The Embassy of Israel in The Hague, Diplomat Magazine and Crowne Plaza will feature Israeli Flavours from June 7 to June 9. This event will showcase Israeli cuisine by Head-Chef Jonathan Borowitz. He said on choosing to represent Israeli food during the festival: “I decided to take part in the food festival since against all reasonable odds; the Israeli culinary scene is experiencing a tremendous era. After 70 years of Israel, we, Israeli chefs and foodies, are finally starting to see our voice and our ideas spread and heard in kitchens across the world. The influx of immigrants which shaped this country brought with it an animated palate of flavors and scents so for me as a cook I have so much to work with. Food is also a bridge, natural link between people, and I find it a part of my job description, to bring people together”.

His Excellency Aviv Shir-On, Ambassador of Israel will host the event together with the popular Amit Aaronsohn, from Israel’s Food News. “For the last ten years I have been combining my love for the culinary world and my profession as a journalist. I have gained extensive experience in all types of media – Television, Radio and Print – both as an editor and a reporter. I was the first TV journalist in Israel to present a weekly news update dedicated entirely to the culinary world and later also a daily culinary news edition – “Israel’s Food News”.

I also write a weekly restaurant review column in Jerusalem and operate a widely popular Facebook page and Instagram accounts. I have a master degree (MA) in Food, Culture and Communication from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy (UNISG, Also known as the “Slow Food” University). I consider myself a culinary adventurer – both in the restaurant world, by constantly searching for new establishments and flavors, and in the privacy of my kitchen, by documenting classic recipes and combining them with new techniques and ingredients.” Diplomat Magazine & Crowne Plaza partnered with embassies to present the best cuisine of the world during all 2018 now from Thursday, June 7th  to June 9th starting at 6:30 pm enjoy the absolute wonderful taste of Israel.

 H.E. Andrea Perugini, Ambassador of Italy  during his speech on Il Giorno della Republica at Zuiderstrandtheater. By Guido Lanfranchi. On May 29^th, the Embassy of Italy in The Hague decided to celebrate the 72^nd anniversary of the Italian Republic together with the diplomatic community of the Netherlands. An incredible amount of guests accepted the invitation of the Ambassador H.E. Andrea Perugini, and convened at the Zuiderstrandtheater to enjoy typical Italian music and food. For additional Robert Huiberts’s pictures, please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157667631511517

On June 2^nd, 1946, in the aftermath of World War II, the Italian people were faced with an historical decision: whether to continue to be ruled by the King Umberto II, or to transition towards a republican form of government. Slightly more than half of the Italian voters decided to opt for the second option, and in June 1946 the Republic of Italy was born. Today, 72 years afterward, while political forces dialogue in order to set up a new government, Italy celebrates the 72^nd anniversary of the Republic, and it decided to do so under the motto “United for our country.”

In The Hague, the Ambassador H.E. Mr. Andrea Perugini and the Italian Embassy organized a marvelous event in order to celebrate this anniversary, inviting the diplomatic community and the Italian community in the Netherlands to convene at the Zuiderstrantheater in Scheveningen, The Hague. A tremendous amount of guests answered to the call, and started arriving at the theater in the late afternoon of May 29^th. Ambassador Perugini, together with Ms. Mariska Perugini-Visser and several members of the Embassy’s staff, stood at the entry and welcomed all the guests, who took place in the reception room.

Soon, the guests were invited to enter the theater, in order to enjoy the concert given by the Fanfara dei Bersaglieri, Sezione di Altamura. The Ambassador addressed the guests, reminding them of the importance of this anniversary for Italy. H.E. Mr. Perugini praised the efforts of the Italian people to uphold the values of the Constitution, in spite of any challenges. He also stressed the importance of the role of Italy in sustaining the European Union, “an imperative choice” given that the EU “brought to the continent peace and stability,” which are not to be given for granted. Moreover, the Ambassador praised the incredibly positive bilateral relation between Italy and the Netherlands, of which next year will be the 115^th anniversary.

The focus moved then from politics to music, as the Ambassador introduced the Fanfara Bersaglieri di Altamura, founded 15 years ago by director Michele Castellano. As the Ambassador welcomed the soldiers-musicians on the stage, he pointed at the special weapons that the Bersaglieri held in their hands: musical instruments. Hopefully, in the future, “all armies in the world should do the same,” the Ambassador said.

