King Felipe VI being received at Geilenkirchen by Ambassador Maria Victoria Morera – Picture by Casa de S.M. el Rey, Household of the Spanish Monarchy.
Thursday, 10 May 2018, Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany: His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain joined other heads of state and government to ceremony granting the International Prize Charlemagne to French President Emmanuel Macron.
Don Felipe VI arrived at the NATO base of Geilenkirchen in the vicinities of Aachen, wherein he was received by his ambassador to Germany, HE María Victoria Morera in order to attend the ceremony on 10 May.
The “Internationaler Karlpreis der Stadt Aachen” was set up in 1949. Since 1998 is known as the “Internationaler Karlpreis zu Aachen”. It is awarded since 1950 annually to personalities from the fields of politics, economics and spirituality who foster European unity. Since 1997 the award is buttressed up by the Foundation International Prize Charlemagne that aids to promote the goal of further European integration as well as to maintaining the peaceful dialogue amongst European states.
King Juan Carlos of Spain was granted the award in 1982. King Felipe VI attended the ceremony for the first time in 2015 for the bestowal to then European Parliament President Martin Schulz.
François Goullet de Rugy and Mars Di Bartolomeo.
Friday, 18 May 2018, Luxembourg City: Speaker of the French National AssemblyFrançois Goullet de Rugy was on a visit of parliamentary diplomacy to his Luxembourgish counterpart Mars Di Bartolomeo, and highlighted before the press that Franco-Luxembourgian relations were “very important”.
According to statistics on working days 92,000 cross-border employees travel between the two countries. Other topics of discussion besides cross-border mobility were the Cattenom, the Schengen school, the cooperation for the Culture Capital 2022 (Esch-Uelzecht – Esch-sur-Alzette) and even the Brexit.
Pieyre-Alexandre Anglade – Picture by Chambre des députés du GDL.
For François de Rugy it is clear that Luxembourg and France share plenty of European values, thus it is paramount that the European Union speak with one voice, he said before journalists.
M de Rugy was also welcomed for a bilateral meeting by the Prime Minister Xavier Bettel at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, official residence of the head of government.
The French deputy representing French nationals in the Benelux countries, M Pieyre-Alexandre Anglade, was partook in the delegation to the world’s only remaining Grand Duchy. There are 55,000 French nationals living in Luxembourg.
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The Amir of Sharjah, His Highness Sheikh Sultan III bin Mohammed Al Qasimi. Photography by Raimond Spekking.
Amsterdam and Rotterdam, May 2018, Kingdom of the Netherlands: A trade delegation hailing from the Emirate of Sharjah, representing its government’s key investment and business entities, travelled to Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the Netherlands on a two-day trade mission.
The aim of the mission was to introduce Dutch investors to new business opportunities in sectors including logistics, tourism, environment, healthcare, education, media and digital productions. Sharjah is the third largest emirate of the United Arab Emirates, and is ruled by the House of Qassim currently personified by His Highness Sheikh Sultan III bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, an appreciated scholar, writer and avid protector of the arts.
The visit organised by Invest in Sharjah – the investment promotion agency of the emirate- is a follow up to the business round-table held in February, where in Sharjah hosted over 150 Dutch investors.
The delegation met representatives from key innovation hubs and centres in the city of Amsterdam, whilst Invest in Sharjah held a seminar in Rotterdam.
CEO of Invest in Sharjah, Director Mohammed bin Juma Al Musharrakh led the delegation keen to encourage more Dutch investors to discover Sharjah.
On the picture Harold Orozco, La Mambanegra.By Roy Lie Atjam.
The Hague, it is Thursday 17 May 2018, the venue, Het Korenhuis, the Embassy of Colombia in the Netherlands presented one of the most popular salsa groups in the World! JacoboVélez and his band La Mambanegra.
H.E. Juan José Quintana, Ambassador of Colombia, La Manbanegra JacoboVélez and H.E. Marithza Ruiz de Vielman, Ambassador of Guatemala.
Created in 2012 in Cali, Colombia, this Latin America music orchestra has been performing on numerous scenes in the world. El Callegüeso y Su Mala Maña is a much-appreciated piece. La Mambanegra is La nouvelle vague Colombienne !
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia Cultural Diplomacy’s program, aspires to promote knowledge of Colombia’s cultural expressions: literature, cinema, gastronomy and of course music to the world.
La Mambanegra put on a dazzling concert at the Korenhuis The Hague on Thursday 17 May. Some of Ambassador Juan JoseQuintana’s colleagues, Peru, Argentina, Curacao and others joined the fabulous salsa+ party. The ambiente was unmistakably Colombian-Latin America.
