It was the obvious choice and the best place to start Christmas celebration in The Hague. Beauty, tradition and class with Des Indes’ signature at Hotel Des Indes Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on December 6th, in The Hague. As never before, Des Indes combined its historical glam and savoir-faire to celebrate the new season in the most classical way, going back to the bases what is Christmas all about. Christmas decoration was impressive, elegant, and immaculate. Coen Masselink, General Manager of the emblematic hotel,  played safe inviting a select group of guests, to celebrate with champagne and a profusion of divines hord’heuvres. The tree appeared taller than ever with all new decoration and lights; an impressive Ahhh….! escaped from the public at the always magical moment of lighting. For additional Roy Strik’s pictures, please open the link below: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157688825602572

After a brief welcome words from Mr Masselink,  the American school choral interpreted the most beautiful Christmas carols from the gorgeous Des Indes stairs, at the other side of the salon Mrs. Carla Bos wearing a gorgeous long red dress fill it up the scene with the sounds of her harp. Of course there was Santa Claus, with his joyful Merry Christmas to each guests and a magnificent ginger house creation of Marta Orban, from Sweet and Spice. Marta Orban is the hit of the year with her delicious monumental cakes designed especially for each occasion. Some embassies rely on her creativity to interpret their national day cake, nothing comparable to a traditional ginger house by Marta Orban for Des Indes.

Beside the beauty and the impressive size, the smell of cinnamon, ginger and spices filled it up the room, thus the ginger house this time was especially appealing and more than one tried to still a cookie.

Many diplomats attended among then the Ambassador of Korea, H.E. Mr. Yun Young Lee and the Ambassador of Indonesia, H.E. Mr.  I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja , Ms Tamar Gvinadze, Consul and  Legal Counsellor and Mrs. Nino Kvantrishvili, Press Officer of the Georgia Embassy with her child and Embassy of Malta  Secretary, Ms. Danae Parmaki.

But the great encounter was Haim and Linda Divon; Chairman of the Israel/Netherlands Chamber of Commerce and Industry, former ambassador to the Netherlands, who decided to stay in The Hague to pursuit his second endeavour and from here travel around the word.

Des Indes opens with charm and character, elegance and grandeur its more than 132 years of tradition to offer to locals and internationals the most traditional Christmas celebration season ever. The restaurant provides the perfect ambiance for a cup of coffee or an aperitif, High Tea or a sumptuous dinner, the ultra chic hotel is without any doubt the place to be and to be seeing during the holidays.

       

On the picture, H.E. Willys Delvalle, Ambassador of Panama to the Netherlands. By Roy Lie A Tjam. The Hague, 3o November 2017. On the heels of Panama’s 114th Independence Day reception, an enlightening art presentation Vù Cumráp – The Banana Republic by the Panamanian artist Aristides Ureña Ramos opened at Humanity House. The expo is an integral part of the 114^th celebrations of Panama’s Independence. It was an initiative promoted by the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Panama, in line with government policy of what is called Cultural Diplomacy. In his welcome address, His Excellency Ambassador Willys Delvalle indicated, November is a month of numerous ( cultural) celebrations. We have much to celebrate in Panama. Remember Panama is the Grand Connection. Furthermore, Panama is going to participate in the world championship football games of 2018 in Russia. Starring, Panamanian master artist Mr. Aristides Ureña Ramos, who is touring in Europe along with the Dutch-Panamanian artist Antonio Jose Guzman. Aristides Ureña Ramos is a graduate of the San Marco Accademia Delle Belle Art, Florence Italy. Ureña also studied cinematography, lithography and engraving. The Dutch-Panamanian artist Antonio Jose Guzman is a lecturer at ArtEZ University of the Arts, Arnhem (NL) Curator Latin America: The Paleis voor Schone Kunsten, Brussels (BE) – Temporarily. What is more, Guzman has been lecturing at renowned institutions such as the New School New York; the Museum voor Moderne Kunst Arnhem; the DAI Artez Master School program, Tent Rotterdam; the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam, Det Jyske Kunstakademi, Aarhus, Denmark; and besides his individual art practices, Guzman is the founder and Creative Director of The State of L3 Contemporary Arts & Film Collective The objective of Aristides Ureña Ramos visual artwork presentation, Vù Cumráp is to draw the attention of the international public to the plight of the thousands of migrants from Senegal and other African countries who are flocking Italy and Europe. Vù Cumráp is an accepted terminology in the Italian language. Senegalese street merchants, use it to do business. Passersby are invited to purchase their wares. Ureña Ramos deals with the complex migratory flow subject by means of contemporary art. Vù Cumráp is a presentation animated by paintings, music and videos. A powerful eye-opener (irregular street vendors) It’s message cuts deep, producing indelible impressions as a result. Aristides Ureña Ramos is considered one of the few Latin American multidisciplinary artists that accompany each of his presentations with paintings music and video. His work ranks amongst the most representative and innovative of Latin America, as he has managed to build over time a network for pictorial cycle expressions. Since his return to Panama in 2013, his latest cycles of paintings are Creole Albrook, Creole Panama and RPP, Republica Popular de Panama. Some of his work is on permanent exhibition in galleries such as the Institute Italo-Latino-Americano in Rome, the “Wilfredo Lam” Museum (Cuba) and the Contemporary Art Museum of Panama. There are also several private collections. Aristides Ureña Ramos has great narrating skills, capable of capturing his audience attention. It has been an enormous pleasure watching his live performance.              