Thanking the guests, the theater, the Italian Embassy, and all the sponsors, the Ambassador officially gave the start to the concert. The Fanfara dei Bersaglieri kicked off the performance with the Italian and the Dutch national anthems. Then, they performed two typical songs of the Italian Bersaglieri, Alla fronte il cappello piumato (The feathered hat on the forehead) and Reggimento di papà (Daddy’s regiment), as well as Forse, forse, forse (Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps), a popular song by the Cuban songwriter Osvaldo Farrès. Maestro Daniele Difato then took the direction stage, and guided the Bersaglieri through the performance of two medleys, one of Ennio Morricone’s pieces, and another of classical music pieces. When Michele Castellano took again the lead, the Bersaglieri performed two famous pieces from Italy (Con te partirò) and the United States (The House of the Rising Sun), before closing the concert with typical Bersaglieri’s songs, such as Bersaglieresca, La ricciolina, and Flik Flok.

Towards the end of the concert, all the organizations involved decided to show their mutual gratitude. The Italian Embassy in The Hague gifted the Bersaglieri and Maestro Difato with white roses for each musician. In turn, Mr. Giacomo Casanova, President of the Associazione Nazionale Bersaglieri Sezione di Altamura, offered gifts of gratitude to H.E. Mr. Perugini, coming from both his association and the Provincial Government of Bari. Finally, the tradition of the Bersaglieri involved one last ceremony. When a feather spontaneously falls from the hat of a Bersagliere, the fallen feather should be given to a lady in the room, together with a gentleman’s kiss, as a symbol of a gift to all the ladies in the room. The Bersaglieri chose to give the feather to Ms. Perugini-Visser, who received it among the applause of the audience.

As Italy is famous worldwide for its food, the Italian Embassy had a hard job in meeting the expectations of its guests with the reception that followed the concert. Nevertheless, they definitely succeeded in doing so. As the guests exited the concert hall, they found a number of different stands organized by Italian restaurants coming from all over the Netherlands. These stands offered a variety of typical Italian dishes, such as orecchiette, panzerotti, cannoli, prosciutto di Parma, as well as many innovative recipes by the Italian chefs living in Holland, all accompanied by wine and other drinks. The guests remained for a long time in the Zuiderstrantheater, and enjoyed the conversations among each other while tasting the Italian flavors.  

Jens Stoltenberg & Shinzo Abe – Picture by nato.int. Thursday, 24 May 2018, Brussels: The North Atlantic Council agreed to accept Japan’s behest to accredit its Embassy to the Kingdom of Belgium as its mission fully accredited to NATO. The Ambassador of Japan to Belgium, H.E. Hajime Hayashi, thus  shall become the first Head of the Mission of Japan to NATO. Until now he had merely been the Nipponese Government’s Representative to NATO without the status of a fully accredited ambassador.

In 2011, the Alliance decided to invite all partner nations to establish missions to NATO. Since then more than two dozen partners have done so, in order to further deepen ties with the Alliance.

Japan is NATO’s longest-standing partner outside Europe, with deepening cooperation since the early 1990s. Over the years, the Alliance and Japan have worked together to stabilize Afghanistan, to counter piracy off the coast of Somalia, and to strengthen partners like Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, and Jordan.

Today, Japan has liaison officers at NATO, including at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Belgium, and Maritime Command in the United Kingdom. Japan also contributes a staff officer in support of the Alliance’s work on Women, Peace and Security.

For further information: Embassy of Japan to Belgium, Mission to NATO (HE Ambassador Hajime Hayashi): http://www.be.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html  

Mr. Michel Kerres, NRC newspaper, Mr. Sico van der Meer, Research Fellow, Clingendael Institute, Mr. Remco Breuker, Professor of Korean Studies at Leiden University and Director Leiden Asia Centre,  H.E. Lee Yun Young, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Dr. Jun Bong-Geun, Advisor on the Inter Korean Summit 2018, Republic of Korea and Mr. Peter Potman, Director Asia and Oceania, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. By Roy Lie Atjam. Current developments on the Korean peninsula- Such was a theme of a seminar co-hosted by Leiden Asia Centre, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, and the Clingendael Institute. The seminar was held at Societeit De Witte The Hague on Tuesday 22nd May 2018.

