On the picture chef Sido de Brabander, Ambassador Ngo Thi Hoa and chef Dao Van Son.By Youri Moes.It is often said that the best way to understand a person is to sit down with them and share a meal. To see how people gather around a communal space with each other is a window into their methods, traditions and culture. We are happy to have experienced this again with another great gastronomic event, Flavours of Viet Nam, organized together with the Embassy of Viet Nam, Crowne Plaza Promenade and Diplomat Magazine. With this being the latest of these events it is always a pleasure to see people learn about a nation’s culture through the most enjoyable way possible, its food.For additional Hester Dijkstra’s pictures, please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/109407424@N02/albums/72157698165609201Vietnamese painter Nguyen Minh Son .Of course there is more to a culture than just culinary prowess. Before the dinner began a reception was held where some impressive artwork made by Nguyen Minh Son was on display. In these paintings people saw beautiful style of life as well as landscapes. The artist was present to talk to guests, and answer questions. His style and love for his country were very much present, with scenes of the old city of Hanoi being painted in beautiful warm colours. Many pieces were on display, and made it clear that there is diverse and beautiful art coming out of Viet Nam. The ambassador of Japan, H.E. Hiroshi Inomata trying Vietnamese food.These beautiful pieces of art were accompanied with new export items, all coming in from Viet Nam. Coffee, tea, dolls and toys, among other things were all on display. The embassy clearly shows that Viet Nam has much to offer to the world. To further emphasize this point, representatives from Vietnam Airlines were there to advertise their new fleet of flights, with their new direct flights from European airports to Vietnam, now Amsterdam, Paris, Moscow, London, Vienna, Prague, Rome, Madrid, Nice, Barcelona and Frankfurt. They helped bring the culinary talent of the evening, Chef Dao Van Son as well as the painter Nguyen Minh Son from Vietnam to be present for the event. Many guests were present among which, ambasadors, diplomats, Dutch ministry staff, business leaders and entrepeneurs. Food is often a great incentive to reconnect and see old friends, and in this regard the event was a great success. All throughout the night greetings were heard between old friends, remarking how long it had been since they last saw one another. Ambassadors from Russia, Venezuela, Philippines, Palestine, South Africa, Japan, Bulgaria, Thailand, and many others were present. To see these parts of society come together over a shared admiration of Vietnamese cuisine truly is a testament to the importance of celebrating cultures.Ambassador Ngo Thi Hoa, the Ambassador of South Africa H.E. Bruce Koloane and the Ambassador of Bulgaria H.E. Rumen Alexandrov.Naturally the main event was the food, and the guests of the event were in for quite a treat. Chef Dao Van Son, a master chef with 2 Michelin star prepared the dishes for the event. Chef Dao Van Son is famous throughout the culinary world for his work in the Sofitel Metropole Hanoi and Sofitel Plaza Saigon. His most acclaimed work is in his restaurant La Table du Chef in Hanoi; the modest Son cooked already for the King and Queen of Norway, presidents like Jacques Chirac, Vladimir Putin, Bin Clinton, Jiang Zhe Min, Fidel Castro and more.H.E. Ambassador Haifa Haissami Madah, Chief of Mission OPCW – ICC Permanent Mission of Venezuela and H.E. Jose Bucarello Ambassador, Multilateral Mission of Venezuela.The dishes on display took the guests on a culinary trip of classic Vietnamese food, prepared by a master of the craft. With flairs of fish sauce, coriander, spice and fresh ingredients, the food was loved by all people in attendance. Spring Rolls with lobster, lotus root salad, bún cha style pork and roast duck were just a few of things the guests were allowed to indulge in. Just looking at the ingredients that were used by chef Dao Van Son, we see the core elements of Vietnamese cuisine. Using star fruit, banana flowers, beansprouts in combination with beautifully fresh fish and meats the chef makes amazing experiences in sweet, sour and spicy flavours.The amazing culinary and artistic experience, together with great company and an open bar, was sure to lead to an amazing atmosphere and resulted in people leavingwith full stomachs and happy memories. Viet Nam Flavors was part of a series of gastronomic events hosted at Crowne Plaza once a month. We will have events like this one together with the embassies of Mexico, Uzbekistan, Italy and Hungary. Naturally we would be happy and honoured to see returning faces to these culinary experiences.
