On the picture the  President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Judge Carmel Aigus. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY or Tribunal) was presented with the first Justice Administration Excellence Award by the International Institute for Justice Excellence (IIJE), launched at the Peace Palace on 14 November 2017.

  During a ceremony marking the IIJE’s official launch in The Hague, which took place in the Great Hall of Justice of the Peace Palace and was attended by eminent jurists and members of the diplomatic community, the Tribunal was honoured for its significant contributions to the field of Justice Administration. Specifically, the Tribunal was recognized for its contributions to the advancement of information management technology, electronic records management, the broadcasting approach of trials on the internet, victim-witness protection methods, court governance, transcript production, and evidence preservation systems, among others.

President Carmel Agius accepted the Award on behalf of the ICTY and was introduced by Registrar John Hocking who recalled how the President has embodied both justice and excellence throughout his career and inspired others to live up to these commitments.

  In his Keynote address, President Agius thanked the IIJE, noting that: “It is an award that speaks to the ICTY’s lifetime achievements over 24 years of operation. This award is also an acknowledgement of its Judges, Principals, and staff members, past and present, who have excelled in the performance of their duties, as well as promoted accountability and inspired excellence in others.” Established in October 2017, the IIJE’s mission is to improve access to justice globally through its role as a non-political, non-profit, international institution dedicated to developing a collaborative approach to the administration of justice. In particular the IIJE will undertake and promote research and education on justice access and administration issues, as well as the dissemination of international best practices and procedure related to the fields of court management and justice administration more broadly.  

On the picture the Ambassador of Cuba H. E. Soraya Alvarez Nunez, H.E. Haifa Aissami Madah, Ambassador of Venezuela to the International Organizations, Nicos Argyrides, Second Secretary Embassy of Cyprus and H.E.  Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Abohaimed, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia. By Catherine Dailey. Some three hundred members of the International Women’s Contact (IWC) of The Hague turned out early on Monday, November 13, for a special “Country Morning” event hosted by the Embassy of Cyprus at The Hague Marriott Hotel. Mr. Nicos Argyrides, Second Secretary of the Republic of Cyprus, presented the program on behalf of Ambassador Elpidoforos Economou. The Ambassadors of Austria, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela were among the many distinguished guests invited by the embassy to enjoy the “Country Morning” program which included a short film produced by the Ministry of Tourism; followed by a cultural presentation given by Prof. Dr. Marina Tekourafi, Professor of Sociolinguistics at Leiden University.

The President of the IWC, Mrs. Rieke Lubach, opened the event. The large and attentive audience were delighted to learn that IWC board members are planning a custom “members only” tour to Cyprus in 2018. Following a short introduction, the president introduced Mr. Argyrides, who shared key facts about his island nation which can be easily reviewed via a link on the homepage of the embassy website. Argyrides explained the origin of the country’s name, which is believed to have derived from the Classical Latin phrase aes Cyprium, “metal of Cyprus” and which was later shortened to Cuprum. He also described the symbolism of the nation’s flag with its distinctive yellow copper color for the outline of an island map centered above a pair of green olive branches, against a white background. The white and copper colors, together with the green olive branches, serves as a proud reminder of the republic’s history, commitment to peace and strategic importance as a crossroad of civilizations since the Homeric Age. The Second Secretary further explained that the Republic of Cyprus, with a population of approximately 956,500 citizens, is a unique country of threes–the third smallest country in the European Union, the third most populated island, and the third largest island in the Mediterranean. In addition, the island nation, which joined the European Union on May 1, 2004, has been influenced for millennia by European, Asian and African peoples due to the country’s proximity to all three continents. Cyprus, he explained, has six main cities and Nicosia, with a population of 244,100, is the capital. It is the last divided capital in Europe.