  The focus of the seminar was on providing academics, diplomats, media, the general public and others with some insight into the recent developments on the Korean peninsula. Furthermore, a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump is hopefully going to take place in Singapore on 12 June 2018.

  Speakers at the seminar:  H.E. Lee Yun Young, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in the Netherlands Mr. Remco Breuker, Professor of Korean Studies at Leiden University and Director Leiden Asia Centre The Korean Peninsula after the Inter- Korean Summit 2018’ Dr. Jun Bong-Geun, Advisor on the Inter Korean Summit 2018, Republic of Korea What role for the European Union on the Korean Peninsula?’ Mr. Sico van der Meer, Research Fellow, the Clingendael Institute The Netherlands and the Korean Peninsula: Supportive Diplomacy’ Mr. Peter Potman, Director Asia and Oceania, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The organizers of the seminar were unaware that President of the USA Donald Trump was about to pull out of the North Korea Summit with Kim Jong-un on that day. Now with the ongoing summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump, on June 12 in Singapore, details of the seminar are on hold.    

By Guido Lanfranchi. On May 24^th, United States State Department voiced its support for the actions undertaken by the Dutch and Australian governments, which have called Russia “to account for its role in the July 2014 downing of Malaysia Fight #17.” On July 17^th, 2014, the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH-17) took off from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and headed towards Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At around 16:20 local time, the aircraft was flying over eastern Ukraine, theater of a conflict between the government and separatist rebels, when it was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. All the 298 people on board, both crew and passengers, died. In the aftermath of the accident, the different factions fighting in eastern Ukraine started trading accusations. The matter was swiftly referred to the United Nations Security Council. On July 21^st, the Council passed Resolution 2166, expressing support for the “efforts to establish a full, thorough and independent international investigation into the incident,” and calling all UN member states to “provide any requested assistance to civil and criminal investigations.” Since then, several investigations have been held, with the Dutch government playing a pivotal role in many of them. On May 24^th, the Dutch Public Prosecutor exposed the findings of the most recent investigation, conducted by the so-called Joint Investigation Team. According to the JIT results, the surface-to-air BUK missile that hit the MH-17 was shot from a launcher belonging to the Russian 53^rd anti-aircraft brigade. After the publication of these information, the Dutch and Australian government decided to hold the Russian government legally responsible for the incident, in which 193 Dutch nationals and 27 Australian citizens lost their lives. In its press communique, the United States State Department declared its “complete confidence in the findings of the JIT.” In the document, USSD Spokesperson Ms. Heather Nauert stressed that the launcher used to down the MH-17 “was brought into sovereign Ukrainian territory from Russia, was fired from territory controlled by Russia and Russia-led forces in eastern Ukraine, and was then returned to Russian territory.” The US State Department thus expressed strong support for the “decisions by the Netherlands and Australia to call Russia to account,” and urged Russia to “cease its lies” and to “adhere to UNSCR 2166 and respond to Australia’s and the Netherlands’ legitimate requests.” The State Department also offered its condolences to the families and friends of the 298 innocent victims, pledging to “call for justice” on their behalf. In the conclusive remarks, the Department highlighted that it remains “confident in the ability of the Dutch criminal justice system to prosecute those responsible in a manner that is fair and just.”

 H.E. Mrs. Vestine Nahimana with Radboud University Students By Roy Lie Atjam. On Tuesday 22^nd May 2018, a group of about twenty-five enthusiastic students of the Faculty of Public Administration, Radboud University Nijmegen, made their way to the Embassy of the Republic of Burundi in The Hague. The reason was a study visit. H.E. Mrs. Vestine Nahimana Ambassador heartily welcomed the students. The Ambassador subsequently introduced her country and touched on some min topics. A Q&A was also part of the interactive encounter. Extracts of Ambassador Nahimana’s presentation now follows. “It is always a good opportunity to get to know foreign countries through this kind of visits, notably for students with your background and aspirations. Inspired by the questions you have prepared in advance, I will give you a presentation of my country Burundi, although I know that you have done your homework. Burundi is a landlocked country, located in the African Great lake region, Tanganyika, commonly known as Swiss of Africa because of its hills similar to those of Switzerland. Burundi is also referred to as the heart of Africa because of its geographical location. Its surface is 27,834 square km with a population estimated at about 12 million.