By Roy Lie Atjam.
On Monday 30th July 2018, Sri Lankan Ambassador H.E. Adam Sadiq hosted a lively farewell reception for Australian AmbassadorDr. Brett Mason, on behalf of the Asia-Oceania group of Ambassadors. The venue was “Lakmedura” the residence of Ambassador Sadiq.
Ambassador Mason thanked Ambassador Sadiq for spearheading Australia’s inclusion in the group; Australia’s historical links with Europe and the US form part of who Australia is today, but there’s no question that Australia’s future lies in the dynamic Asian region.
Ambassador Sadiq had been such a great friend to Australia, quipped Mason, that he might consider serving as Australia’s Ambassador to the Netherlands at the conclusion of his current appointment as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador(laughter)
Ambassadors of the Asia-Oceania group, along with none members of the group, turn out in their numbers to take leave of Brett Mason.
Ambassador Jaime Victor Ledda of the Philippines also addressed Ambassador Mason. He thanked him for his contributions to the Asia-Oceania group.
Ambassador Mason received a commemorative plaque and a Sri Lankan tea set.
A reception including savoury Sri Lankan food concluded the gathering.
Uzbekistan introduces the system of registering and issuing electronic entry visas E-VISA.UZ
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a resolution “On further measures to optimize the order of entry of foreign citizens into the Republic of Uzbekistan” on 4 July.
The head of Uzbekistan abolished compulsory address of foreign citizens to diplomatic missions and consular offices of Uzbekistan abroad.
Starting from 15 July, Uzbekistan introduced an order of visa-free entry, temporary stay and departure from Uzbekistan through checkpoints of citizens of 101 states that transit through Uzbekistan at international airports for a period of not more than five days.
H.E. Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
In this case, passengers must have an air ticket to a third country. The carrier must provide the Border Guard units of the State Security Service of Uzbekistan with timely information on passengers. Visa-free entry, temporary stay and departure from Uzbekistan are introduced for foreign citizens who have not reached the age of 16, if they have a foreign passport or a biometric travel document accompanied by their legal representatives, for the period of validity of the entry visa in the passport of the accompanying person, but not more than 90 days from the date of entry into Uzbekistan.
When foreign citizens reach the age of 16 during their stay on the territory of Uzbekistan, an exit visa is issued by the migration units and registration of citizenship of the internal affairs bodies in accordance with the established procedure.
An electronic visa is issued for a period of stay in the territory of Uzbekistan up to 30 days with a single entry and is valid for 90 days from the date of issue.
Foreigners must send an application for a visa at least three working days before the planned date of travel to Uzbekistan. Authorized bodies of Uzbekistan will consider the appeal within two working days without taking into account the day of submission of the appeal.
Foreign citizens must pay a consular fee for processing and issuing an electronic entry visa in the amount of US$20. The consular fee is paid electronically through international payment systems.
