By Roy Lie A Tjam.
H.E. Mr. Bruce Koloane, Ambassador of South Africa met with Mr. Thom de Graaf, President of the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences. Mr. De Graaf is a former Cabinet Minister, Senator, and mayor.
The two gentlemen met February of this year at a function of the Royal Palace and decided to meet again in order to ascertain ways in which South-Africa and the Universities of Applied Sciences could cooperate.
The two decided to organize a luncheon at Restaurant Le Debut of the prestigious Hotel School at Scheveningen-Den Haag. Attendees were delegates from universities, Dutch Ministries, NUFFIC, Diplomat magazine and other organizations.
In their welcome address, Mr. De Graaf and Ambassador Koloane made reference to the longstanding historical ties that exist between the Netherlands and South-Africa. However, when it comes to higher education (both mobility and institutional partnerships), there are yet an array of opportunities to be explored. There are approximately 33,000 foreign students in the Netherlands, only 141 are South-Africans.
To date, south-Africa has no Universities of Applied Sciences.Dutch institutions could, therefore, assist with curriculum development and the providing of qualified lecturers. NUFFIC will expand her activities in South Africa. NUFFIC is often referred to as the educational umbilical cord between S.A. and the Netherlands. Regarding obtaining work permits for lecturers and other personnel, the NUFFIC example might be a good one to copy.
Ambassador Bruce Koloane mentioned the far-reaching operation to recondition the entire education system in South Africa taking place this very moment. There are certainly opportunities for Dutch universities and colleges that would like to intensify and or initiate their cooperation with, South Africa. Opportunities for cooperation will be further explored in the near future. In addition, Koloane invited stakeholders to come and sit together to identify the S.A. institutions eligible to participate in the Breda concept project. Furthermore, stakeholders will share the problems and obstacles they encounter in obtaining work permit a.o queries with the South-African Mission.
Other speeches and presentations at the luncheon, Avans institute contributes to a sustainability project, which includes the development of drone technology in the prevention of poaching in nature reserves in South Africa. Moreover, NHTV shed some light on activities taking place at the Center of Expertise Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality. Avans has a capacity building project, āCaso Symposiumā in Capetown, that had been initiated in 2016 and is expected to be completed in 2018
Ms Elske van der Wal, lecturer at NHTV Breda, also delivered an expose. According to Van der Wal, ways should be considered as to how to implement the Breda concept in South-Africa. There will be a need of Africanizing the concept a bit. However, given Bredaās reputable credentials, this should not be a problem.
The successful event concluded with an exchange of gifts and a networking session
Presentation by Mrs. Sherry Keneson-Hall, Counselor for Public Affairs of the US Embassy to the Kingdom of The Netherlands.Ā The Latin Table hosted a presentation on trade relations between the United States and Latin America on September 29 by Sherry Keneson-Hall, the Public Affairs Counselor from the Embassy of the United States of America in The Hague. Keneson-Hall spoke about the role of the U.S. Trade Representative in trade agreements and negotiations.
She highlighted the main imports from the U.S. and exports to the U.S. of 19 Latin American countries including: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Mexico. She also spoke of the benefits of trade agreements and provided an overview of the history of diplomatic relations between the United States and Latin America, which spans nearly 200 years.
The presentation was followed by a question and answer session that brought to light some of the questions surrounding the foreign policy of the current administration.
The presentation was attended by diplomats, trade representatives, business contacts and members of De Witte.
Mrs. Sherry Keneson-Hall, Counselor for Public Affairs from the United States Embassy to the Kingdom of The Netherlands, delivering her presentation, Mrs. Sonia de Meijer and Mr. Jorge E. Colombo Taricco, Chair and Vice-Chair of the Latin American Table
By Joe Ray.
On 29 September the Latin American Table of Societeit de Witte hosted a lecture by Ms Sherry-Keneson Hall, Public Affairs Counsellor at the US Embassy in The Hague.
The subject of the lecture was US trade with Latin America, with Ms Keneson-Hall providing an authoritative summary of the latest developments in the many and varied bilateral trade relationships between the US and its southern neighbours.
Guests at the historic social club, many of whom hailed from Latin American countries themselves and included several embassy representatives, enjoyed a detailed assessment of the latest trade developments in the Americas.