Professor Marina Terkourafi presented the second part of the program and captivated listeners with her cultural and historic survey of Cyprus by focussing on four women beginning with Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and fertility. Dr. Terkourafi followed by saying a few words about St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine. She (St. Helena) is remembered for her discovery of the “True Cross” and is also given credit for ridding the island of snakes and other vermin by arranging for 1,000 cats from Persia and Egypt to be shipped to the island and transported to the Holy Monastery of St. Nicholas of the Cats in Akrotiri. Brief homage was given to Catherine Cornaro (1454-1510), a noble Venetian woman and last Queen of Cyprus before the professor concluded her presentation by citing a few words about Nicosia from the varied oeuvre of Niki Marangou (1948-2013), the renowned Cypriot poet, writer and artist. Aphrodite, according to ancient Greek myths, rose form the sea and washed ashore in seafoam at Paphos. The cult of Aphrodite at Paphos was mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey (675-725 BCE) and the Paphos Archeological Park in Kato Paphos, inhabited since the Neolithic period, is, one of three Cypriot sites included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. An additional eleven sites are on UNESCO’s tentative list. Today, Paphos, on the island’s southwest coast, is a modern city of glistening harbors, theaters and resort hotels. The city welcomes international visitors throughout the year who come to enjoy both the temperate Mediterranean climate and warm Cypriot hospitality. Explorers, unable to visit the Classical World in the Mediterranean, are encouraged to travel to the Greek Hall of the permanent  Klassieke Wereld exhibition in Leiden’s Rijksmuseum van Oudheden  (National Musuem of Antiquities), where top pieces, including a recent acquisition of a Cypriot portrait sculpture dating from approximately 470-460 BCE, can be admired. The introduction to Cypriot cuisine, served to close the program, included Koupepia (stuffed vine leaves), Koupes, Halloumi Cheese in pita wraps and olives. Guests especially enjoyed an opportunity to sample Commandaria—reputed to be the oldest wine in the world which was first known as Nama by the ancient Greeks. Following Richard the Lionhearted’s conquest of the island in 1191, the legendary Commandaria, was produced for the first time in the commanderies of the Knights of St. John, who gave it the name which is still used today. Wine connoisseurs will especially enjoy consulting the extensive Cyprus Wine Routes, travel guide published by the Cyprus Tourism Organization (CTO) for planning a unique holiday through any of Cyprus’ seven wine routes. International tourism revenue, a key contributor to the island’s service based economy, continues to expand with each successive year. By the close of this year, more than 3.6 million visitors are expected have visited Cyprus in 2017 or more than 3.5 visitors per citizen! Religious tourists, especially Christians, will enjoy a visit to the Stavrovouni Monastery, founded by St. Helena. It is the earliest documented monastery on the island and one of the oldest monasteries in the world. Empress Helena, was perhaps the world’s first notable religious tourist and, according to church tradition, accidentally brought a piece of the Holy Cross to the island following a shipwreck while returning from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Having arrived safely, she commissioned a chapel to be built on the mountain of the same name to house it. Several other ancient Cypriot monasteries, popular with tourists, are either already listed or inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. While sampling the Commandaria, Koupes and Koupepia, many happy guests could be overheard discussing their keen interest in planning a trip to sunny Cyprus, thus ensuring that the number of visitors to Cyprus in 2018 will continue to grow, as projected, with a new group of “Country Morning” travelers from The Hague!

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Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (Dutch National Museum of Antiquities) Cyprus Wine Routes – Cyprus Tourism Organization “Cyprus In Your Heart” -The Official Cyprus Tourism Portal Cyprus on Film – Press and Information Office, Republic of Cyprus

On the picture Mr. Redi Molla, Director of Tirana Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (UKT)]; H.E. Ms. Adia Sakiqi, Ambassador of the Republic of Albania in the Netherlands; and Mr. Erion Veliaj, Mayor of Tirana. The Mayor of the Albanian capital Tirana, Mr. Erion Veliaj, was welcomed in the Netherlands during October 30th and 31st 2017, as a guest at the Amsterdam International Water Week (IWW).

  His speech “Tirana’s smart city solutions and green infrastructure as an efficient means in tackling climate change challenges” contributed to the debate of the Resilient Cities Leaders Forum (RCLF) on how cities think about global risks, mitigate them and strengthen resilience. Mr. Veliaj held several meetings at the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs. During these meetings, a wide array of economic sectors- ranging from tourism to port management, water, agriculture, energy, textile, engineering and architecture- were discussed with a view to future collaborations.