Countries for whose citizens visa-free transit entry is introduced, temporary stay and departure from Uzbekistan:
1. The Australian Union
2. The Republic of Austria
3. Republic of Albania
4. Algeria
5. AntiguaandBarbuda
6. ArgentineRepublic
7. The Bahamas
8. Barbados
9. Kingdom of Bahrain
10. Belize
11. Kingdom of Belgium
12. Principality of Andorra
13. Republic of Bulgaria
14. Republic of BosniaandHerzegovina
15. FederativeRepublic of Brazil
16. The State of BruneiDarussalam
17. Kingdom of Bhutan
18. Vatican
19. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
20. Hungary
21. Republic of Venezuela
22. The SocialistRepublic of Vietnam
23. Gabon
24. CooperativeRepublic of Guyana
25. Republic of Guatemala
26. FederalRepublic of Germany
27. Republic of Honduras
28. Grenada
29. The HellenicRepublic
30. Kingdom of Denmark
31. Dominica
32. DominicanRepublic
33. Republic of India
34. Ireland
35. Iceland
36. The Kingdom of Spain
37. ItalianRepublic
38. Canada
39. State of Qatar
40. Republic of Cyprus
41. The People’s Republic of China, including the Special Administrative Region
42. Hong Kong People’s Republic of China
43. Republic of Colombia
44. Republic of CostaRica
45. State of Kuwait
46. LatvianRepublic
47. Lebanon
48. Republic of Lithuania
49. Principality of Liechtenstein
50. GrandDuchy of Luxembourg
51. Republic of Mauritius
52. The Republic of Macedonia
53. Republic of Maldives
54. Republic of Malta
55. Kingdom of Morocco
56. Mexico
57. Principality of Monaco
58. Mongolia
59. The Republic of Nauru
60. Kingdom of the Netherlands
61. NewZealand
62. Kingdom of Norway
63. UnitedArabEmirates
64. Sultanate of Oman
65. Republic of Palau
66. Republic of Panama
67. Republic of Peru
68. Republic of Poland
69. PortugueseRepublic
70. Romania
71. Republic of SanMarino
72. Kingdom of SaudiArabia
73. Seychelles
74. SaintVincentand the Grenadines
75. SaintKittsandNevis
76. Saint Lucia
77. Republic of Serbia
78. The SlovakRepublic
79. Republic of Slovenia
80. USA
81. Republic of Suriname
82. Kingdom of Thailand
83. Republic of TrinidadandTobago
84. TunisRepublic
85. Turkmenistan
86. Uruguay
87. Republic of Fiji
88. Republic of the Philippines
89. The Republic of Finland
90. FrenchRepublic
91. Republic of Croatia
92. Montenegro
93. CzechRepublic
94. Republic of Chile
95. SwissConfederation
96. Kingdom of Sweden
97. Sri Lanka
98. Republic of Ecuador
99. Republic of EquatorialGuinea
100. The Republic of Estonia
101. SouthAfrica
102. Jamaica
Mr. Francis R. Fannon, picture by the US State Department.By Guido Lanfranchi.During the last week of July, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Energy Resources, Mr. Francis R. Fannon, met with government officials and business representatives in Kyiv, Warsaw, and Athens. These bilateral meetings revolved around the issue of European energy security and diversification.
Mr. Francis R. Fannon is the first Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Energy Resources, United States State Department. This post has been established only recently, in spring 2018, and according to Mr. Fannon this “underscores the critical importance of energy diplomacy” for the current US administration. In his first trip abroad, Mr. Fannon decided to travel to Europe, and more specifically to Ukraine, Poland, and Greece, three critical energy partners for the US. In the capitals of these countries, Mr. Fannon met with government officials and business representatives, in order to discuss European energy policy and energy security.
At the center of the discussions there was the controversial project Nord Stream 2, the planned expansion of the Nord Stream gas pipeline running from Russia to Northern Europe via the Baltic Sea. Indeed, in his European trip Mr. Fannon visited two of the staunchest opponents of such project, namely Ukraine and Poland. In a telephonic briefing, Mr. Fannon reiterated the US “unwavering opposition” to the Nord Stream 2 project.
While he declined to comment on any future actions of the US administration, Mr. Fannon warned multiple times that companies involved in the construction of Nord Stream 2 might be exposed to a higher risk of sanctions. This is partly because the US administration sees Nord Stream 2not as a commercial enterprise, but rather as a solely geopolitical project, aimed at increasing Russia’s leverage in the Ukrainian conflict.
Speaking about Ukraine, Mr. Fannon reiterated the US full support to the Ukrainian government, especially in this moment of transition, in which the country is developing democratic institutions and a competitive market economy. In the energy domain, Mr. Fannon praised the Ukrainian government’s ongoing efforts to open and liberalize the country’s energy market, as well as its efforts in tackling corruption. In particular, Mr. Fannon mentioned the memorandum of understanding recently signed by Naftogaz and MGU, which is set to enhance Ukraine’s efforts in the energy sector’s reforms by 2020.
The US support to Ukraine is a crucial factor in shaping the US position on Nord Stream 2. As the direct connection between Russia and Northern Europe would be expanded, Ukraine would see its role as transit country significantly reduced, and therefore it would become more exposed to Russian pressures. In order to avoid such a scenario, Mr. Fannon declared that the US is ready to oppose the expansion projects through different means, ranging from diplomatic pressure to commercial sanctions, in collaboration with all actors willing to cooperate.
