of some 72,000 metric tonnes ofthe most lethal substances ever created by humankind.Our ability to monitor these destruction activities and industrial production has been central tobuilding confidence in the Convention and reinforcing trust between the States Parties. Chemical industry has been an essential partner in ensuring that verification is conductedsmoothly and thoroughly. So far, more than 3,500 inspections of industrial facilities have beenconducted in 82 countries since the CWC came into force.
Universality is also well within our grasp. At present, 193 countries have joined theConvention – the highest level of adherence of any disarmament treaty. Only four countries have yet to become members of the CWC: Egypt, Israel, North Korea, and South Sudan. We are making every effort to convince them to join the overwhelming majority of the world in ourendeavour to permanently eradicate chemical weapons.
Undeniably, we are all safer today because of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Much ofthe OPCW’s activities have occurred out of the spotlight and off thefront page of the news. But the international community did recognise the importance of ourwork when, in 2013, the OPCW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its extensive efforts toeliminate global stocks of chemical weapons.At the same time that the OPCW has made progress in its disarmament mission, it has had tocontend with the on-going use of chemical weapons. Syria has been the biggest challenge in this regard.
After the Syrian Arab Republic joined the CWC in 2013, the OPCW worked swiftly incooperation with the United Nations and more than 30 partner states to dismantle its declared chemical weapons programme. However, chemical attacks have persisted in that country. In response to ongoing and crediblereports of chemical weapons use, a Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) was established in April 2014 to examine the allegations on the ground. The FFM’s work has been indispensable in determining that chemicals were used asweapons.
Regrettably, other incidents have arisen around the world. In the past few years we have also witnessed sophisticated nerve agents employed to assassinate individuals in Malaysia and the United Kingdom, resulting in the tragic loss of life.
H.E. Mr. Fernando Arias, OPCW Director General.
The use of chemical weapons should and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. Statements of condemnation by themselves are not nearly enough to stem the audacious and continuing use of these inhumane weapons.
Action speaks louder than words. And the States Parties to the CWC have acted. In June this year, the Conference of the States Parties adopted an important decision requesting the Secretariat to put in place arrangements to identify the perpetrators of the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic.
This is a crucial new power for the Organisation. Previously, we had only been able to say ifchemical weapons had been used. Now we should be able to identify the perpetrators. Nonetheless, we are not judge and jury; that role is for other institutions to assume. Our contribution will be to attribute responsibility in an impartial, independent, andeffective manner. Implementing the new missionwill require additional resources (human and financial) and appropriate structures.
Attributing responsibility for violations of the Convention’s basic prohibitionextends to non-state actors as well. This reflects the concern over the real threat of chemical terrorism.In recent years, the threat has grown. For instance, in 2015 and 2016, the so-called Islamic Stateof Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) used mustard gas In Iraq and Syria.
In response, in 2017, the OPCW’s Executive Council adopted a landmark decision that addresses the threat posed by non-State actors and reiterates the key role of States Parties in implementing the Convention through their legislation, especially by imposing penal sanctions for violations of its prohibitions.
Finding synergies with other international organisations is also important. As such, we haveestablished a partnership with the United Nations Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force. The OPCW has taken a proactive role within this initiative that includes 37 otherinternational entities. At the same time, the OPCW has developed the capabilities to aid States Parties that are dealingwith chemical incidents, including acts of terrorism.
Coping with the rapid pace of discoveries in science and technology will pose a unique challengeto the Organisation in addition to offering vast opportunities. The evolution of science requires us to adapt and improve our capabilities.Therefore, we aretransforming our current OPCW Laboratory into a Centre for Science and Technology that will allow theOPCW to remain fit for purpose.
Over the next couple of months, this very subject of the future will be at the forefront of theOPCW’s collective mind, as we engage in a once every five year review of the Convention.States Parties will address current challenges and determine the priorities and plansto guide the Organisation for the next five years, and provide the Secretariat with the appropriate means and resources to address these priorities.
Twenty-one years after its entry-into-force, the CWC has reached another critical turning point.Respect for the norm against chemical weapons is under strain, and we risk normalising the use of such weapons.This should serve as a warning. Continual progress requires vigilance else we also risk real reversals.My hope is that nations are prepared to work together to protect and enhance the gains achieved by the CWC.
No doubt, the Chemical Weapons Convention and the OPCW are facing serious challenges. I will do my best to steward the Organisation and to ensure the integrity of the Convention. In the meantime, I am pleased to remain a member of The Hague community as we all make our contributions to the City of Peace and Justice.
By Dr. Eugenio Matos G.
Traveling with Uzbekistan Airways is a truly memorable experience, thanks to the personal touch of its flight crew members and the extraordinary level of service that is reminiscent of “la belle epoch” of the airline transportation industry.
The flag carrier is headquartered at Tashkent International Airport and serves destinations in Asia, Europe and North America. The company was founded in 1992 and builds on the legacy of the Uzbekistan division of the former Aeroflot which existed before the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Uzbekistan Airways acquired its first Airbus A310-300 in 1993. In late 2008, the company ordered four Boeing 767 in a US$597 million deal. The company acquired its first Boeing 787-8 in 2016.
The Business Class on the 787 features the first fully flat seats of the carrier. In 2017 alone, more than three million passengers used Uzbekistan Airways’ services, contributing to Uzbekistan’s ongoing economic development alongside the carrier’s cargo business.
Uzbekistan Airways has devised a development strategy and special business program aimed at modernizing and unifying its air fleet. The Uzbek national air carrier will soon be putting into service two new Airbus A320 Neos. The newest A320 Neo aircraft have been ordered in a two-class layout, each featuring 150 seats of which 12 will be business class and 138 economy class. They will be 20% more fuel efficient than their predecessors thanks to improved engine and fuselage design.
In 2019, the air carrier’s fleet will receive two new Boeing 787 Dreamliners and with a sixth Dreamliner to follow in early 2020, allowing the carrier to become the leading airline operator in the region.
During the very successful First International Investment Forum in Tourism Sphere which took place in the Uzbeks’ Capital of Tashkent from 19-21 November 2018, Deputy Prime Minister Aziz Aabdukhakimov announced more than 500 infrastructure tourism projects all over the country in order to cope with the increasing number of visitors to Uzbekistan.
The country has received more than 5.1 million visitors in 2018 and the number looks set to grow. These infrastructure projects will be intertwined with the high-speed train connections that are in place in Samarkand (the Pearl of the East), Shakhrisabz, Bukhara, Khiva and other cities.
Main course menu for business class passengers aboard Uzbekistan Airways:
• Meat snack (includes three kinds of meat products); • Cheese assortment (includes two types of cheese); • Fish snack (includes two types of fish); • Vegetable snack (includes seasonal vegetables); • Dessert (cakes, fresh fruits, dry fruits); • Bread and baked goods; • Spices and flavorings; • Main course (variety of meat, chicken and fish courses); • Hot drinks(black and green tea, black and white coffee); • Juices and soft drinks; • Alcoholic drinks (cognac, vodka, champagne, white or red wine, beer).
