On the picture H.E  Mr. András Kocsis, Ambassador of Hungary.

Tokaj, the one and only – Master class on the world renowned wine region of Hungary

By Michael Bonté. Once again the Embassy of Hungary, Diplomatic Card, Diplomat Magazine and the Carlton Ambassador Hotel presented a wine extravaganza on 23 November 2017 with a whopping selection of eleven different wines. All from the most famous Hungarian wine region Tokaj, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which has an unique terroir and grape varieties only found in Hungary. The guests were in for a treat. For additional Kim Vermaat’s pictures, please open the link below: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157691613898525 The venue was the cosy bar area of the hotel. The attendees were a mix of Dutch wine experts and importers, gastronomic journalists and representatives of the catering industry (Horeca in Dutch) among them was Mr Merlijn Keijzer, Manager of VIP Lounge Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, Ms Helma de Veer from a company called De Freule’, which specializes in (wine) gifts to business acquaintances. The owner of Hungarian Corner restaurant in The Hague Mr Marco van den Boomgaard said: “We only recently also created a winebar so that our guests can try all kinds of Magyar wines.” H.E  Mr. András Kocsis, Ambassador of Hungary, opened the session saying: “By targeting all Dutch companies which sell wine we hope to gain more recognition of Hungarian wines in order to generate more sales in The Netherlands. We have undertaken a very exiting task with my colleagues this evening, because contrary to the previous practice when we introduced selections from different wines regions, we have now focused on one particular wine region Tokaj.” He then introduced our host of the night, Mr Kristian Kielmayer, DipWSET wine expert at the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture. He had compiled a list of eleven fine white wines offered by ten Hungarian wineries for the enjoyment of the guests. Meanwhile Mr Kielmayer accompanied the wines with more information and tasting notes on them. “What does it have to offer, why is it special. For centuries, kings, queens and nobles have liked, adored these wines; it has its myth, its history. The Tokaij Aszú, is one of the world’s most fantastic, maybe the best sweet wine and this evening our guests had the chance to experience why this wine region is special, why the wine, the people, the history and the soil are special. It is due to the conditions, the nature, and of course, what lies in the future.”

The invitees certainly had a long list of white wines to taste. It kicked off with a Brut Sparkling wine from Patricius Winery. Followed by Furmint Bio 2016 from Tokaj Hétszolo Winery, No 8 Cuvée Hárslevelu Kassai Vineyard 2015 from Grand Tokaji Winery, Tokajhárslevelu Kassai 2015 from Kikelet Winery, Chateau Dereszla Tokaj Dry 2015 from Dereszla Winery, Öreg Király Dulo Furmint 2015 from Barta Winery. Then the sweeter whites were introduced starting with: Late Harvest 2013 from Tokaj Oremus, Szamorodni 6 Puttonyas 2014 from Degenfeld Winery, Puttonyos 5 aszú 2013 from Royal Tokaj Winery, Puttonyos 6 Aszú 2013 from Grand Tokaj Winery and last but not least a magnificient Puttonyos 6 Aszú 2009 from Árvay Pincészet. The last wine was provided by Mr Gert de Kruijf from De Kruijf Fine Food Services as he was the only one who still had this particular beautiful vintage in his cellar. The wines certainly displayed the finesse and complexity of the Tokaj region deserving a wider public.

After all that imbibing the guests needed a snack and they were treated to a small buffet of,  prepared by the Chef de Cuisine of the Hungarian Embassy Mr János Klimay,  a hearty richly filled Palóc style lamb soup and a Vargabéles a filopastry pie filled with slightly sweet cottage cheese served with apricot jam. Many guests remarked this had been an excellent edition of the Hungarian Embassy wine presentation and hoped that they would be treated again next year to this event. As Ambassador Kocis said “According to the feedback received from the public, I think that Tokaj was a hit.”            