JacoboVélez , La Manbanegra
The band by all means succeeded in capturing the attention of the audience from start to finish. La Mambanegra presents a repertoire called “Break Salsa” a Latin music mixture of Colombian music, funk, New York salsa, R&B, along with Jamaican influences.
H.E. Juan José Quintana, with guests at the Mamabanegra’s concert in The Hague.
Members of the orchestra are:
JacoboVélez – singer, saxophone
Sergio ‘Checho’ Orobio – song, güiro
Roger Torres – trumpet
Fabio ‘Mifa’ Lucumi – trombone
Daniel Gutierrez – keyboard
YefersonCarabaldiObando – base
Harold Orozco – drums, timbales
Juan Carlos Arrechea – conga
Roy Lie Atjam, from Diplomat Magazine and H.E. Anthony Begina, Minister Plenipotentiary of Curacao.For additional Kim Vermaat’s pictures, please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157696404580244
La Mambanegra is on a Eurasian tour that will take them to Azerbaijan, Turkey, Poland and Portugal.
This is how Colombia presents itself to the world!
Photo: F.l.t.r: Ngozi Uche (Managing Director), Jan van der Meijden (Co-Founder), Robbie Zein, (Co-Founder) and Mayor Klaas Tigelaar of Leidschendam-Voorburg International childcare provider now officially settled in “Huis de Werve”
Voorburg – Mayor Klaas Tigelaar commemorated the official opening of the new childcare centre of Zein International Childcare in Voorburg by unveiling a plaque in the monumental property known as “Huis de Werve”. Among the guests were the heads of the international schools in the region, staff of multinationals and expat organizations and other business associates of the childcare provider. Zein opened its doors for the first children in early March after an extensive and careful renovation.
Mayor Klaas Tigelaar: “More and more international and highly educated families are finding their way to Leidschendam-Voorburg, which contributes to the diversity within the community and benefits the local economy. To create an appealing living environment for these families, the availability of suitable facilities – such as international oriented childcare – is important. The arrival of Zein in Leidschendam-Voorburg is therefore very welcome!”
About Zein International Childcare
With international families in focus, Zein has developed a family-oriented approach that views the child as a global citizen; providing them with a solid socio-emotional foundation to integrate in the (host) community and thrive with appreciation of diversity. Integral to Zein’s programme is their unique behavior guidance system called ‘Choices’. Developed by founding director Robbie Zein, a book has been published on the system.
The Zein approach gives international parents the confidence to accept assignments in the Netherlands with the assurance that their little ones will not miss out on the quality internationally integrative pedagogic and developmental foundation they need.
President Meron speaks at Security Council The Hague 18/05/2018 The President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, Judge Theodor Meron, yesterday briefed the UN Security Council on progress toward ensuring accountability for serious violations of international law and the role that different actors, including the Council, can play to advance efforts in this regard. The open debate was organized at the initiative of the Republic of Poland, which currently holds the presidency of the Council, with the aim of reflecting on the current state of respect for international law in the context of the maintenance of international peace and security and what could be done to improve it.
His Excellency Mr. Andrzej Duda, President of the Republic of Poland, chaired the debate, which also included briefings by Her Excellency Ms. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, Chef de Cabinet of the UN Secretary-General, on behalf of the Secretary-General, and Judge Hisashi Owada, Judge and former President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), on behalf of the President of the ICJ.
President Meron observed that, as the result of work by international criminal courts such as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, “there is an ever-increasing expectation in communities around the world that where atrocities are committed in violation of international law, accountability shall follow. This is a profound change from just a quarter of a century ago”. However, President Meron acknowledged that international criminal justice is “still very much in its infancy, and it is in a highly vulnerable stage of development at present […] facing something of a period of contraction […] after a remarkable period of expansion”.
President Meron stressed the importance of accountability efforts by national jurisdictions, noting that it is only through the engagement of States on a broad scale that the accountability gap may be closed. He further proposed a number of steps that the Council may consider in order to advance efforts to ensure accountability for international crimes, including revisions to the Council’s decision-making approach in addressing alleged violations of international law such as through the development of objective criteria to be applied by the Council in assessing allegations of international crimes and steps to be taken in relation thereto.
On the picture, H.E. Vestine Nahimana, Ambassador of Burundi to the Netherlands with representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission and political parties at the Burundian embassy in The Hague. By Roy Lie Atjam.
The Hague 17 May 2018, Embassy of Burundi. Burundian nationals residing in the Netherlands cast their vote in the country’s constitutional referendum.
Voting started from 9.00h and ended at 19.00h Representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( CENI) and of the various political parties took position at the polling station in the Chancellery. Counting of the votes took place immediately after the closing of the polling station.
The referendum is aiming at amendments in the constitution. Proposed changes: reintroduce the post of Prime Minister and reduce the number of Vice-President from two to one. They also involve increasing the presidential term from five to seven years, but restricting a president to two consecutive terms.