Main course menu foreconomy class passengers aboard Uzbekistan Airways: •Cold snack (includes meat products and cheese); •Vegetable snack (includes seasonal vegetables); •Dessert (cakes, fresh fruits, dry fruits); •Bread and baked goods; •Spices and flavorings; •Main course (meat or chicken); •Hot drinks(black and green tea, black and white coffee); •Soft drinks (mineral water, still water, carbonate beverages, juices); •Alcoholic drinks (wine) served depending on flight route.
Ambassador Neuhaus attended the Invictus Family & Friends Day in Doorn for the Dutch athletes representing the Netherlands at the 2018 Invictus Games in October in Sydney, Australia.
Australia’s new Ambassador to the Netherlands, H.E. Mr. Matthew Ernest Keith Neuhaus, comes to The Hague with a background in international law, multilateralism and Africa (he grew up in East Africa and has served as Ambassador in Zimbabwe and Nigeria). “My career anchors” he calls them.
As a Masters student at Cambridge University he first visited the International Court of Justice in The Hague in 1986 for a mock court case – or moot. Later in his career he worked on Australia’s international court cases. So it was particularly fitting to commence his posting in The Hague as the head of the Australian delegation in the recent Chagos Islands Case.
Ambassador Neuhaus also came to The Hague in the early 1990s while Legal Adviser at Australia’s Mission to the United Nations as part of the Australian delegation finalising the Chemical Weapons Convention and its implementation. “It is exciting to see the growth of organisations such as the OPCW and ICC since those days” he says.
He is saddened by the controversies and divisions now surrounding their work. “Australia is a strong supporter of the international rules based order and the institutions that underpin this. We need to ensure a shared commitment as nations to the total elimination of chemical weapons and to bring to justice those who commit serious international crimes” he emphasises.
HM King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, the Ambassador of Australia, H.E. Matthew Neuhaus, Ms. Indra McCormick, Deputy Head of Mission, Mr. Tony Pobjie, First Secretary and Consul, Ms. Michelle McKendry, First Secretary.
While he has a deep interest and commitment to the multilateral work, most of his time is taken up with an increasingly important bilateral relationship with the Netherlands. “We have over 400 years of shared history” he notes, as a result of the Dutch being the first Europeans to sail to Australia’s shores, in 1606, which they named “New Holland”.
The name didn’t stick but the relationship did, with the Dutch active in Asia to this day. More than 300,000 Australians claim Dutch heritage. Formal diplomatic relations were entered into during World War 2 when Australia’s High Commissioner in London became the first accredited Ambassador to the then Government in Exile in London. The Embassy in The Hague was opened with the liberation of the Netherlands, in which many young Australians lost their lives.
12 October 2018: Ambassador Neuhaus opened the exhibitionby Arkeria Rose Armstrong at the Aboriginal Art Gallery Rotterdam In the picture: Mr. Michel Arends and Ms. Danielle van Dam- owners of the Aboriginal Art Gallery Rotterdam, Ms. Arkeria Rose Armstrong – artist, Ambassador Matthew Neuhaus and Mrs. Angela Neuhaus“Few people know that the Netherlands is now Australia’s fourth largest foreign director investor” Ambassador Neuhaus reveals, with only USA, UK and Japan ahead. “While we have an important and growing economic and political relationship with the countries of our Indo-Pacific region, Europe remains crucial. This even more so as we begin negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement with Europe, and the Netherlands is a particularly important partner in Europe” he notes.
We also share values and approaches with the Netherlands, including a commitment to global free trade and innovation and promoting the rule of law, free expression and democracy. This makes us important allies internationally. We have worked and fought together against terrorism and injustice, most recently in Afghanistan and Iraq in countering ISIL. We are cooperating closely to pursue truth and justice for the victims and families of the MH17 tragedy in which many of our nationals died.
In the aftermath of the successful Invictus Games in Sydney led by Prince Harry, which support and celebrate injured servicemen and women, Ambassador Neuhaus is looking forward to the next Games in 2020 in The Hague.
Finally as a gender champion he is determined to support increasing gender equality and women in leadership positions in international institutions during his time in The Hague. “It is not only the right thing to do but the smart thing to do and I look forward to promoting more positive change during my posting here”, he notes.
Unique joint investigation by judiciary and police forces in the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Belgium culminates in the largest coordinated joint action against an organised criminal group to date in Europe
During a joint action day starting today in the early hours, judicial and law enforcement authorities in the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg have taken coordinated and decisive action against the ‘Ndrangheta. This aggressive, mafia-style organised criminal group is one of the most powerful criminal networks in the world, and controls much of Europe’s cocaine trade, combined with systematic money laundering, bribery and violent acts.
The operation, code-named ‘Pollino’, is the biggest of its kind to date in Europe. Several hundred police, including special intervention units, were engaged in today’s action, together with prosecutors and investigative officers. The judicial authorities and law enforcement agencies involved have been working intensively together since 2016, including in a joint investigation team (JIT) supported by Eurojust, the EU’s Judicial Cooperation Unit, and Europol in The Hague, to prepare the action.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) and Eurojust headquarters.
As a result of close cooperation, almost 4 000 kg of cocaine and hundreds of kilos of other drugs have been detected across Europe during the course of the investigation. By 12:00 on the action day, 84 suspects have been reported arrested, including high-ranking members of the mafia network. An estimated EUR 2 million in criminal assets are expected to be seized, and many witness hearings and house searches will be conducted, securing important evidence to be used at trial. Actions are also taking place in Suriname.
The case originated in 2014, when the Dutch Fiscal, Information and investigation Service (FIOD) referred an investigation of possible money laundering to Eurojust. The investigation looked into partners of Italian restaurants in Horst and Venray in the Netherlands and showed connections to the Nordrhein-Westfalen region in Germany as well as to criminal activity in Reggio Calabria in southern Italy. The Dutch Desk at Eurojust then proactively encouraged the other countries concerned to look into the case.
The ‘Ndrangheta mafia network, which has its base in southern Italy, is known to operate by starting legitimate businesses in other countries as a cover to expand overseas, smuggling drugs, laundering illicit profits and claiming new territories as areas under their control. By splitting the activities per country, the mafia network aims to exploit legal differences between criminal jurisdictions and to escape attention, since each crime, if only investigated separately, may appear as an isolated act rather than part of an international operation.
The creation of a JIT by the Netherlands, Italy and Germany for Operation Pollino in October 2016 had a catalytic effect on the scale and intensity of the investigation. Essentially a legal framework, a JIT is a platform for judiciary and police from different countries to work directly together in a specific case and systematically exchange operational information. Step by step, the authorities involved in Operation Pollino, including investigative judges, worked very intensively together to fit together the pieces, and pooled their knowledge and creativity in order to establish a joint strategy and uncover the actual magnitude and complexity of the criminal activity of the ‘Ndrangheta. The exchange of evidence, which is essential to build solid prosecution cases, has been an important element in preparing today’s action. It was the first JIT with the participation of Italy.
The practical support through EU agencies such as Eurojust and Europol has played a crucial role in Operation Pollino. The JIT has been facilitated and financed by Eurojust, which also organised of a series coordination meetings to regularly bring the actors together, support the development of a joint strategy and facilitate the mutual understanding of the different judicial systems at critical juncures of the investigation. Europol has contributed through extensive data analysis in the context of Analysis Project ITOC, which supports cases investigating the criminal activities of mafia-structured OCGs originating in Italy and impacting other Member States.