By Roy Lie A Tjam. The Indonesian Marching Band Gita Bahana Nusantara Jakarta on a tour in Europe paid a courtesy visit to the Embassy of Indonesia in The Hague. Before coming to the Netherlands the band performed in Italy. In fact, the band was in the Netherlands to participate in a World Brass Band Competition, WMC Kerkrade-Limburg 2017. The band ended on the third place and won three Bronze medals, not bad for a novice. A presentation was organized at the Nusantara auditorium of the Indonesian Embassy during the summer. The youngsters put on a dazzling spectacle. H. E. Ambassador I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja, thanked the band for their excellent contribution in promoting Indonesia via music. Also at the Nusantara Auditorium of the Indonesian Embassy, in July, Staff members of the Embassy of Indonesia bid farewell to three of their colleagues who have come to the end of their stint in The Hague. Ambassador I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja attended the function and presented the departing colleagues with a token of appreciation for the service they rendered to the Indonesian Mission in The Hague. The departing colleagues are Mr. Erwyn Franz Ramis Wantania, Immigration Attache Mr. Aditya Timoranto, First Secretary and Ms. Dr. I Pradjarahardja, Huisarts. The same event served as a welcome party to the newly arrived colleagues. ————– Photography by the Embassy of Indonesia in The Hague. Dok. KBRI Den Haag

On the picture  Mr. Gregorio Arturo Palacios Cornejo and Ms. Susana Patricia Azucena Mancia and His Excellency Agustin Vásquez Gómez. By Roy Lie A Tjam. The Ambassador of the Republic of El Salvador to the Netherlands H.E. Agustín Vásquez Gómez, presented his letters of credence to His Majesty King Willem Alexander of the Kingdom of the Netherlands last November. Also present at the presentation ceremony was the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands H.E. Mr. Halbe Zijlstra. Ambassador Agustín Vásquez Gómez characterizes the presentation ceremony as a grand and memorable moment. Following the presentation ceremony at the Noordeinde Palace, Ambassador Agustín Vásquez Gómez held a Vin d’honneur on the occasion of the presentation of his letter of credence. Among the invited guest were the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, the Director of Protocol and members of the Diplomatic Corps. November first is a significant date for Vasquez Gomez, it was on 1 November 2014, that he reported at the Chancellery of El Salvador to commence his assignment as Minister Counselor in The Hague. Today, three years later, he has become his country’s Ambassador to the Netherlands. In his welcome speech, Ambassador Agustín Vásquez Gómez describes the day as one of joy. He went on to present his close collaborators Mr. Gregorio Arturo Palacios Cornejo and Ms. Susana Patricia Azucena Mancia, to his guests. Furthermore, Vásquez Gómez stated  “during my tour of duty I will be looking forward to perpetuating the current positive collaboration with You, my diplomatic family”. Ambassador Agustín Vásquez Gómez is married with two children.                                        

By Djoeke Altena. The Romanian Embassy to the Netherlands proudly hosted their first of many events in the light of their project ‘Musical encounters at the embassy of Romania’. A series of encounters where Romanian musicians and artists, with a Romanian origin, background or home, show their talent. On 17 October 2017 H.E. Brånduşa Predescu, Ambassador of Romania to The Netherlands, welcomed the members of the diplomatic corps, members of the Romanian and members of the business community for a concert by two talented Romanian-Dutch musicians. H.E. Brånduşa Predescu , warmly welcomed all the guest. ” I am happy and proud of launching this evening a special musical project aiming at bringing together young and already well-known Romanian musicians who perform on Dutch stages. It is a way to encourage the young artist and to greet the famous one, as well as to create a connection between two generations.” The first young artist performing at the Romanian Embassy was the young pianist Radu Ratering (2004). His interest for the piano started when he was six years old and attended a concert by the well-known Romanian pianist Radu Lupu. In 2014 Radu Ratering was admitted at the Sweelinck academy where he took lessons from Marjès Benoist. At the age of 13 he already won the Royal Concertgebouw Concours (2017), the National Prinses Christina Concours (2017), the Prinses Christina Concours Zuid (2017) and the Steinway Pianoconcours (2016). Ratering is currently admitted at the Academy of Musical Talent in Utrecht.