While the US opposes projects that increase Europe’s dependency on Russia, Mr. Fannon stated that the US fully supports any European effort in building energy infrastructure in order to differentiate its energy supplies and enhance its energy security. Mr. Fannon praised the work of some European countries in diversifying their energy supplies. In particular, he mentioned Greece’s efforts in the LNG sector, Romania’s BRUA pipeline, Croatia’s Krk Island terminal, and the recent differentiation efforts in Lithuania.
Finally, Mr. Fannon was questioned about the implications of recent geopolitical events on the international oil markets. Mr. Fannon expressed his confidence that the reduction in oil supplies coming from Venezuela and Iran could be compensated by other producers in the global market, also noting that it is a duty for the US administration to closely monitor global oil markets and to ensure that appropriate supplies are available.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Fannon reiterated once more the importance of European energy security for the United States, pledging that his office will continue to closely cooperate with its European partners. As US-EU tensions seem to rise on the trade front, energy security seems an important issue where the two allies still want to work together.
The jewellery company Tiffany & Co. has opened its first store in the Kingdom of Denmark, which is likewise the first one to open within the Nordic countries.
The new Tiffany & Co. store is located in the Copenhagen-based department store ILLUM, which is the city’s premier luxury shopping destination, according to Managing Director Sandra Mohsni, in charge of the Nordic countries, Germany, Austria and Czechia.
Founded in New York in 1837, Tiffany & Co. is the world’s premier jeweller and America’s house of design. An iconic brand with a rich and storied heritage, Tiffany is a global manufacturer and retailer of jewellery and luxury accessories.
The company operates more than 300 Tiffany & Co. stores in more than 20 countries.
For further information:
Tuesday, 29 May 2018, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg: HE Ambassador Edgardo Malaroda, Head of Mission of the Argentine to the Federal Republic of Germany travelled to Hamburg for a maiden courtesy visit to First Mayor Dr. Peter Tschentscher after having taken his ambassadorship on 8 March 2018.
Previously Ambassador Malaroda was representing his homeland as consul general in Frankfurt am Main.
On the picture the Ambassador of the Republic of Albania H.E. Ms. Adia Sakiqi and H.E. Ms. Ambassador Heidemaria Gurer of Austria at the Austrian residence. By Roy Lie Atjam.
A Salon Concert was hosted by H.E. Ms. Ambassador Heidemaria Gurer of Austria and the Ambassador of the Republic of Albania H.E. Ms. Adia Sakiqi at the Austrian residence on Tuesday 5 June 2018 as part of the Albanian-Austrian Cultural Year 2018.
Delivering a speech on this occasion Ambassador Heidemaria Gurer said, one of her favorite role as Ambassador of Austria is bringing people together to enjoy (classical) music.
the duo Mirsa Adami – Albanian Pianist and Katharina Gross – Austrian cellist.
The concert featured performances by the duo Katharina Gross – Austrian cellist and Mirsa Adami -Albanian Pianist.
Cellist Katharina Gross studied in Lubeck, Cologne and Manchester. She took part in several Masterclasses. Katharina has won various International prizes. She was also a soloist with the Kiev Philharmonic Orchestra.
The pianist Mirsa Adami studied in Tirana, Albania. She played in several orchestras and gave many recitals. In 1991 Mirza went to the Netherlands to continue her studies in Groningen. She later went to the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam where she graduated with honours as a performing artist in 2000.
The duo Katharina Gross and Mirsa Adami played pieces including: Alexander Zemlinsky (Humpreske), Leos Janacek (Allegro), Rauf Dhomi (Rondo) and Sulkhan Tsintsadze (Chonguri).
The musical presentations brought a magic atmosphere of summertime. The listeners were enchanted by the music and the artistic presentation. A concise group of friends, members of the Diplomatic Corps including Guatemala, Ukraine, Albania, Venezuela and other guests attended the concert.
An Austrian style reception concluded the marvelous evening.
————
Photography by the Embassy of Austria.