During the joint action day, prosecutors from the judicial authorities followed the action in real time from the coordination centre at Eurojust, which allows for swift analysis of new data as it is being collected during the action and makes it possible to adapt the strategy as required. Europol has also assisted the Italian police in the field with a mobile office.
Filippo Spiezia, Vice-President of Eurojust and National Member for Italy, said:
‘Today, we send a clear message to organised crime groups across Europe. They are not the only ones able to operate across borders; so are Europe’s judiciary and law enforcement communities. By working together and using the unique tools at our disposal in the EU, such as the possibility to form a joint investigation team and with the practical support through EU agencies such as Eurojust and Europol, we are able to detect, investigate and prosecute this kind of serious organised crime.’
As of 11:00 today, the following actions and results have been reported:
•Netherlands: 5 arrests. Seizures of almost 4 000 kg of cocaine and 140 kg XTC pills. Dutch investigators from FIOD and the Dutch police have also helped to search in Italy and Germany.
Authorities involved:
Fiscal, Information and Investigation Service (FIOD)
Police National Unit, Dutch National Prosecution Service
•Italy:
The main focus has been in the regions of Calabria and Catanzaro in southern Italy. There have been 41 arrests.
Authorities involved:
Office of the Public Prosecutor of Reggio Calabria
Central Operative Service of the State Police (SCO)
State Police Investigative Department of Reggio Calabria
Central Service of Investigation of the Guardia di Finanza (SCICO)
Police Command for financial investigation of Guardia di Finanza (Valutaria GdF)
Operational anti-drug department of the Guardia di Finanza of Reggio Calabria (GOA)
•Germany:
The main focus has been in the western parts of the Nordrhein-Westfalen region due to its proximity to the ARA harbours. There have been 15 arrests (+ 6 in a related operation).
Authorities involved:
Staatsanwaltschaft Duisburg
Staatsanwaltschaft Aachen
Bundeskriminalamt (BKA)
There has also been close cooperation with other German organised crime investigations, with the Organised Crime Units of the Landeskriminalamt NRW as well as the Office of the Public Prosecutor and the Police in Cologne, where coordinated arrests and searches have been executed today.
•Belgium:
The main focus has been in Maasmechelen in Limburg. There have been 4 arrests (+ 10 in a related operation).
Authorities involved:
Public Prosecutor’s Office Limburg
Federal Judicial Police, Limburg
Local Police of Lanaken-Maasmechelen, Limburg
Luxembourg:
Two suspects have been arrested and the national investigation is ongoing.
Authorities involved:
Police Lëtzebuerg
Parquet de Luxembourg
Cabinet d’instruction Luxembourg
Eurojust Q&A (DE, EN, FR, IT and NL):
◦Eurojust: Zentrale Anlaufstelle für den Kampf gegen grenzübergreifendes Verbrechen in der EU und darüber hinaus
◦Eurojust: a one-stop shop for fighting serious cross-border crime in the EU and beyond
◦Eurojust : un « guichet unique » pour lutter contre la forte criminalité transfrontalière dans l’Union européenne et au-delà
◦Eurojust: Un’ unica interfaccia per la lotta contro la criminalità transfrontaliera grave nell’UE e oltre i confini nazionali
◦Eurojust: een ‘onestopshop’ voor de bestrijding van ernstige grensoverschrijdende criminaliteit binnen en buiten de EU
By Prof. Anis H. Bajrektarević.
Following the latest events in and around the Black Sea, two old questions are reappearing. Both are inviting us for a repeated elaboration:
If a Monroe doctrine (about the hemispheric security exclusivity) is recognised at one corner of the globe, do we have a moral right or legal ground to negate it at the other corner? This irrespectively from the fact that Gorbachev-Yeltsin Russia unilaterally renounced the similar explication – the Brezhnev doctrine about irreversibility of communist gains.
Clearly, the ‘might-makes-right’ as a conduct in international relations cannot be selectively accepted. Either it is acknowledged to all who can effectively self-prescribe and maintain such a monopoly of coercion, or it is absolutely (revoked and) condemned as contrary to behaviour among the civilised nations.
Next to the first question is a right of pre-emption.
It is apparent that within the Black Sea theatre, Russia acts in an unwilling, pre-emptive and rather defensive mode. That is not a regime change action on the other continent following the rational of extra security demand by the exclusive few. Fairly, it is an equalising reactive attempt within the near abroad. For the last 25 years, all the NATO military interventions were well beyond its membership zone; none of the few Russian interventions over the same period was outside the parameter of former USSR.
Before closing, let us take a closer look on the problem from a larger historical perspective.
Una hysteria Importante
Historically speaking, the process of Christianization of Europe that was used as the justification tool to (either intimidate or corrupt, so to say to) pacify the invading tribes, which demolished the Roman Empire and brought to an end the Antique age, was running parallel on two tracks. The Roman Curia/Vatican conducted one of them by its hammer: the Holy Roman Empire. The second was run by the cluster of Rusophone Slavic Kaganates, who receiving (the orthodox or true/authentic, so-called Eastern version of) Christianity from Byzantium, and past its collapse, have taken over a mission of Christianization, while forming its first state of Kiev Russia (and thereafter, its first historic empire). Thus, to the eastern edge of Europe, Russophones have lived in an intact, nearly a hermetic world of universalism for centuries: one empire, one Tsar, one religion and one language.
Everything in between Central Europe and Russia is Eastern Europe, rather a historic novelty on the political map of Europe. Very formation of the Atlantic Europe’s present shape dates back to 14th–15th century, of Central Europe to the mid-late 19th century, while a contemporary Eastern Europe only started emerging between the end of WWI and the collapse of the Soviet Union – meaning, less than 100 years at best, slightly over two decades in the most cases. No wonder that the dominant political culture of the Eastern Europeans resonates residual fears and reflects deeply insecure small nations.
Captive and restive, they are short in territorial depth, in demographic projection, in natural resources and in a direct access to open (warm) seas. After all, these are short in historio-cultural verticals, and in the bigger picture-driven long-term policies. Eastern Europeans are exercising the nationhood and sovereignty from quite a recently, thus, too often uncertain over the side and page of history. Therefore, they are often dismissive, hectic and suspectful, nearly neuralgic and xenophobic, with frequent overtones.
Years of Useful Idiot
The latest loss of Russophone Europe in its geopolitical and ideological confrontation with the West meant colossal changes in Eastern Europe. One may look into geopolitical surrounding of at the-time largest eastern European state, Poland, as an illustration of how dramatic was it. All three land neighbors of Poland; Eastern Germany (as the only country to join the EU without any accession procedure, but by pure act of Anschluss), Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union have disappeared overnight. At present, Polish border countries are a two-decade-old novelty on the European political map. Further on, if we wish to compare the number of dissolutions of states worldwide over the last 50 years, the Old continent suffered as many as all other continents combined: American continent – none, Asia – one (Indonesia/ East Timor), Africa – two (Sudan/South Sudan and Ethiopia/Eritrea), and Europe – three.