Furthermore, a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of drinking water and wastewater collection and treatment was signed marking a crucial phase: enhancing and strengthening the bilateral partnership in the pillar sectors of the Albanian economy. Witnessing this signature and supporting this partnership were the Mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj, RVO, the Embassy of the Netherlands in Tirana and the Embassy of Albania, The Netherlands. This is considered as a major stepping stone towards promoting and fostering the future cooperation with Albania. Lastly, Mr. Veliaj held a lecture at the Erasmus Rotterdam University on the topic ‘How can the Western countries promote and be the drive towards the EU integration – the case of Albania’. Mr. Veliaj presented the transformation of Tirana in the last two years and offered his vision of the future.

  The lecture sought to bring together excellence Albanian students and intellectuals who did not resist sharing their enthusiasm and commitment to do something for the future of Albania. Furthermore, Mr. Veliaj stressed the importance of the free economic area for foreign investments in Albania. Another highlight of this event was the artistic performance of Ms. Alina Fejzo, an Albanian dancer currently touring with Krisztina de Châtel / V A Wölfl-Thron in the Netherlands.
 Her modern dance performance was met with the applause of the audience. As Mr. Martin Sobota, architect, observed after this stellar performance: ‘sometimes we forget how many talents come from such a small country like Albania’. Ending on this high note, the positive attitude of both the Dutch and Albanian representatives deserves remark; portending enhanced collaboration between the two partners and signifying shared eagerness towards what the future will bring. ——- Photography by the Albanian Embassy in The Hague.

On the picture the President of Eurojust Baroness Michèle Coninsx and H.E. Ambassador Christian Lepage, Permanent Representative of Belgium to the International organizations in The Hague. Michèle Coninsx president of Eurojust since 2012, has been appointed by the UN Secretary-General as Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate. After moving from The Hague to the New York City UN headquarters in early November, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres confirmed her appointment at the Assistant Secretary-General level. Ms. Coninsx’s resume is extensive. Ms. Coninsx began her career at Eurojust, the Judicial Cooperation Unit of the European Union, in 2001, when she served as Deputy Prosecutor General. Following, Ms, Coninsx became the National Member of Belgium to Eurojust in 2002. From 2008 to 2012, Ms. Coninsx was appointed as Vice-President and held a position of the Presidency team. From 2009 to 2010, she served as President of Eurojust, and also held the position of Chair in Eurojust’s Counter Terrorism Team and the Task Force on the Future of Eurojust.

Prior, to joining Pro-Eurojust, Ms. Coninsx was appointed as a National Prosecutor in 1997, serving as Deputy Public Prosecutor at the Public Prosecutors Office in Brussels (1990-1997). As an expert to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and instructor on anti-terrorism in the air, she was in charge of training aviation security in several countries, including Kenya, Thailand, Sri Lanka, China, Japan and New Zealand. Additionally, Ms. Coninsx was assigned by the Belgian National Aviation Security Committee to head anti-terrorism training related to aircraft sabotage and hijacking. Ms. Coninsx worked in the judiciary sector for almost 25 years. From 1997 to 2001, just before joining Eurojust, she was one of the three Belgian national prosecutors in charge of coordinating the fight against organised crime and terrorism at country-wide level, with full jurisdictional powers over the 27 Belgian chief prosecutors. She holds two master’s degrees, one in law and the other in Criminology, from the University of Brussels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel — VUB).  She received the Aggregation higher secondary education (Law) and is specialized in air law.  She was an Auditor of the High Studies Security and Defence at the Royal Higher Institute for Defence in Brussels (2005-2006), and a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe (since 2016).  She is also the Visiting Professor at the School of Law, Queen Mary University of London (since 2015) and honorary Fellow of Law and Criminology at VUB (since 2014). Ms Coninsx is author of several publications, including “Private Security Companies,” “The search of persons at airports,” “Judicial Handbook for Aviation Police Officers,” “Air Law for Air Traffic Controllers,” and “The Fight against Terrorism in the Air.” She was also keynote speaker at several international aviation security conferences dealing with terrorism in the air, airport security, human resources management and aviation security training for airport personnel.    