France, Germany, Belgium and Spain call for the creation of a European Judicial Counter Terrorism Register
The annual seminar on counter terrorism, organised by Eurojust, took place last June with the participation of Mr. François Molins, District Chief Prosecutor of the Court of Paris, Mr. Frédéric Van Leeuw Federal Prosecutor of Belgium and Ms. Joëlle Milquet, Special Advisor to the President of the European Commission on the support to victims of terrorist attacks.
The conference focussed on two themes: the judicial response to persons returning to Europe from the combat zones in Iraq and Syria and the support to victims of terrorist attacks.
A joint declaration by the Ministers of Justice of France, Germany, Belgiumand Spain (FR | DE | ES) was distributed in the margins of the conference. It called for the reinforcement of the sharing of information on current investigations and convictions for terrorist offences with Eurojust.
Given the ever persistent terrorist threat that concerns the whole of the European territory, a strong cooperation between judicial authorities within the EU is actually indispensable. The Ministers call for the creation of a European Judicial Counter Terrorism Register that will make it possible to proactively establish possible links between cases and to identify coordination needs for the investigations. The legal basis for working together is already in place (Council Decision 2005/671/JHA), which should be systematically applied in all Member States.
Mr François Molins said: “The quality of judicial cooperation in criminal matters is a big challenge. We cannot work in silos in our countries anymore. We need an overall approach. To strengthen and bolster judicial cooperation, we need to go through Eurojust, the only European agency able to do that. […] Sharing information is also a major challenge in cooperation. Centralisation of information allows us to double-check it proactively and coordinate actions upstream. The more we share, the better we are able to intervene and distribute the workload between Member States in a smarter way.”Intensive coordination of the investigations after the Paris terrorist attacks
Between 2014 and 2017, there was a sixfold increase (from 14 to 87) in terrorist cases registered at Eurojust, including following the terrorist attacks on the Thalys train, Brussels, Nice, Berlin, Stockholm and Barcelona. Those cases are not only larger in number but also growingly complex and, in contrast to terrorism investigations before 2014, involve many different States. For example, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Paris and Saint-Denis on 13 November 2015, Eurojust opened a case that, in addition to France, involved another 14 Member States and the USA.
Numerous coordination meetings have since been held in Austria, Paris and The Hague. The collaboration uncovered possible links between the investigations into the attacks in Paris and other terrorism cases. As a result, two suspects arrested in Austria and one detained in Germany were successfully surrendered to the French authorities.
A response to returning foreign terrorist fighters
Since 2013, Eurojust supports prosecutors to build solid cases against foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs). During today’s and yesterday’s meeting, the discussions centred on the various challenges that prosecutors face in this regard, such as digital evidence, the use of the specific crime of participation in the activities of a terrorist group, the prosecution of non-combatant women, the judicial response to returning minors, or obtaining battlefield information in a way that makes it admissible evidence in court. In most Member States, returning FTFs who are found guilty face imprisonment.
Mr. Frédéric Van Leeuw, Federal Prosecutor, Belgium, said:” The majority of the 2013 and 2014 returnees are young people. What position should we adopt, after they have gone a path not compatible with the values of our society, as they have collaborated actively with terrorist groups? […] We have to respect the 1989 Children’s Convention, and not separate children from their mothers. Eurojust can unite different authorities and find common procedures in accordance with the fundamental values of our societies.”
Giving priority to the rights of victims of terrorist attacks
Assistance and support to victims of terrorism are key elements of the European Union’s counterterrorism efforts. Eurojust has been assisting in a number of investigations into recent terrorist attacks in which support to victims was a major aspect of the international judicial cooperation efforts.
Ms Joëlle Milquet, Special Advisor to the President of the European Commission on the support to victims of terrorist attacks said: “We need an integrated approach at EU level and we have to set minimum standards, promote best practice, take pragmatic measures and adapt the existing directives. A common, precise definition of victims or of compensation to victims is required and one single focal point at national level. We can have a more structured coordination by involving other stakeholders, such as Eurojust and Europol.”
State of Palestine Joins the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
The Hague, Netherlands —21 June 2018—The State of Palestine became a State Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention, bringing the total number of OPCW Member States to 193.
The State of Palestine deposited its instrument of accession on 17 May 2018 with the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Convention entered into force for it on 16 June 2018.