Interestingly, each and every dissolution in Europe was primarily related to Slavs (Slavic peo-ples) living in multiethnic and multi-linguistic (not in the Atlantic Europe’s conscripted pure single-nation) state. Additionally, all three European fragmentations – meaning, every second dissolution in the world – were situated exclusively and only in Eastern Europe. That region has witnessed a total dissolution of Czechoslovakia (western Slavs) and Yugoslavia (southern Slavs, in 3 waves), while one state disappeared from Eastern Europe (DDR) as to strengthen and enlarge the front of Central Europe (Western Germany).
Finally, countless centripetal turbulences severely affected Eastern Europe following the dissolution of the Soviet Union (eastern Slavs) on its frontiers.
Irredentism in the UK, Spain, Belgium, France and Italy, or Denmark (over Faroe Islands and Greenland) is far elder, stronger and deeper. However, all dissolutions in Eastern Europe took place irreversibly and overnight, while Atlantic Europe remained intact, with Central Europe even enlarging territorially and expanding economically.
Deindustrialized, incapacitated, demoralized, over-indebted, re-feudalized, rarified and de-Slavicized
Finally, East is sharply aged and depopulated –the worst of its kind ever– which in return will make any future prospect of a full and decisive generational interval simply impossible. Honduras-ization of Eastern Europe is full and complete. Hence, is it safe to say that if the post-WWII Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe was overt and brutal, this one is subtle but subversive and deeply corrosive?
The key (nonintentional) consequence of the Soviet occupation was that the Eastern European states –as a sort of their tacit, firm but low-tempered rebellion – preserved their sense of nationhood.
However, they had essential means at disposal to do so: the right to work was highly illuminated in and protected by the national constitutions, so were other socio-economic rights such as the right to culture, language, arts and similar segments of collective nation’s memory. Today’s East, deprived and deceived, silently witnesses the progressive metastasis of its national tissue.
Ergo, euphemisms such as countries in transition or new Europe cannot hide a disconsolate fact that Eastern Europe has been treated for 25 years as defeated belligerent, as spoils of war which the West won in its war against communist Russia.
It concludes that (self-)fragmented, deindustrialized and re-feudalized, rapidly aged rarified and depopulated, (and de-Slavicized) Eastern Europe is probably the least influential region of the world – one of the very few underachievers. Obediently submissive and therefore, rigid in dynamic environment of the promising 21st century, Eastern Europeans are among last remaining passive downloaders and slow-receivers on the otherwise blossoming stage of the world’s creativity, politics and economy. Seems, Europe still despises its own victims…
Terra nullius
Admittedly, by the early 1990s, the ‘security hole’– Eastern Europe, has been approached in multifold fashion: Besides the (pre-Maastricht EC and post-Maastricht) EU and NATO, there was the Council of Europe, the CSCE (after the 1993 Budapest summit, OSCE), the EBRD and EIB. All of them were sending the political, economic, human dimension, commercial signals, assistance and expertise. These moves were making both sides very nervous; Russia becoming assertive (on its former peripheries) and Eastern Europe defiantly dismissive. Until this very day, each of them is portraying the NATO enterprise as the central security consideration: One as a must-go, and another as a no-go.
No wonder that the absolute pivot of Eastern Europe, and the second largest of all Slavic states – Ukraine, is a grand hostage of that very dilemma: Between the eastern pan-Slavic hegemony and western ‘imperialism of free market’. Additionally, the country suffers from the consolidated Klepto-corporate takeover as well as the rapid re-Nazification.
For Ukraine, Russia is a geographic, socio-historic, cultural and linguistic reality. Presently, this reality is far less reflected upon than the seducing, but rather distant Euro-Atlantic club. Ukraine for Russia; it represents more than a lame western-flank’ geopolitical pivot, or to say, the first collateral in the infamous policy of containment that the West had continuously pursued against Russia ever since the 18th century.
For Moscow, Kiev is an emotional place – an indispensable bond of historio-civilizational attachment – something that makes and sustains Russia both Christian and European. Putin clearly redlined it: Sudden annexation of Crimea (return to its pre-1954 status) was an unpleasant and humiliating surprise that brought a lot of foreign policy hangover for both the NATO and EU.
Nevertheless, for the Atlantist alarmists (incl. the Partition studies participants and those working for the Hate industry), military lobbyists and other cold-war mentality ‘deep-state’ structures on all sides, this situation offers a perfect raison d’etre.
Thus drifting chopped off and away, a failed state beyond rehabilitation, Ukraine itself is a prisoner of this domesticated security drama. Yet again, the false dilemma so tragically imploded within this blue state, of a 50:50 polarized and deterritorialized population, over the question where the country belongs – in space, time and side of history. Conclusively, Eastern Europe is further twisting, while gradually combusted between Ukrainization and Pakistanization. The rest of Europe is already shifting the costs of its own foreign policy journey by ‘fracking’ its households with a considerably (politically) higher energy bills.
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About the author: Prof. Anis H. Bajrektarević, chairperson and professor in international law and global political studies, Vienna, Austria. He has authored six books (for American and European publishers) and numerous articles on, mainly, geopolitics energy and technology. For the past decades, he has over 1,200 hours of teaching on the subject International Law and Relations (including lecturing in both Kiev and Moscow universities and Diplomatic Academy).Professor is editor of the NY-based GHIR (Geopolitics, History and Intl. Relations) journal,and editorial board member of several similar specialized magazines on three continents.His 7th book, ‘From WWI to www. – Europe and the World 1918-2018’ is to be realised in December.Earlier version of the text was published by the Vision & Global Trends
Cuba and the Kingdom of the Netherlands signed a Memoradum of Understanding on Preservation of Cultural Underwater Heritage.By H.E. Ms. Soraya Alvarez, Ambassador of Cuba to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Last July 11 on the occasion of celebration of the 116th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the Republic of Cuba and the Kingdom of the Netherlandshave signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Preservation of Underwater Cultural Heritage between the National Council of Cultural Heritage of Cuba (CNPC) and the Rijksdienstvoor het CultureelErfgoed (RCE) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In the premises of the Second Palace Cape (Palacio del Segundo Cabo) in the Old Havana held the official ceremony of the signature of the MoU. This MoU express the mutual wishes to continue the development of the historical-archaeological research project, entitled: “The Dutch presence in Cuban waters”. The MoU was signed by the President of the CNPC, Ms. Gladys Collazo Usallán and by Mr. Martijn Manders, Head of the Maritime Program of the Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE).
The CNPC of Cuba and the RCE of Holland, appear to express their mutual pretensions to continue to develop a joint collaboration, with the aim of enriching knowledge about the historical and cultural heritage of both nations, ensuring that all the activities that derive will be in accordance with the current legislation of both countries and in correspondence with the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001), and its Annex.
The MoU as an ‘evidence’ for the equal partnership, balanced input, mutual benefit and long term commitment between both countries in this field.
The ceremony was also attended by executives from the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana (OHC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba (MINREX), the Ministry of Culture of Cuba (MINCULT), the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Cuba, H.E. Mrs. Alexandra Varkenburg as well as myself as the Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Cuba, H.E. Mrs. Alexandra Varkenburg.
This special ceremony held also in a historic location: The Palace of the Second Cape, where is also located the Center for the Interpretation of Cultural Relations Cuba-Europe. This Center is an institution that proposes a new museography that uses the technologies of computer science and communications, in a museographic discourse that constitutes a meeting space between both regions in the fields of culture and heritage.