It is a country with a young population of (65 %) and agriculture is the activity most practiced by the population (90%). Burundi gained independence from Belgium in 1962 thanks to Prince Louis Rwagasore (killed a year earlier). In 1965, Burundi inaugurated the era of the Republic by the late President Michel Micombero. Then, in order, Colonel J. Baptiste Bagaza and Major Pierre Buyoya. All these presidents came to power through military coups. In 1993 the first president to be democratically elected was invested. H.E. Melchior Ndadaye, he was killed later that same year (three months later) during a coup by the then mono-ethnic army. This triggered a decade-long war that left about three hundred thousand (300,000) dead and millions more went into to exile. In 2005, after three years of transitional government, H.E. Pierre Nkurunziza was appointed by the Parliament and Senate to the Presidency of the Republic of Burundi. The Government of Burundi is composed of the executive organ, the legislative organ composed of two chambers (National Assembly and Senate) and the judiciary organ, all independent. On the economic front, Burundi is one of the developing countries. Endowed with rich natural resources, the country fights to take advantage of its minerals for development. The other main source of its development is the exportation of crops grown in the country.

• The relationship between the Netherlands and Burundi

The Netherlands and Burundi enjoy friendly relations and this is illustrated in several ways: Diplomatically and politically, both countries are represented by Embassies respectively installed in each other countries. We can also note also frequent courtesy visits by official authorities. On the Security front, Burundi and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed a “memorandum d’entente” for the implementation of the Security Sector Development Program. On the economic front, both countries benefit from mutual cooperation in the fields of food and agriculture. Many Dutch NGOs and start-ups operate in Burundi in the sectors of agriculture, food, security and health.

• Recent tensions in Burundi and the current security situation

In 2015, Burundi witnessed protests turned into insurgency, these insurrections that later led to an attempted coup were planned by some politicians who did not support the idea of ​​participating in the elections. But this period is over. Burundi enjoys peace and security throughout its territory. Nevertheless, cases of banditry and delinquency can be recorded, as is the case in all countries of the world.

• Tensions between Hutu and Tutsi

The tensions between the two groups are almost over, thanks to the Constitution and the Arusha Agreement that allowed the two groups to collaborate and not to exclude themselves, which was one of the reasons for the civil war in Burundi for a very long time. During the 2015 Attempted Coup, some political actors attempted to divide the population with this ethnic rhetoric. But the Burundian people have resisted the division, and I believe this is a huge victory for the Burundian people.

• The example of Rwanda (economy, government)

I will not talk about governance or the economy of Rwanda, but rather about Burundi. But let me answer very clearly, Rwanda is not an example for Burundi because the two countries are not the same and do not have the same challenges. What you need to know about Burundi is that it tries to solve the needs of its people rather than designing plans and imposing them on the population. I think this is important.

• The importance of African integration like the European Union.

African countries have been aware long time ago of the imperative necessity to work together to achieve common goals. It is in this sense that the African Union was created. There are also sub-regional communities in Africa. Burundi is part of the East African Community for instance. What is important to note is that challenges, goals and purposes of Africans are different from those of the European Union. Integration in terms of effective free movement of goods and people is still a big challenge for example. Yes, Africa’s future lies in sound and stable integration. Burundi enjoys its full integration into the East African Community. Thus, the country can enjoy access to the sea via Mombasa or the port of Dar-Es-Salam. Dear students, I now invite you on a video trip to Burundi through this short report that will show more about the landscapes, the resources, the culture and even opportunities that abound in the country.” The students were impressed when learned about a 30% quota for women in institutions. The group’s coordinator Jelle Lammers presented Ambassador Nahimana with a token of appreciation. Enriched with a better insight of Burundi, the students bid goodbye to Ambassador Nahimana. ——— Photography by the Embassy of Burundi in The Hague.