On 29 June 2018, the UN Secretary-General reappointed for a new, two-year term of office all of the Judges on the roster of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism) who were seeking reappointment except Judge Aydin Sefa Akay of Turkey. In response to this development, the President of the Mechanism, Judge Theodor Meron, expressed his “deep regret regarding, and respectful disagreement with, the decision not to reappoint my valued and esteemed colleague, Judge Akay, and my grave concerns about the far-reaching consequences this decision will have for our institution and for international criminal justice more generally”.
Judge Akay was among the Judges originally elected to the Mechanism by the UN General Assembly in December 2011 and previously served as a Judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Like most of the Mechanism’s Judges, and in keeping with the Mechanism’s Statute, Judge Akay has carried out his work for the Mechanism remotely, in his State of nationality, since joining the Mechanism’s judicial roster.
While serving in the Mechanism’s Appeals Chamber on the bench of the Augustin Ngirabatware case, Judge Akay was arrested in September 2016 by Turkish authorities and detained thereafter. He was convicted in June 2017 by a Turkish criminal court of first instance in Ankara on a single charge of being a member of a terrorist organization. Judge Akay resumed the conduct of his judicial functions for the Mechanism in June 2017 following his provisional release pending appeal.
The arrest of Judge Akay, his detention and the legal proceedings against him are inconsistent with the assertion of his diplomatic immunity by the United Nations in October 2016, as well as the binding judicial order by the Mechanism to the Government of Turkey issued in January 2017. President Meron formally brought the matter to the attention of the UN Security Council in March 2017 and on other occasions, as well as reporting the matter to the UN General Assembly. At present, the Turkish judgment of first instance against Judge Akay is subject to an on-going appeal as well as potential review proceedings at national and international levels and the verdict has yet to acquire legal finality.
President Meron observed that “the decision not to reappoint Judge Akay is profoundly troubling on multiple levels”. Expressing concern about the impact of this decision on Judge Akay personally, the President also noted that “the situation has raised serious questions as to whether the immunities to which Judges are entitled and the judicial independence that these immunities serve to protect can be effectively guaranteed for institutions such as the Mechanism, where Judges typically work in the countries of their nationality.”
It is understood that the decision not to reappoint Judge Akay was based on information provided by the Government of Turkey to the UN Secretariat that Judge Akay no longer satisfies the qualifications for Judges identified in Article 9 of the Mechanism’s Statute by virtue of his conviction. The President expressed strong disappointment in this regard, stating that “the acquiescence to the position advanced by the Government of Turkey represents a de facto acceptance of a State’s actions undertaken in contravention of the diplomatic immunity asserted by the United Nations, a dangerous precedent to set.”
President Meron further underscored that the potential for political or other inappropriate pressure by a government in these circumstances is unlimited, explaining “there is a great difference between the statutory right of States to nominate their nationals for election and the far more indeterminate and potentially political and arbitrary possibilities of an extra-statutory and still vague procedure that allows States to advocate the removal or non-renewal of their national Judges or even, potentially, Judges of any nationality”.
He added: “If States are permitted to take action against a Judge in violation of the applicable international legal framework, judicial independence—a cornerstone principle of the rule of law—and the integrity of our court as such are fundamentally at risk, as is the overall project of international criminal justice.”
Many guests were present among which, ambasadors, diplomats, Dutch ministry staff, business leaders and entrepeneurs. Food is often a great incentive to reconnect and see old friends, and in this regard the event was a great success.
All throughout the night greetings were heard between old friends, remarking how long it had been since they last saw one another. Ambassadors from Russia, Venezuela, Philippines, Palestine, South Africa, Japan, Bulgaria, Thailand, and many others were present. To see these parts of society come together over a shared admiration of Vietnamese cuisine truly is a testament to the importance of celebrating cultures.
The amazing culinary and artistic experience, together with great company and an open bar, was sure to lead to an amazing atmosphere and resulted in people leavingwith full stomachs and happy memories.
Viet Nam Flavors was part of a series of gastronomic events hosted at Crowne Plaza once a month. We will have events like this one together with the embassies of Mexico, Uzbekistan, Italy and Hungary. Naturally we would be happy and honoured to see returning faces to these culinary experiences.