In addition, the Palace has a Cartography Room in which Cuban and Dutch institutions have also collaborated intensively, and where is discussed the cartographic representation of Cuba through the centuries; it delves into the geographic knowledge of the time that made it possible and the purposes for which it was made.
At the early date of 1500 the Castilian navigator Juan de la Cosa (ca. 1450-1509) drew up the Universal Charter, whose greatest merit lies in being the oldest surviving cartographic work in which the American continent and Cuba appear.
From then on, in nautical charts, plans, coastal profiles and news recorded, the “Key of the New World and Antemural of the West Indies“, title granted to Havana and then, by extension, to Cuba was studied closely by the Europeans. In the multitouch table of the room the visitor can know singularities of the maps and their authors.
The application, which is subdivided into four main themes: Explorations, Confrontations, Trade and Collection, makes visible a vast Dutch cartography never before seen in our country, belonging to the collections of the National Archive of the Netherlands, the Library of the University of Amsterdam, the Maritime Museum of Rotterdam, the Royal Library of The Hague and the Rijksmuseum.
The paneling also refers to navigators, cartographers, geographers and pedagogues, both Cuban and European, who made significant contributions to the discipline worldwide or in its development in Cuba. We also highlight indispensable instruments for navigation and four audio-visuals that bring us closer to the engravings of the bay of Havana and Santiago, by the Dutch cartographer and water colourist Johannes Vingboons.
Undoubtedly, the signing of this MoU was an excellent incentive to continue developing and expanding bilateral relations and building bridges between both countries in all areas of common interest.
Sitting in a grand living room surrounded by unique Austrian paintings and beautiful mirrors belonging to the ancient house of Austria, the property of her government for more than 30 years, H.E. Ambassador Heidemaria Gürer talks fluently about how Austria is doing and the present state of the nation’s relationship with the Netherlands.
Ambassador Gürer is the head of the Austrian Diplomatic mission, also acting as a representative to some 50 bilateral and multilateral organizations sitting in the Netherlands. Some have commented that she is the most accessible, open and friendly Austrian ambassador to have graced the Netherlands; perhaps it is her background, rich in experiences in unfamiliar countries, that forms the primary reason why ambassador Gürer is so comfortable with all those who have the pleasure of meeting her.
On October 26th 2018 Austria celebrated its 63rd year of independence. 2018 is also a year of celebrations and reflection as the country celebrates the Centenary of the proclamation of the second Republic of Austria. In the spirit of such celebrations, it’s poignant to note that Dutch-Austrian economic relations are excellent and expanding all the time.
Companies big and small are doing very well. For example SAG produces aluminum here, and in Rotterdam roads and bridges are constructed by Austrian firm Strabag. Clearly, Austria is doing very well and making an impact here in infrastructure, architecture and industry. After Germany, the Netherlands is Austria’s largest market.
Our tourism industry is also expanding in a good direction, it is a special phenomenon attaching us to one-another: during the war many Dutch were in Austria and returning to visit is a kind of ritual for many; with a number coming for both summer and winter holidays. In fact Austria plays host to a great number of Dutch people coming to take advantage of the unique après ski. Now we share a ski Olympic champion, Marcel Hirscher. His mother is Dutch and his father Austrian, and both countries are immensely proud of him.
We have a very rich cultural agenda in the Netherlands that maintains artists from every field, enabling them to flow in both directions. The Embassy has taken advantage of the Presidency of the European Union and given bilateral relations a strong boost. It has been a welcome stepping stone for the organization of many meetings and exchanges in the cultural, economic, scientific and political fields. In the case of the latter, it is pleasing that after twenty three and a half years an Austrian Chancellor has visited the Netherlands again.
Ten days ago, Sebastian Kurz was here with us in The Hague at the invitation of Prime Minister Mark Rutte. During the visit, Federal Chancellor Kurz acknowledged the similar outlooks shared by the Netherlands and Austria by stating that the Netherlands is “the country in the EU with the most identical positions [to Austria]”. Building upon the success of Federal Chancellor Kurz’s visit, there is an upcoming official visit to the Netherlands next month of the Austrian Federal President with that beautiful Dutch name: Alexander Van der Bellen. It is already twenty six years ago that the then Austrian head of state Thomas Klestil made a state visit to the Netherlands. What we are seeing are milestones in the 360 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries.
In the context of the current Austrian EU Council Presidency, almost all Dutch ministers are now in Vienna for bilateral talks with their counterparts. Additionally the EU presidency will bring political contacts to Austria, with the current priorities, in accordance with its motto “A Europe that protects”, being: migration, the digitalization of the economy and the EU, and EU enlargement in South Eastern Europe.
The Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands, H.E. Mr. Jaime Victor B. Ledda.
05 December 2018 – The Philippine Embassy in The Hague (The Hague PE) successfully conducted on 01 December a forum in observance of PH 18-day campaign to end violence against women, aptly titled, Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW): The International and National Responses.
In his welcome remarks, H.E. Ambassador Jaime Victor B. Ledda informed the participants that the forum is a continuing advocacy on women’s rights and gender equality of the Embassy, in close partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Gender and Development (GAD) program, and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) at the national level.
Ambassador Ledda expressed with pride that the Philippines ranks among top 10 in the world’s most gender equal country based on the 2017 Global Gender Gap Report. Ambassador Ledda acknowledges that while challenges in EVAW remain, the Philippine government remains steadfast and continues to vigorously pursue all means and mechanisms at both national and international levels to “GEWE”, gender equality and women equality.
•Rea Abada-Chongson – Senior Legal Advisor on Gender, Specialist on Gender and Law.
A panel of legal professionals led by Attorney Rea Abada-Chiongson Senior Legal Advisor on Gender of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) in The Hague, gave an overview of the global frameworks on violence against women (VAW), briefly conveying on facts and figures on VAW committed worldwide, eg., 1 in 3 women have experienced physical or sexual violence by or 1 in 2 women killed were killed mostly by an intimate partner.
Maria Patricia Cervantes-Poco, Lecturer, Ateneo School of Law.
Ateneo de Manila’s School of Law faculty, Attorney Patricia Cervantes-Poco, currently a PhD student in Maastricht’s Law Faculty on the other hand presented the country’s responses to international standards on VAW which included Magna Carta on Women (RA 9710), New Anti-Rape Law (RA 8353), Violence Against Women and Children (RA 9262) and the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012 (RA 10364).
The Hague-based legal NGO, AriseNL was also invited by the Embassy and its representatives, Portuguese-lawyer who has been handling cases on domestic violence among women in the Netherlands, Attorney Marisa Monteiro-Borsbom and Ms. Sogano Mohandes discussed Dutch laws and services, ie paths to pursue when the system fails or delays for victims of domestic violence.
•Marisa Monteiro Borsboom, Lawyer and Member, European Lawyers Bar.
A “Q&A”, moderated by Attorney Neil Nucup, formerly of PH Supreme Court who is also pursuing further legal studies at Leiden University brought out gender-related concerns among members of the Filipino, Dutch and expatriate communities represented, e.g. a Filipino “transwoman” abused by his live-in Dutch partner, among others, that generated compassion among those in attendance.
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Photography is a courtesy of Elena Ratnikova.