On the whole, trade relations are strong and in many cases bilateral economic ties between the US and Latin American nations are strengthening, explained Ms Keneson-Hall. Although the political climate may create uncertainties, she emphasised that the US remained open to trade and would seek to continue actively strengthening its trading position across Latin America.
After the lecture, a lively Q&A session was held, followed by a dinner.
Mr. Halbe Zijlstra, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs.By Anton Lutter.
After 208 days of negotiating, being the longest period creating a new government program after the march 15 parliamentary elections, a cabinet has been formed by the VVD, CDA, D’66 and CU political parties under the slogan “Trust in the future“, with Mark Rutte as third time prime minister.
For the readers of Diplomat Magazine the new Minister of Foreign Affairs will surely be of prime interest, although every ministry has an international office within its walls. Even for political insiders the choice of Mr. Halbe Zijlstra as Minister of Foreign Affairs has been a suprise. Known as a person who loves straight talk and a confirmed political pragmatist, his heading this most important department will be closely watched with great interest.
Mr. Halbe Zijlstra, the son of a police detective, was born January 21, 1969 in Oosterwolde from the northern province of Friesland. He studied sociology at the University of Groningen earning a masters degree in 1996. Working for Royal Dutch Shell he visited countries like Greece, Italy, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela and Nigeria. His membership of the VVD stems from 1994 entering public office 4 years after.
From 1998 to 2001 he was a member of city council of Utrecht and again from 2003 to 2006, when he became a candidate in the parliamentary elections. Elected in 2006 he became his parties spokesman on care, energy, sports, higher education and sciences and biotechnology. In october 2010 be was chosen to be the underminister (staatssecretaris) for Education, Culture and Science in the Rutte Cabinet I, he served in this post until 5 november 2012. As underminister he was known for initiating budget cuts in the cultural sector, which bolstered his image as person who’s not afraid to take unpopular measures. Before as a member of parliament he also introduced a bill to counter football hooliganism.
He returned to parliament (Tweede Kamer) in 2012 after a no-confidence motion ended the Rutte Cabinet I. As Mr. Mark Rutte became prime-minister for the second time, Zijlstra became the chair of the VVD parliamentary group thereby leading the most important government party in parliament. After being reelected in the 2017 parliamentary elections Zijlstra indicated his interest in a ministerial post, resulting in “Foreign Affairs”.Ms. Sigrid Kaag, new Minister of Development Cooperation.
He’s married, having one son. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also houses the office of the minister without potfolio for Development Cooperation. For this position D’66 member Mrs. Sigrid Kaag has been chosen. A career diplomat Mrs. Kaag, born in 1961, holds the post of United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) since january 2015.
She has been working in a variety of positions both for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Royal Dutch Shell and the United Nations. She has earned a masters of philosophy degree in international relations from the University of Exeter and a masters degree in international relations from the University of Oxford.
Mrs. Kaag is married with Mr. Anis al Aq former Palestinian representative to Switzerland, having with him 4 children. She enters the cabinet as one of the 10 female government (under) ministers.
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Mr. Halbe Zijlstra’s Photo from: www.tweedekamer.nl
Venezuela and the Netherlands strengthen bilateral relations through a joint exercise in the Caribbean Sea
The annual joint naval exercise between the Bolivarian Coast Guard of Venezuela and the Caribbean Coast Guard of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, known as Open Eyes 2017, took place from the 23rd to the 26th of October in the maritime area of Aruba, Bonaire and CuraƧao.
The main purpose of this naval exercise is to strengthen working relations between the Venezuelan Coast Guard and the Netherlands Coast Guard. Also, Open Eyes brings opportunities for mutual learning experiences on various procedures used by each Coast Guard under different circumstances.
This year naval and flight units of both coast guards trained on search and rescue operations. In addition, the Centre for Rescue and Coordination of CuraƧao participated in these exercises by performing important roles.
As a closing event, participants of āOpen Eyes 2017ā exchanged presents from each country and engaged in a social activity at Daaibooi Beach in CuraƧao.
āOpen Eyes 2017ā is a clear example of the high level of cooperation conducted by both countries, Venezuelan and the Netherlands, in order to jointly contribute to peace and stability in the Caribbean region, thus strengthening constructive bilateral relations.
Self-Portrait, 1944. Picture by Raad bin Zeid Al-Hussein.Deutsche Bank KunstHalle presents the pioneering modernist Fahrelnissa Zeid from 20Ā OctoberĀ 2017, to 25Ā MarchĀ 2018.