On the picture H.E. David Dondua, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia ; Clingendael senior visiting fellow, Mr. Jan Marinus Wiersma; H.E.Konstantine Surguladze, Ambassador of Georgia to the Netherlands and Mr. Levan Khrokheli, Counsellor, Embassy of Georgia in The Hague at Clingendael.

 

By Roy Lie A Tjam.

The Hague, 28th November 2017, Ambassador of the Republic of Georgia in the Netherlands, H.E. Konstantine Surguladze along with the President of the Coalition for Defense Mr Ton Welter, organized a conference with the theme  “The wider Black Sea region in the context of Euro-Atlantic security – the view from Georgia” The venue of the conference was the Chancellery of Georgia in The Hague.The conference  focus was on addressing all internal and external threats that are facing Europe .

The keynote speaker at the conference was the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia H.E. David Dondua. Mr.Dondua elaborated on the situation of the Black Sea Region. The Region is of strategic importance for Europe, it is part of the Euro-Atlantic security zone.

Moscou’s  Aggression against Georgia & Ukraine compels leaders in the Black Sea Region to defend it. 20% of Georgia is occupied by Moscou. Hence, Georgia is forging close contact with Turkey, Azerbaijan and is drawing closer to NATO.

Due to an educational program, 82% of the population supports Georgia’s NATO and EU agenda. During recent talks, the significance of the establishment of a trilateral Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey format was pointed out. A secured Black Sea Region is imperative!

Another speaker at the conference was Lt. Colonel (ret)Victor Remouchamps. He pointed out that Georgia is a potential NATO partner. He further related that Georgia is a valuable pillar in that part of Europe. Remouchamps express concern about the menace posed by Muslim extremists in the country.

A question and answer session followed the discourses. The Ambassador of Lithuania demonstrated his support for Georgia’s quest to attain Euro-Atlantic integration. The Ambassador subsequently touched on a European military presence on Lithuanian soil.

A well-attended conference,  several of Ambassador Konstantin Surguladze colleagues, diplomats, government representatives and friends, honored his invitation with their presence.

Yes, by all means, the conference gave a comprehensive overview of Georgia’s current security situation as well as the security threats facing Europe.

Minister David Dondua also visited the Clingendael Institute in The Hague.

  Pictures by the Embassy of Georgia in The Hague.

Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute elects a new President and six judges In his opening remarks, the President of the Assembly, H. E. Mr. Sidiki Kaba (Senegal), called on all States to work towards the universal ratification of the Rome Statute and the integration of its norms into national legal systems. He underscored the link between State cooperation and the Court’s effectiveness, credibility and independence. President Kaba concluded by saying that if a recession of mass crimes results in progressive inactivity at the Court, “We would then have announced the dawn of a new hope for humanity.” The United Nations Secretary-General, H. E. Mr. António Guterres, delivered a keynote speech in which he observed that “the adoption of the Rome Statute was a hopeful, historic moment near the end of a century marked by atrocities and unspeakable inhumanity. Yet serious violations of international law continue, and vast accountability gaps persist. Our abiding challenge is to realize the full potential of the International Criminal Court to end impunity and build a just and more peaceful world.” The Chair of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims, Mr. Motoo Noguchi, noted the significance of the first reparations to victims ordered by the Court and implemented by the Trust Fund for Victims. The President and the Prosecutor of the Court also delivered statements. Further information is available in the press release of the Court that can be found at its website. The Assembly elected Judge O-Gon Kwon (Republic of Korea) as President for a three year mandate that starts on 15 December 2017. The Assembly elected further, for the same period, the following other members of the Bureau: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, France, Gambia, Ghana, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the State of Palestine, and Uganda. The Assembly deferred the election of the two Vice-Presidents. The Assembly elected further six judges for a term of nine years: – Aitala, Rosario Salvatore Group of Western European and Other States (Italy), list A, male – Akane, Tomoko Group of Asia-Pacific States (Japan), list A, female – Alapini-Gansou, Reine Adelaide Sophie Group of African States (Benin), list B, female – Bossa, Solomy Balungi Group of African States (Uganda), list A, female – Ibáñez Carranza, Luz del Carmen Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (Peru), list A, female – ProsT, Kimberly Group of Western European and Other States (Canada), list A, female List A judges have established competence in criminal law, while List B judges have competence in relevant areas of international law, such as international humanitarian law as well as human rights law. The Assembly also elected six members of the Committee on Budget and Finance for a three-year mandate. The Assembly will also, inter alia, consider proposals to amend the Rome Statute, discuss the activation of the Court’s jurisdiction over the crime of aggression, as well as consider the 2018 budget of the Court.  

H.E. David Dondua, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. The visit of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, H.E. David Dondua to the Kingdom of the Netherlands On November 28-29, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, H.E. David Dondua visited Netherlands. In the framework of the visit, David Dondua met with the deputy Director of Political Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Mr. Pieter Jan Kleiweg de Zwaan.

During the meeting, the sides discussed ongoing and future cooperation between the Netherlands and Georgia, actual issues related to Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration, the NATO-Georgia cooperation dynamics, the possibility of the meeting between Foreign Affairs Ministers in the framework of Nato-Georgia Commission and the agenda of the 2018 NATO Summit. The Georgian side provided the updated information on the recent illegal developments in Georgia’s occupied territories. The discussion also touched upon Russian policy towards the occupation and ethnic cleaning. Mr David Dondua also met with the Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representative of the States General, Ms. Pia Dijkstra and representatives of the committee. The sides discussed Georgian-Russian conflict, grave security situation and violation of human rights in occupied regions. Special attention was paid to the Russia’s policy towards the occupation and continuous discrimination of ethnic Georgians in the occupied territories. Parties also discussed the issues related to installation of barbed wire fences and artificial barriers along the occupation line. Special attention was paid to the need of active involvement of the international society and its role to create an opportunity for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Sides also discussed issues related to NATO-Georgia cooperation. On November 28, Embassy of Georgia and the “Coalition for Defence” at the Embassy of Georgia organized a public conference “The wider Black Sea region in the context of Euro-Atlantic security – the view from Georgia“. The Keynote speakers were the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia H.E. David Dondua and Lt .Colonel (ret) Victor Remouchamps. The conference was attended by the representatives from the Netherlands government, diplomatic missions accredited to The Hague, International and local Organizations and Media representatives. On November 29, Embassy of Georgia and the Clingendael Institute organized a round table, where the Deputy Minister had the opportunity to update Dutch researchers and think-tanks on Georgia and the challenges in the region. Clingendael senior visiting fellow Mr. Jan Marinus Wiersma moderated the event and Q&A session. —————- Pictures by the Embassy of Georgia in The Hague.