An article to celebrate the National Day of the Kingdom of ThailandBy H.E Ms. Eksiri Pintaruchi, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
5th December marks Thailand’s National Day, Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX) and the Father’s Day of Thailand. In this connection, this article celebrates such auspicious occasions.
The Thai-Dutch relations started off at the beginning of the 17th Century with next year to reach 415th Anniversary of diplomatic relations. The site of the old trading station, called “New Amsterdam” by the Dutch or “Baan Hollanda” by the Thais, can be visited by the public today in Ayutthaya, the capital of Siam at the time. Over the centuries, bilateral relations between the two countries have flourished, and remains strong.
At present, around 200,000 Dutch tourists visiting Thailand each year while over 300 Dutch companies have been investing there. This makes the Netherlands the largest investor amongst EU countries in Thailand. The number of exchanges of visits and communications at all levels and across different sectors has also reflected growing dynamic between both sides.
Looking ahead, Thailand has embarked upon a new chapter. The Government has worked towards fulfilling its commitment in carrying out comprehensive national reform according to its announced Roadmap, paving the way towards a genuine and sustainable democracy. The 20-year National Strategy (2017-2036) has been adopted as a long-term vision and a legal framework in steering socio-economic policies of the country to ensure sustainable development while enhancing conducive environment for trade and investment.
Given such promising context, Thailand looks forward to forging partnership and collaboration with the Netherlands through the following areas:
Thailand 4.0: Towards an enhanced partnership
With the shared values aiming to enhance competitiveness through value- and innovation- based economy, “Thailand 4.0” development plan and the Netherland’s “Top Sectors” policy as well as the triple helix model are mutually reinforcing. Great potentials and opportunities have been identified and concretized, utilizing each other’s strength to enhance synergy for win-win collaboration to achieve innovative and inclusive growths, especially in the areas of smart agriculture and food technology, water resources management, logistics, bio-economy & circular economy, science, technology & innovation and SMEs & Start-ups. Thailand signed its first comprehensive Agreement on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters with the Netherlands in September this year. Such development has underpinned Thailand’s effort to boost its partnership with the Netherland.
As an overarching economic policy aiming to steer Thailand forward amid the fast changing global developments, Thailand 4.0 has been introduced since 2016 covering ranges of policies and measures including reform efforts to streamline rules and regulations to ensure compliance with the international standard as well as to enhance transparency and confidence among investors and all stakeholders. These include identifying targeted sectors to be further upgraded and promoted (so-called the “S-Curve” and the “new S-Curve”), e.g. agriculture & biotech, food for the future, smart electronics, robotics, aviation & logistics, biofuels & biochemical, digital and comprehensive medical industry.
The Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) has also been designated as Special Economic Zone along Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard covering Chachoengsao, Chonburi and Rayong Provinces. The EEC is aimed to serve as technological manufacturing and services as well as trade and investment hub connecting the production, supply and value chain under the ASEAN Economic Community through various investment incentives, plans and projects to upgrading and expansion of comprehensive infrastructure and logistics systems as well as R&D facilities. The projects encompass the following key elements:
Improved infrastructure and facilities for business and industrial clusters through smart urban planning;
Seamless connectivity to ASEAN neighbours via all means of transportation;
Newly reformed rules and regulations that provide maximum incentives for qualified investment projects, such as exemption of corporate income tax for up to 15 years, matching grants for investment in R&D, innovation and human resources for targeted industries, including permission to own land for BOI promoted projects;
Simplified application processes to facilitate all foreign investors on the issuance of permits and licenses through One Stop Service (OSS) center.
The continual pattern of Thailand’s accelerating economic growth rate – from 3% in 2015 to 3.3% in 2016, and 3.9% in 2017, with 2018 projected growth in the range 4.2-4.7% -, not only echoes sound economic fundamentals and resilience of the country, but also confidence in the prospects of the Thai economy and its future directions under this Thailand 4.0 policy framework toward an enhanced partnership with the Netherlands and beyond.
Sufficiency Economy for Sustainable Development Goals (SEP4SDG)
Thailand joined forces with the international community in the adoption of the SDGs in 2015 and has attached great importance to mainstreaming sustainable development in all dimensions of its key policy priorities as well as daily living of the people to prepare and face the global challenges in a sustainable and responsible manner. The concept of sustainable development has long taken root in the country as our home-grown approach guided by His Majesty the late King Rama IX’s Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP). Based on the principles of moderation, reasonableness and prudence, guided by knowledge and virtue, SEP stresses balance in the use of economic, social, environmental and cultural capital, while underlining the importance of preparedness in dealing with changes in these four dimensions. Progress with balance promote stability and, ultimately, provide a basis for sustainability.
Thailand has also worked closely with many partners in promoting awareness and capacity building with other developing countries on bilateral and trilateral basis under the policy of “SEP for SDG Partnership”. Given the high priority both the Netherlands and Thailand place on promoting sustainability at national and international levels, both countries can partner under trilateral cooperation, sharing experience and expertise contributing to other developing countries’ efforts towards achieving the SDGs.
According to former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, “Sufficiency Economy” was of great relevance and has reinforced the United Nation’s efforts to promote a people-centred and sustainable path of development. An outstanding aspect of the SEP is sustainable soil management, which has been internationally recognized when the FAO supported the formal establishment of World Soil Day as a global awareness platform. In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly declared 5th December, the Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty the late King Rama IX, as the World Soil Day.
2019 ASEAN Chairmanship
Assuming ASEAN Chairmanship in 2019, Thailand looks forward to working with our partners including the Netherlands and the European Union, to promote sustainability in ASEAN Community-building, in the ASEAN-centered regional architecture, for regional peace, stability and prosperity. This can be done through various frameworks such as the ASEAN-EU dialogue relations and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). Collaboration through such sub-regional fora as Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), in the areas where the Netherlands possesses expertise i.e. agriculture and water resource management, will also be valuable.
Thailand’s ASEAN Chairmanship will seek to build on the accomplishments of past ASEAN Chairmanships as well as to create momentum for the future. Thailand will focus on sustainability in key dimensions including economic, human security and regional security, which will help promote the shared goal of building a people-centred Community that leaves no one behind. To this end, we look to enhancing seamless connectivity, effective partnerships, and laying a foundation for future-oriented ASEAN.
With the Netherlands and the EU’s leading role in sustainable development and innovation and Thailand and the ASEAN’s dynamic growth, enhanced collaborative partnerships would generate strategic impetus for further mutual benefits.
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For further information, please contact: TheHague@ThaiEmbassy.nl.
By Guido Lanfranchi.
Addressing the diplomatic and press corps in Joint Base Anacostia – Bolling, United States, US Special Representative for Iran Mr. Brian Hook showed “tangible evidence” of Iran’s “malign activities” in the Middle East, and urged the international community to support the US-led pressure campaign on Tehran.
The Iran Materiel Display (IMD), hosted by Joint Base Anacostia – Bolling, is a showcase of missiles, rifles, hand grenades and a number of other Iranian-made weapons collected by the United States and its allies in the region. Such exposition – US Special Representative for Iran Mr. Brian Hook explains – should be a warning for the international community: something should be done to curb Iran’s increasing military capabilities and its support for rebel groups throughout the Middle East.