The Deutsche Bank KunstHalle is showing a comprehensive retrospective of Fahrelnissa Zeid (b. 1901, Istanbul, d. 1991, Amman) and the third presentation resulting from the cooperation between the KunstHalle and Tate Modern in London. Fahrelnissa Zeid was a pioneering artist best known for her large-scale colorful canvasesāsome over five meters wideāwhich reveal her unique vision and distinctive abstract style.
This major exhibition brings together paintings, drawings and sculptures spanning over 40 yearsāfrom expressionist works made in Istanbul in the early 1940s, to immersive abstract canvases exhibited in London, Paris and New York in the 1950s and 1960s, finishing with her return to portraiture later in life. Celebrating her extraordinary career, the exhibition presents Zeid as an important figure in the international story of abstract art.
Zeid was one of the first women to receive formal training as an artist in Istanbul, continuing her studies in Paris in the late 1920s. The show begins with her breakthrough moment in the early 1940s, when she championed experimental approaches to painting and began to exhibit with the avant-garde d Group in Turkey.
The works from the early part of Zeidās career demonstrate her affinities with and divergence from international art movements, blending European painting traditions with Oriental themes. In 1946 Zeid and her husband, Prince Zeid Al-Hussein of the Hashemite royal family, moved to the UK where he had been posted as Iraqi Ambassador.
My Hell, 1951 Oil on canvas205 x 528 cm. Picture by Istanbul Museum of Modern Art Raad bin Zeid Al-Hussein.
Dividing her time between London and Paris, Zeidās exhibitions were well received by critics and artists alike, cementing her position as one of the great female artists working in the post-war period. Key paintings from her 1954 show at the ICA in London feature in this exhibition, such as My Hell 1951 and The Octopus of Triton 1953, representing the artist at the height of her career as well as the complex range of influences and life experiences she drew upon.
When the Hashemite royal family in IraqĀ was decimatedĀ in a military coup in Iraq in 1958, Zeid and her husband were forced to vacate the embassyāand her studio āin London. In response to the coup, and perhaps in recognition of her own mortality, Zeid made a return to figurative painting. For the last 20 years of her career she painted portraits of her friends and family with exaggerated features that aim to capture the āspiritā of the sitter. The artist also began experimenting with painting on turkey and chicken bones, which she later cast in polyester resin panels evocative of stained-glass windows.
Resolved Problems, 1948 Oil on canvas130 x 97 cm. Istanbul Museum of Modern Art Raad Zeid Al-Hussein.
Zeid died in 1991, aged 89, in Amman, Jordan, having exhibited across Europe, the USA, and the Middle East. She left behind a remarkable visual legacy of her extraordinary life as well as a significant contribution to the global history of modernism.
Fahrelnissa Zeid is curated by Kerryn Greenberg, Curator (International Art) and Vassilis Oikonomopoulos, Assistant Curator, Tate Modern. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue from Tate Publishing. It is available at the ArtShop of the KunstHalle with an insert in German. A programme of talks and events are in the gallery. After the premiere at Tate Modern this summer and the presentation at the Deutsche Bank KunstHalle in Berlin, the exhibition will be on view at the Sursock Museum in Beirut in April 2018.
In cooperation with Tate Modern Photographic material on Fahrelnissa Zeid can be downloaded for free at www.photo-files.de/deutschebankkunsthalle.