Radu Ratering started with Tchaikovsky – The Seasons op. 37, no.3 and also played Brahms – Ballade op. 118, no.3- and Liszt – Die Zelle in Nonnenwerth, and Hungarian Rhapsody no. 4. The violinist Florin Negreanu (1980) performed immediately after the piano concerto. Negreanu, born and raised in Romania, came into contact with the world of music when he was a child, due to his mother’s passion for music, who was an amateur violinist. At the age of eight Florin Negreanu started attending the music school in his hometown, Turnu Severin. When he was thirteen he studied music in Craiova for two years, before he went on to Bucharest. During this time he shined at national competitions, where he won a variety of awards.  After finishing his studies in 2005, Florin Negreanu became a well-known violist who holds concerts regularly as a concertmaster, second violin or viola with an array or orchestras and ensembles. Florin Negreanu, playing the viola, started with J.S. Bach – Gavotte end Rondeau – and also played Chiriac – Serenade – and Dumitrescu -Peasant dance.  The viola concerto was followed by a duo concerto by Ratering and Negreanu playing R. Schumann – Sonate no. 1 opt. 10 in a. Closing the event, Ambassador Brånduşa Predescu invited fellow diplomats, representatives of the business and the Romanian communities and other guests to a reception where everyone mingled while enjoying Romanian bites and wines.

The ICTY held its final Symposium at Leiden University’s The Hague Campus. The full-day Symposium, entitled “Looking Back to Move Forward: Final Reflections on the ICTY”, included four high-level panels, each focusing on a different area of the ICTY’s work and on its relevance for the future of international criminal justice. Welcoming remarks were delivered by Saskia Bruines, Deputy Mayor for Knowledge Economy, International Affairs, Youth and Education for the City of The Hague; ICTY President Carmel Agius; and Professor Carsten Stahn, Programme Director of Leiden University’s Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies. President Agius set the tone for the Symposium, observing that “25 years ago today, the United Nations General Assembly met to discuss what one delegate called the ‘continuing tragedy’ in Bosnia and Herzegovina” and “urged the Security Council to consider establishing an ad hoc international war crimes tribunal”, ultimately leading to the establishment of the ICTY. President Agius expressed his aspiration for the Symposium that “[by] looking back today, […] we may continue to move forward tomorrow”. The first panel focused on the ICTY’s contributions to international criminal courts and tribunals, with the panellists leading a discussion on the groundbreaking role of the Tribunal in paving the way for the establishment and development of other judicial institutions of international criminal justice. The panel was moderated by ICTY Registrar John Hocking, and featured, among others, former ICTY and International Criminal Court (ICC) Judge and current Judge of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Elizabeth Odio-Benito. The ICTY’s contribution to the region of the former Yugoslavia was the topic of the second panel, moderated by Professor David Scheffer, former United States Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues. The panellists, who included representatives of civil society from the region as well as Lord Paddy Ashdown, former High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, addressed what the Tribunal was, and was not, mandated to achieve in the region, the significance of the ICTY’s findings for the affected communities, and the Tribunal’s role in building the capacities of the judiciaries in the former Yugoslavia. During the third panel, moderated by Patricia Sellers, Special Advisor for Gender to the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC, the ICTY’s contribution to the development of international criminal law was discussed, with the panellists offering their views on the pioneering role of the Tribunal in developing international criminal procedure and in elaborating the elements of international crimes and modes of criminal responsibility. The panel featured, among others: ICTY Judge Alphons Orie; ICTY Judge and former President, Fausto Pocar; and Catherine Marchi-Uhel, Head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism on Syria. The final session, moderated by Karim A. A. Khan QC, President of the ICC Bar Association, involved leading figures in contemporary international criminal law, who spoke about the future development of the field and the significance of the ICTY’s legacy in this context. The distinguished speakers included: ICTY Judge Christoph Flügge; ICTY Prosecutor Serge Brammertz; ICTY Judge and former President, and current President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, Theodor Meron; and ICC President Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi. The Symposium was the penultimate event in the ICTY Legacy Dialogues series leading up to the closure of the Tribunal on 31 December 2017. The series concluded with the official ICTY Closing Ceremony this Thursday, 21 December at the prestigious Ridderzaal (Hall of Knights) in The Hague, which will be attended by high-level guests including His Majesty, King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, and United Nations Secretary-General Mr António Guterres. ****

On the picture  the Charge d’affairs, a.i. to the Netherlands, Mr Álvaro Gutiérrez Botero. Embassy of Colombia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands commemorated 150th anniversary of the publication of the novel “María” by Jorge Isaacs on 7 December 2017 with literary event. Together with the Hispanic Association of The Hague, the Embassy organized in Branoul Theater the literary conference “María y la posibilidad del amor” given by Doctor Gabriel Inzaurralde, Professor of Latin American Literature from Leiden University.