In a conference at the IMD on November 29th, 2018, Mr. Hook invited the press and the diplomatic corps to observe the “tangible evidence” of Iran’s “malign activities”. In addition to a number of journalists and diplomatic staff from several countries, the Ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Israel attended the event, receiving a warm welcome from Mr. Hook.
In his remarks, Mr. Hook exposed some of the weapon systems displayed at the IMD, such as the surface-to-air missile Sayyad-2C, highlighting the danger of ballistic missiles development in Iran. Such increasingly sophisticated systems – Mr Hook stressed – could be a threat not only for US allies in the Middle East, but even for some European countries.
The US Special Representative also voiced the US’s concerns over Iran’s export of different types of weapons, ranging from missiles to small-size rifles, to an increasing number of groups in the Middle East, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Houthis. In particular, Mr. Hooks stressed the gravity of the situation in Yemen, regretting that a strong involvement of Iran in the conflict is not only affecting the Yemeni people, but also the security of the whole region.
Mr. Hook reiterated that the United States will continue to exert maximum pressure on the Iranian regime, in order to starve Tehran of the resources used to fund its “malign activities” throughout the Middle East. While the sanctions imposed by the US have already taken their toll on Iran – Mr. Hook noted – the US stands ready to impose further measures. The standoff continues.
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The full video of Mr. Hook conference is accessible here: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/643891/state-department-briefs-press-irans-weapons-violations
The country has received more than 5.1 million visitors in 2018 and the number looks set to grow. These infrastructure projects will be intertwined with the high-speed train connections that are in place in Samarkand (the Pearl of the East), Shakhrisabz, Bukhara, Khiva and other cities.
Main course menu for business class passengers aboard Uzbekistan Airways:
• Meat snack (includes three kinds of meat products); • Cheese assortment (includes two types of cheese); • Fish snack (includes two types of fish); • Vegetable snack (includes seasonal vegetables); • Dessert (cakes, fresh fruits, dry fruits); • Bread and baked goods; • Spices and flavorings; • Main course (variety of meat, chicken and fish courses); • Hot drinks(black and green tea, black and white coffee); • Juices and soft drinks; • Alcoholic drinks (cognac, vodka, champagne, white or red wine, beer).
Main course menu foreconomy class passengers aboard Uzbekistan Airways: •Cold snack (includes meat products and cheese); •Vegetable snack (includes seasonal vegetables); •Dessert (cakes, fresh fruits, dry fruits); •Bread and baked goods; •Spices and flavorings; •Main course (meat or chicken); •Hot drinks(black and green tea, black and white coffee); •Soft drinks (mineral water, still water, carbonate beverages, juices); •Alcoholic drinks (wine) served depending on flight route. 
The country has received more than 5.1 million visitors in 2018 and the number looks set to grow. These infrastructure projects will be intertwined with the high-speed train connections that are in place in Samarkand (the Pearl of the East), Shakhrisabz, Bukhara, Khiva and other cities.
Main course menu for business class passengers aboard Uzbekistan Airways:
• Meat snack (includes three kinds of meat products); • Cheese assortment (includes two types of cheese); • Fish snack (includes two types of fish); • Vegetable snack (includes seasonal vegetables); • Dessert (cakes, fresh fruits, dry fruits); • Bread and baked goods; • Spices and flavorings; • Main course (variety of meat, chicken and fish courses); • Hot drinks(black and green tea, black and white coffee); • Juices and soft drinks; • Alcoholic drinks (cognac, vodka, champagne, white or red wine, beer).
Main course menu foreconomy class passengers aboard Uzbekistan Airways: •Cold snack (includes meat products and cheese); •Vegetable snack (includes seasonal vegetables); •Dessert (cakes, fresh fruits, dry fruits); •Bread and baked goods; •Spices and flavorings; •Main course (meat or chicken); •Hot drinks(black and green tea, black and white coffee); •Soft drinks (mineral water, still water, carbonate beverages, juices); •Alcoholic drinks (wine) served depending on flight route. 
The MoU as an ‘evidence’ for the equal partnership, balanced input, mutual benefit and long term commitment between both countries in this field.
The ceremony was also attended by executives from the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana (OHC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba (MINREX), the Ministry of Culture of Cuba (MINCULT), the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Cuba, H.E. Mrs. Alexandra Varkenburg as well as myself as the Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The MoU as an ‘evidence’ for the equal partnership, balanced input, mutual benefit and long term commitment between both countries in this field.
The ceremony was also attended by executives from the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana (OHC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba (MINREX), the Ministry of Culture of Cuba (MINCULT), the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Cuba, H.E. Mrs. Alexandra Varkenburg as well as myself as the Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Companies big and small are doing very well. For example SAG produces aluminum here, and in Rotterdam roads and bridges are constructed by Austrian firm Strabag. Clearly, Austria is doing very well and making an impact here in infrastructure, architecture and industry. After Germany, the Netherlands is Austria’s largest market.
Our tourism industry is also expanding in a good direction, it is a special phenomenon attaching us to one-another: during the war many Dutch were in Austria and returning to visit is a kind of ritual for many; with a number coming for both summer and winter holidays. In fact Austria plays host to a great number of Dutch people coming to take advantage of the unique après ski. Now we share a ski Olympic champion, Marcel Hirscher. His mother is Dutch and his father Austrian, and both countries are immensely proud of him.
We have a very rich cultural agenda in the Netherlands that maintains artists from every field, enabling them to flow in both directions. The Embassy has taken advantage of the Presidency of the European Union and given bilateral relations a strong boost. It has been a welcome stepping stone for the organization of many meetings and exchanges in the cultural, economic, scientific and political fields. In the case of the latter, it is pleasing that after twenty three and a half years an Austrian Chancellor has visited the Netherlands again.
Ten days ago, Sebastian Kurz was here with us in The Hague at the invitation of Prime Minister Mark Rutte. During the visit, Federal Chancellor Kurz acknowledged the similar outlooks shared by the Netherlands and Austria by stating that the Netherlands is “the country in the EU with the most identical positions [to Austria]”. Building upon the success of Federal Chancellor Kurz’s visit, there is an upcoming official visit to the Netherlands next month of the Austrian Federal President with that beautiful Dutch name: Alexander Van der Bellen. It is already twenty six years ago that the then Austrian head of state Thomas Klestil made a state visit to the Netherlands. What we are seeing are milestones in the 360 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries.
In the context of the current Austrian EU Council Presidency, almost all Dutch ministers are now in Vienna for bilateral talks with their counterparts. Additionally the EU presidency will bring political contacts to Austria, with the current priorities, in accordance with its motto “A Europe that protects”, being: migration, the digitalization of the economy and the EU, and EU enlargement in South Eastern Europe.
Companies big and small are doing very well. For example SAG produces aluminum here, and in Rotterdam roads and bridges are constructed by Austrian firm Strabag. Clearly, Austria is doing very well and making an impact here in infrastructure, architecture and industry. After Germany, the Netherlands is Austria’s largest market.
Our tourism industry is also expanding in a good direction, it is a special phenomenon attaching us to one-another: during the war many Dutch were in Austria and returning to visit is a kind of ritual for many; with a number coming for both summer and winter holidays. In fact Austria plays host to a great number of Dutch people coming to take advantage of the unique après ski. Now we share a ski Olympic champion, Marcel Hirscher. His mother is Dutch and his father Austrian, and both countries are immensely proud of him.