The amendments will also reduce the parliamentary majority required to pass legislation. It has been reported that Bujumbura, the capital, had long lines of voters as security forces were deployed across the city.
Five million people across the country were registered to vote. Voting appeared to be going smoothly in most areas, although activist group which monitors reported some allegations of intimidation.
By Guido Lanfranchi.On Wednesday May 9th, the United States State Department updated the international press on President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran Nuclear Deal. Mr. Andrew Peek, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, and Mr. David Tessler, Deputy Director of Policy Planning, interacted with the journalists on this topic.
On May 8th, 2018, the US President officially announced the intention of the United States to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also knows as the Iran Nuclear Deal. In a teleconference with journalists from all over the world, US State Department officials Andrew Peek (Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs) and David Tessler (Deputy Director of Policy Planning) answered a series of questions on President Trump’s decision.
Andrew Peek, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.
Mr. Peek started the teleconference by explaining the main reasons behind the President’s decision. He explained that the problems with Iran on the nuclear side were judged to be “insurmountable,” and that the JCPOA “did not sufficiently constrain Iran’s pathway to a nuclear weapon.” To the contrary, he stressed, the sanctions relief fed into Iran’s malign activities across the Middle East, thus prompting the US to reimpose sanctions that were previously waived under the JCPOA. These sanctions, he precised, will be reapplied in about three months, in order to give sufficient times to businesses involved in Iran to wind down their operations. Before opening the floor for questions, Mr. Peek also clarified that the aim of the sanctions is to increase the pressure on Iran in order to bring about a better, more holistic deal.
During the teleconference, several question focused on the disagreements between the US and its European partners. Mr. Peek repeatedly stressed the largely shared views that the US and its European allies hold concerning the threats posed by Iranian, also stressing the significant degree of communication among the partners ahead of President Trump’s announcement. He then defined the recent negotiations with European countries as a building block to move forward, towards a next phase of engagement with the Europeans over Iran. Mr. Peek also repeatedly stressed that the process of imposing sanctions, which has been already widely applied by the US in the past, will be an iterative one, in which the US will try to strengthen its collaboration with its European partners gradually.
Asked about the potential consequences of the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, Mr. Peek explicitly stated his wish to avoid specific speculations on the future. Rather, he stressed that the strategy of the US will be to use economic pressure as a tool to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb, thus avoiding potentially disastrous situations. He also clarified that the US policy on Iran is not aimed at a change of regime, but rather at a change of the regime’s behavior. Finally, the press questioned Mr. Peek on the consultations between the US and its partners, and especially the E3 (Germany, France, United Kingdom), Israel, and Turkey, ahead of President Trump’s announcement. Mr. Peek expressed his wish to avoid get into details on the consultations, which are confidential issues. However, he stressed that extensive consultations were held between the US and all its partners before the May 8th announcement.
By Roy Lie Atjam.
Iraq, the magnificent exhibition Nineveh, The Heart of an Ancient Empire is fresh in the memory of many. It ran from 20 October 2017 until 25 March this year. The Embassy of the Republic of Iraq sponsored the exhibition.
H.E. Dr Hisham Al-Alawi is Iraq’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, he presented his Letters of Credence to HM King Willem Alexander on 11 April 2018. Ambassador Hisham Al-Alawi is married and has three children.
Hisham Al-Alawi is fluent in Arabic his mother tongue and the English language. Al-Alawi appreciates the serenity of The Hague. Dr. Hisham Al-Alawi is a medical doctor by profession holding a Doctorate in General (Internal) Medicine with special interest in Diabetes and Endocrinology. Dr. Hisham Al-Alawi is a member of Iraqi Commission for Medical Specialization, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific research, 24th November 2010.
H.E. Dr. Hisham Al-Alawi, Republic of Iraq presenting credentials to The King of the Netherlands, H.M. King Willem Alexander.
Dr. Hisham Al-Alawi is a person who likes to keep updated about the developments in his vocation. Some of his other qualifications are: Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST) in Endocrinology & Diabetes Mellitus, The Specialty Training Authority of Royal Medical Colleges in the UK, 18th May 2001.
Membership of the Royal College of Physicians of UK (MRCP), November 1994.MB ChB, with honour, College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, June 1988.
April 2002- January 2010, Consultant Physician with interest in Diabetes & Endocrinology, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, West Bromwich, West Midlands, UK.
Oct. 2001- Apr. 2002:Locum Consultant Physician in General/ Elderly & Stroke Medicine, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool, UK.
Sept.1991- Aug. 1994:Registrar in General Medicine / Neurology, Ali Omar Asker Hospital/ Centre of Neuroscience, Tripoli, Libya.