For further informationĀ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Fahrelnissa_Zeidhttp://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/fahrelnissa-zeidhttps://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2017/06/canvasses-nowherehttps://www.db.com/newsroom_news/2017/deutsche-bank-kunsthalle-presents-the-pioneering-modernist-fahrelnissa-zeid-en-11683.htm
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Text and photographs by Deutsche Bank Kunsthalle/Tate Museum of Modern Art/HRH Prince Ra’ad bin Zeid Al Hussein (Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan)
Mr Ladislav Hamran, President elected of Eurojust.Today, the College of Eurojust elected Ladislav Hamran, currently Vice-President of Eurojust, as well as National Member for the Slovak Republic, as the new President of Eurojust. Mr Hamran will replace MichĆØle Coninsx, who is leaving Eurojust.In accordance with Article 28(2) of the Eurojust Council Decision and Article 3(1) of the Rules of Procedure of Eurojust, the result of the election will be submitted to the Council for approval.Ladislav Hamran has 17 years’ experience as a prosecutor. He started working at the General Prosecution Office in Bratislava in 2003, investigating and prosecuting mainly economic crime and corruption, until his secondment to Eurojust as National Member for the Slovak Republic in 2007. He was elected Vice-President of Eurojust in December 2013, and was re-elected Vice-President in December 2016. As Vice-President, he was mainly responsible for information and knowledge management projects, leading Eurojustās Working Group on reorganisation and prioritisation.Mr Hamran said: āI am overwhelmed with emotion and extremely grateful that my colleagues have placed their trust in me once again. They twice voted for me for Vice-President, and have now granted me the ultimate honour, President of Eurojust. I vow to listen carefully to people throughout the organisation to help make Eurojust a trusted and effective key partner in judicial cooperation. I fully believe in collegiality, both as an approach and as a working method, by developing healthy, effective and sustainable links between the College and the Administration, and also with our external partners and stakeholders. I want my term in office to be marked by objectivity, fairness, transparency and integrity. My door will always be open. I look forward to modernising and professionalising Eurojust, in line with its wonderful new premises.ā
QIAGEN and ICMP Launch next-generation DNA testing solutions for identifying Missing Persons.The Hague, 24 October 2017: The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) today announced the launch of a cutting-edge next-generation sequencing (NGS) workflow created in collaboration with QIAGEN N.V. for ICMP’s missing persons DNA identification laboratory in The Hague, the Netherlands.
The solution integrates QIAGENās GeneReader NGS System and spans all aspects of the DNA laboratory workflow, from sample extraction through final analysis, thereby creating a unique āsample to insightā user experience. The workflow includes automated QIAGEN instruments and consumables for DNA extraction, liquid handling, quantification, sample preparation and next generation, Massively Parallel Sequencing (MPS).
āQIAGENās support for ICMP is timely, focused, and substantial,ā ICMP Director-General Kathryne Bomberger said today. āOur partnership with QIAGEN and other leading technology companies makes it possible for us to maintain the ICMP laboratory system as the premier high-throughput, human identification DNA laboratory system in the world that is capable of responding ā quickly, economically and effectively ā to missing persons scenarios wherever they arise.ā
QIAGEN Chief Executive Officer Peer Schatz said, āThis collaboration springs from a shared passion for applying state-of-the-art technologies to address a very important and very challenging need. Wars, disasters and other events that separate victims from families leave behind unanswered questions and tremendous grief. We believe that that the application of these state-of-the-art technologies has the potential to provide help to those experiencing such terrible uncertainty. ICMPās global role in securing the cooperation of governments and other agencies to account for complicated or large-scale missing persons scenarios requires the very best DNA analysis workflow, and achieving this is a further example of QIAGENās mission of making improvements in life possible.ā
ICMP and a number of academic institutes have worked closely with QIAGEN to develop a powerful SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) panel specifically designed for missing persons identification. The ICMP MPs-Plex targets more than 1,400 sites in the human genome, capitalizing on the power provided by Massively Parallel Sequencing. In addition to the custom panel, QIAGEN will supply software, reagents, consumables and technical support on an ongoing basis for ICMP.
Since 2001, ICMP has operated a state-of-the-art DNA laboratory system focused exclusively on missing persons identification. The system delivers high-throughput capabilities to assist governments in identifying large numbers of persons missing from conflict, human rights abuses, natural and manmade disasters, organized crime, irregular migration and other circumstances where persons go missing for involuntary reasons.
The system, which is designed to work on the most challenging cases, operates on a high-throughput scale,Ā hasĀ generated DNA results on more than 50,000 cases of degraded skeletal remains and contributed to the identification of around 20,000 persons worldwide. ICMPās new laboratory in The Hague aspires to maintain a capacity of up to 10,000 cases a year. Over the course of two decades, ICMP has responded to a wide variety of complex missing persons scenarios in over 40 countries, including assisting Bosnia and Herzegovina identify almost 90 percent of the approximately 8,000 victims of the Srebrenica genocide.
After the 2004 South East Asian Tsunami, in conjunction with INTERPOL, it deployed its forensic expertise as part of a major international Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) program. The laboratory system is also a key component of ICMPās Center of Excellence in Training and it supports ICMP’s programs in the Western Balkans, the MENA region and Latin America.