We have a very rich cultural agenda in the Netherlands that maintains artists from every field, enabling them to flow in both directions. The Embassy has taken advantage of the Presidency of the European Union and given bilateral relations a strong boost. It has been a welcome stepping stone for the organization of many meetings and exchanges in the cultural, economic, scientific and political fields. In the case of the latter, it is pleasing that after twenty three and a half years an Austrian Chancellor has visited the Netherlands again.
Ten days ago, Sebastian Kurz was here with us in The Hague at the invitation of Prime Minister Mark Rutte. During the visit, Federal Chancellor Kurz acknowledged the similar outlooks shared by the Netherlands and Austria by stating that the Netherlands is “the country in the EU with the most identical positions [to Austria]”. Building upon the success of Federal Chancellor Kurz’s visit, there is an upcoming official visit to the Netherlands next month of the Austrian Federal President with that beautiful Dutch name: Alexander Van der Bellen. It is already twenty six years ago that the then Austrian head of state Thomas Klestil made a state visit to the Netherlands. What we are seeing are milestones in the 360 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries.
In the context of the current Austrian EU Council Presidency, almost all Dutch ministers are now in Vienna for bilateral talks with their counterparts. Additionally the EU presidency will bring political contacts to Austria, with the current priorities, in accordance with its motto “A Europe that protects”, being: migration, the digitalization of the economy and the EU, and EU enlargement in South Eastern Europe.
Given such promising context, Thailand looks forward to forging partnership and collaboration with the Netherlands through the following areas:
Thailand 4.0: Towards an enhanced partnership
With the shared values aiming to enhance competitiveness through value- and innovation- based economy, “Thailand 4.0” development plan and the Netherland’s “Top Sectors” policy as well as the triple helix model are mutually reinforcing. Great potentials and opportunities have been identified and concretized, utilizing each other’s strength to enhance synergy for win-win collaboration to achieve innovative and inclusive growths, especially in the areas of smart agriculture and food technology, water resources management, logistics, bio-economy & circular economy, science, technology & innovation and SMEs & Start-ups. Thailand signed its first comprehensive Agreement on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters with the Netherlands in September this year. Such development has underpinned Thailand’s effort to boost its partnership with the Netherland.
As an overarching economic policy aiming to steer Thailand forward amid the fast changing global developments, Thailand 4.0 has been introduced since 2016 covering ranges of policies and measures including reform efforts to streamline rules and regulations to ensure compliance with the international standard as well as to enhance transparency and confidence among investors and all stakeholders. These include identifying targeted sectors to be further upgraded and promoted (so-called the “S-Curve” and the “new S-Curve”), e.g. agriculture & biotech, food for the future, smart electronics, robotics, aviation & logistics, biofuels & biochemical, digital and comprehensive medical industry.
The Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) has also been designated as Special Economic Zone along Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard covering Chachoengsao, Chonburi and Rayong Provinces. The EEC is aimed to serve as technological manufacturing and services as well as trade and investment hub connecting the production, supply and value chain under the ASEAN Economic Community through various investment incentives, plans and projects to upgrading and expansion of comprehensive infrastructure and logistics systems as well as R&D facilities. The projects encompass the following key elements:
2019 ASEAN Chairmanship
Assuming ASEAN Chairmanship in 2019, Thailand looks forward to working with our partners including the Netherlands and the European Union, to promote sustainability in ASEAN Community-building, in the ASEAN-centered regional architecture, for regional peace, stability and prosperity. This can be done through various frameworks such as the ASEAN-EU dialogue relations and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). Collaboration through such sub-regional fora as Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), in the areas where the Netherlands possesses expertise i.e. agriculture and water resource management, will also be valuable.
Thailand’s ASEAN Chairmanship will seek to build on the accomplishments of past ASEAN Chairmanships as well as to create momentum for the future. Thailand will focus on sustainability in key dimensions including economic, human security and regional security, which will help promote the shared goal of building a people-centred Community that leaves no one behind. To this end, we look to enhancing seamless connectivity, effective partnerships, and laying a foundation for future-oriented ASEAN.
With the Netherlands and the EU’s leading role in sustainable development and innovation and Thailand and the ASEAN’s dynamic growth, enhanced collaborative partnerships would generate strategic impetus for further mutual benefits.
————————
For further information, please contact: TheHague@ThaiEmbassy.nl.
Given such promising context, Thailand looks forward to forging partnership and collaboration with the Netherlands through the following areas:
Thailand 4.0: Towards an enhanced partnership
With the shared values aiming to enhance competitiveness through value- and innovation- based economy, “Thailand 4.0” development plan and the Netherland’s “Top Sectors” policy as well as the triple helix model are mutually reinforcing. Great potentials and opportunities have been identified and concretized, utilizing each other’s strength to enhance synergy for win-win collaboration to achieve innovative and inclusive growths, especially in the areas of smart agriculture and food technology, water resources management, logistics, bio-economy & circular economy, science, technology & innovation and SMEs & Start-ups. Thailand signed its first comprehensive Agreement on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters with the Netherlands in September this year. Such development has underpinned Thailand’s effort to boost its partnership with the Netherland.
As an overarching economic policy aiming to steer Thailand forward amid the fast changing global developments, Thailand 4.0 has been introduced since 2016 covering ranges of policies and measures including reform efforts to streamline rules and regulations to ensure compliance with the international standard as well as to enhance transparency and confidence among investors and all stakeholders. These include identifying targeted sectors to be further upgraded and promoted (so-called the “S-Curve” and the “new S-Curve”), e.g. agriculture & biotech, food for the future, smart electronics, robotics, aviation & logistics, biofuels & biochemical, digital and comprehensive medical industry.
The Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) has also been designated as Special Economic Zone along Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard covering Chachoengsao, Chonburi and Rayong Provinces. The EEC is aimed to serve as technological manufacturing and services as well as trade and investment hub connecting the production, supply and value chain under the ASEAN Economic Community through various investment incentives, plans and projects to upgrading and expansion of comprehensive infrastructure and logistics systems as well as R&D facilities. The projects encompass the following key elements:
2019 ASEAN Chairmanship
Assuming ASEAN Chairmanship in 2019, Thailand looks forward to working with our partners including the Netherlands and the European Union, to promote sustainability in ASEAN Community-building, in the ASEAN-centered regional architecture, for regional peace, stability and prosperity. This can be done through various frameworks such as the ASEAN-EU dialogue relations and the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). Collaboration through such sub-regional fora as Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), in the areas where the Netherlands possesses expertise i.e. agriculture and water resource management, will also be valuable.
Thailand’s ASEAN Chairmanship will seek to build on the accomplishments of past ASEAN Chairmanships as well as to create momentum for the future. Thailand will focus on sustainability in key dimensions including economic, human security and regional security, which will help promote the shared goal of building a people-centred Community that leaves no one behind. To this end, we look to enhancing seamless connectivity, effective partnerships, and laying a foundation for future-oriented ASEAN.
With the Netherlands and the EU’s leading role in sustainable development and innovation and Thailand and the ASEAN’s dynamic growth, enhanced collaborative partnerships would generate strategic impetus for further mutual benefits.
————————
For further information, please contact: TheHague@ThaiEmbassy.nl.