                            Holding a magnificent piece of adras, the Uzbek silk,  H.E. Konstantine Surguladze,  Ambassador of Georgia, H.E. Mr. Dilyor Khakimov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan H.E. Heidemaria Gurer, Ambassador of Austria, H.E. Vjosa Dobruna, Ambassador of Kosovo, H.E. Andrea Gustovic Ercegovac, Ambassador of Croatia and  H.E. Mr Youn Yun Lee, Ambassador of Korea.   The Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Brussels, surprised The Hague’s diplomat community with a grandiose reception to celebrate its 26^th Anniversary, an example of the traditional Uzbek hospitality.

The Senator Room of Carlton Ambassador was filled with an abundance of ambassadors, diplomats and judges from embassies and International organisations. Additionally, business people, Dutch officials, parliamentarians, academics and friends of Eurasia came from different Dutch Ministries and universities to celebrate and meet the Ambassador-designate H.E. Mr. Dilyor Khakimov, who would soon present credentials to King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands. Ambassador Khakimov took office in Brussels early September and is also credited to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. For additional Roy Strik’s picture, please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157688334725641 Early in the morning, the Uzbek team from the embassy in Brussels arrived to Carlton to start the preparation of the venue under the direction of Ambassador Khakimov. Uzbek diplomats and their spouses, artist, dancers and the chef transformed the elegant Senator Room in a welcoming place full of colors, flowers and music. Mr. Karomiddin Gadoev, Counsellor and Charge d’affaires, presented the audience with a detailed speech on Uzbek economy and the already 26-year-old diplomatic relations established between Uzbekistan and the Netherlands. Mr. Azim Mukhamedjanov, second Secretary, Press Official and the driving force of this Meet and Greet, initially planned for this event to take place last autumn but cancelled due to President Islam Karimov’s passing.

 

The Embassy of Uzbekistan in Brussels maintains its presence in the Netherlands by regularly attending lectures at Leiden University, meetings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Diplomat Magazine events in The Hague, and business conferences in Amsterdam. The Embassy actively participated in the Hanos Gastronomic Festival in Delft and organised media trips. Diplomat Magazine has been invited recently twice to visit Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, first as part of the international team of observers for the presidential elections and secondly to cover the International music festival XI Sharq Taronalari.

After greetings and speeches, the famous Uzbek singer Botir Qodirov entertained the audience with warm melodies that captivated the attention of all, irregardless of the language barrier. Then, Maryam Agisheva, a professional dancer studying choreography in Paris concluded the entertainment engagingly, as many joined her dancing. Immediately after, a wonderful traditional buffet of delicious food was presented. This buffet featured rice prepared in Kazahstan, mouton, patir-non, and various sorts of stuffed pockets of dough, salads, and sweets. Uzbekistan Diplomats Meet & Greet was organised with the support of Diplomatic Card, Carlton Ambassador and Diplomat Magazine.

                            H.E. Ambassador, Ms. Jana Reinišová, Joane McNamara and Hans van Bemmelen. By Roy Lie A Tjam. H.E. Ambassador, Ms. Jana Reinišová, of the Czech Republic in the Netherlands celebrated the Czech Wenceslas National Day 2017. For additional Roy Strik’s pictures, please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157689136336904  

St. Wenceslas, the patron saint of the Czech, was a Prince. Unfortunately, a power struggle eventually resulted in his murder. Wenceslas was born in 907 and was apparently murdered on September 28 in 935 by his younger brother Boleslav at the entrance to the church Stara Boleslav.

An Oldtimer, a TATRA build by the renowned Czech Slovakian car designer Hans Ledwinski, caught the attention of the guests. The Tatra was parked on the lawns of the Ambassador ‘s residence. It is alleged that the this particular Tatra was once used by a former Czech Slovakian President.

A good number of Ambassadors, friends and government officials came to join Ambassador Jana Reinišová on 27 September 2017 in celebrating the historical day. ———- Photography by Roy Strik.