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ICMPICMP is a treaty-based international organization based in The Hague, the Netherlands. Its mandate is to secure the cooperation of governments and others in locating and identifying missing persons from conflict, human rights abuses, disasters, organized crime, irregular migration and other causes and to assist them in doing so. It is the only international organization tasked exclusively to work on the issue of missing persons.QIAGENĀ http://www.QIAGEN.com
Her Excellency Ms.Ā Dziunik Aghajanian, Ambassador of Armenia. By Roy Lie A Tjam.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia in the Netherlands, Her Excellency Ms.Ā Dziunik Aghajanian, hosted a reception to celebrate Armeniaās 26th Anniversary of Independence and the 25th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Armenia and the Netherlands. The venue was Theater Diligentia, The Hague on 5 October 2017.
In her welcome remarks, Ambassador Aghajanian cordially welcomed the large, turnout. She emphasized the relationship between her country and the Kingdom of The Netherlands and their solid alliance. The ambassador recounted how The Netherlands have stood by Armenia every step of the way in their development.
Assisting in dealings with the World Bank and IMF for example. The journey was not always easy, however, today Armenia is no longer āa receiving country but one that also contributesā. The military peacekeepers are an example thereof, Armenia is surging ahead!
The Speaker is H.E. Mr. Adrian Palm, Special Representative for the Eastern Partnership and Eastern Neighborhood Countries, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
The next speaker at the event was Mr. Adeiaan Palm, representative of the Eastern Partnership and Eastern neighborhood countries, MFA, in The Netherlands. Mr. Palm applauded the pleasant cooperation with Armenia.
The eveningās program continued with a concert by the Armenian string quartet, Komitas, under the artistic director Mr. Eduard Tadevosyan. Komitas is a musical ensemble of four string players ā two violin players, a viola player and a cellist. Itās one of the oldest string quartet in the world.
the Armenian string quartet, Komitas.
Other members of the ensemble are Mr. Alexander Kosemyan, Mrs. Suzy Yeritsyan and Mrs. Angela Sargsyan. Komitas played pieces by Handel, Schubert- just to name a few. The Komitas quartet will also perform in Maastricht-Limburg in the south of the Netherlands. The patron saint of Maastricht is Bishop St. Servaas who happens to have been born in Armenia.
Closing the event, Ambassador Dziunik Aghajanian invited fellow Ambassadors, officials, and other guests to a reception where everyone including those of the Armenian diaspora, mingled while enjoying traditional Armenian finger food.
She highlighted the main imports from the U.S. and exports to the U.S. of 19 Latin American countries including: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Mexico. She also spoke of the benefits of trade agreements and provided an overview of the history of diplomatic relations between the United States and Latin America, which spans nearly 200 years.
The presentation was followed by a question and answer session that brought to light some of the questions surrounding the foreign policy of the current administration.
The presentation was attended by diplomats, trade representatives, business contacts and members of De Witte.
Mrs. Sherry Keneson-Hall, Counselor for Public Affairs from the United States Embassy to the Kingdom of The Netherlands, delivering her presentation, Mrs. Sonia de Meijer and Mr. Jorge E. Colombo Taricco, Chair and Vice-Chair of the Latin American Table
On the whole, trade relations are strong and in many cases bilateral economic ties between the US and Latin American nations are strengthening, explained Ms Keneson-Hall. Although the political climate may create uncertainties, she emphasised that the US remained open to trade and would seek to continue actively strengthening its trading position across Latin America.
After the lecture, a lively Q&A session was held, followed by a dinner. 
The main purpose of this naval exercise is to strengthen working relations between the Venezuelan Coast Guard and the Netherlands Coast Guard. Also, Open Eyes brings opportunities for mutual learning experiences on various procedures used by each Coast Guard under different circumstances.
This year naval and flight units of both coast guards trained on search and rescue operations. In addition, the Centre for Rescue and Coordination of CuraƧao participated in these exercises by performing important roles.
As a closing event, participants of āOpen Eyes 2017ā exchanged presents from each country and engaged in a social activity at Daaibooi Beach in CuraƧao.
āOpen Eyes 2017ā is a clear example of the high level of cooperation conducted by both countries, Venezuelan and the Netherlands, in order to jointly contribute to peace and stability in the Caribbean region, thus strengthening constructive bilateral relations.