Regarding his diplomatic assignments and training, Al-Alawi served as Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to the Republic of Turkey, May 2016 – Jan. 2018. Apr. 2011- Nov. 2015 Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to the Republic of South Africa.
Postgraduate Diploma in Diplomatic Studies, Diplomatic Academy of London,
University of Westminster, London, (2007-2009).
H.E. Dr. Hisham Al-Alawi, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq at OPCW.
Furthermore, member of the Iraqi Diaspora Group in the UK who met regularly with officials from the Foreign and Home Office in the UK. An educational Trip to Brussels and The Hague, visited the European Commission, NATO, the International Court of Justice and the Clingendael Netherlands Institute of International Relations); a full week educational trip organized by the Diplomatic Academy of London, University of Westminster, 9-14th March 2008.
Ambassador Hisham Al-Alawi, a warm and cordial welcome to the Netherlands.
Visiting the Apostolic Nuncio, H.E. Archbishop Aldo Cavalli.By Guido Lanfranchi.Over the past few months, many Embassies in The Hague have welcomed delegations of Leiden University students and Diplomat Magazine Junior Team, and several others are planning to do so very soon.
The Hague, city of Peace and Justice, offers a very broad array of opportunities for its students, and especially for those interested in topic related to international relations and diplomacy.
The city hosts not only an incredibly high number of International Organizations, but also 115 Embassies, which represent an invaluable resource for students who are interested in the mechanisms of international diplomacy.
Leiden students together with H.E. Mr. Andras Kocsis, Ambassador of Hungary to the Netherlands.
Over the past few years, groups of students from Leiden University have often visited several Embassies all across The Hague.
In doing so, the students have been able to gain precious insights about diplomacy and international relations dynamics, and to meet personally Ambassadors and diplomats, thus enhancing the value of studying international relations in a city like The Hague.
The Ambassador of Yemen, H.E. Ms. Sahar Ghanem, explaining about current issues in Yemen.
During the current year, BASIS The Hague and Diplomat Magazine have developed a particularly strong collaboration, with the aim of providing the students with even more experiences of this kind. At the beginning of the year, the Academic Committee of BASIS, a student association of Leiden University, reached out to Diplomat Magazine Junior Team and soon established a profitable collaboration in organizing different events for students.
Over the current academic year, eight Embassies have already opened their doors to the students. The first one has been the Apostolic Nunciature on November 6th, 2017, when a big group of students enjoyed the hospitality of H.E. Archbishop Aldo Cavalli. Shortly afterwards, on November 16th, H.E. Mr. Konstantine Surguladze, Ambassador of Georgia, met a group of students, followed by Mr. Pablo Romero, then First Secretary of the Embassy of Brazil, on December 14th.
University of Leiden’ students with H.E. Mr. Abdel Sattar Issa, Ambassador of Lebanon in The Hague
After a long break due to the Christmas holidays and the exam period, the series of Embassy Visits started again in March 6th, when H.E. Mr. Ali Shujjat Rathore and his staff talked at length with a group of extremely curious students at the Embassy of Pakistan.
Students from Leiden University together with the Ambassador of Pakistan, H.E. Mr. Ali Shujjat Rathore.
Then, in April alone, the students enjoyed the possibility to visit fours Embassies. On April 10th, H.E. Mr. Edgar Elias Azar and his colleagues welcomed several students at the Embassy of Mexico. Then, on April 12th, it was the turn of H.E. Mr. Andras Kocsis, Ambassador of Hungary to the Netherlands, followed after a few days by H.E. Mr. Abdel Sattar Issa, newly established Ambassador of Lebanon in The Hague.
Finally, on April 23rd, H.E. Ms. Sahar Ghanem, Ambassador of Yemen, received a group of students at the Embassy for almost three hours.
Mr. Pablo Romero, First Secretary of the Embassy of Brazil together with the group.
Although the academic year approaches its end, the series of Embassy Visits is still not over. On May 17th, H.E. Ms. Rawan Sulaiman will open the doors of the Palestinian Mission in The Hague, followed by H.E. Mr. Amgad Abdel-Ghaffar, Ambassador of Egypt, on the next day.
The following week, on May 22nd, the students will have the possibility to visit the Russian Embassy and talk to H.E. Mr. Alexander Shulgin. Finally, contacts are already in place with the Embassies of Iran, Afghanistan, and Venezuela, thus paving the way for more events in this year or the next.
Mr. Alejandro Leon Vargas, Legal Adviser Embassy of Mexico welcomed the group.
The students of Leiden University and Diplomat Magazine sincerely thank all the Embassies that have showed their availability to welcome students, thus enhancing the quality of their study experience and… who knows, maybe helping them to become better diplomats in the future!