  At the beginning of the activity, booklets with excerpts of chapters I to IV of the novel “María” were offered while the Charge d’affairs, a.i. to the Netherlands, Mr Álvaro Gutiérrez Botero, gave a welcoming speech to the public and opened the group reading led by Colombian writer Enrique Patiño and then cloncluded with a lecture given by Professor Inzaurralde in which love was the axis of his intervention.

At the end of the event and aiming to promote the cuisine of Valle del Cauca Province, place where the novel “María” develops, a gastronomic taste was offered to the guests thanks to the collaboration of local partners who promoted typical national products of this Colombian Province. ——– Photography by the Embassy of Colombia.

President Carmel Agius, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and ICTY Judge Theodor Meron. Yesterday, the official ICTY Closing Ceremony took place at the prestigious Hall of Knights (Ridderzaal) of the Dutch Parliament in The Hague. His Majesty, King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres honoured the ICTY with their presence, joining the three Principals of the ICTY, former Judges and Principals, and numerous other distinguished guests.

This historic occasion gathered together the Tribunal’s significant supporters and contributors from throughout its 24-plus years, and the high-level guests created a memorable atmosphere in the beautiful Hall. Other attendees included representatives of States, international courts and tribunals, and international and regional organisations, as well as victim representatives, members of civil society and academia, and a number of ICTY staff. To honour the memory of those who suffered the most during the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, the Ceremony began with a moment of silence for victims, followed by a welcoming address from ICTY President Carmel Agius, who referred to the universality of the Tribunal’s work and, on behalf of the ICTY, expressed deep gratitude to “all those who have brought us to this moment in history, as we commemorate the closing and legacy of the ICTY”. Further opening remarks were delivered by His Excellency Mr Halbe Zijlstra, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, who graciously co-hosted this significant event, and by Her Excellency Ms Pauline Krikke, Mayor of the City of The Hague. The Keynote Address was delivered by His Excellency, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who focused on the ICTY’s rich legacy in terms of accountability for atrocity crimes. A musical interlude followed, featuring the ICTY’s own Judge Alphons Orie along with other musicians, in an excerpt from G. F. Händel’s “Solomon” related to the theme of justice. Next, ICTY Prosecutor Serge Brammertz gave the first of the addresses by distinguished speakers representing the Tribunal. He was followed by ICTY Registrar John Hocking.  Ms Marie O’Leary, Vice-President of the Association of Defence Counsel practising before the International Courts and Tribunals, then spoke on behalf of the Association. ICTY Judge Theodor Meron also delivered remarks in his capacity as President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism). Thereafter, the Tribunal paid tribute to the victims and their experiences. Acclaimed Serbian actress Ms Mirjana Karanoviæ narrated the stories of four different victims, reading out excerpts from their powerful testimonies before the ICTY, followed by a short video feature entitled ‘Voices of Victims’. The Ceremony ended with ICTY President Agius presenting a commemorative medallion to the President of the Mechanism with the United Nations Secretary-General as witness, thus symbolising the hand-over of the Tribunal’s legacy to the Mechanism. The ICTY’s successful closure, after more than 24 years of operations, 10,800 trial days and 4,650 witnesses, and after bringing to justice each one of its 161 accused, is truly an immense achievement. As the first of its kind in the modern age, the Tribunal has ushered in a new era of accountability and paved the way for the delivery of justice both internationally and in the region of the former Yugoslavia. The hope of the ICTY is that its legacy will contribute to a lasting peace in the region and continue to inspire the work of other courts and tribunals and the development of international criminal law, long after its doors have closed. The ICTY Closing Ceremony was the last in a series of legacy and closing events held over the past two years entitled ICTY Legacy Dialogues. The Tribunal will officially close on 31 December 2017.