On the picture Ambassador Elena Basile and EP Parliament Antonio Tajani.
Wednesday, 31 May 2017, Residence of the Italian Embassy to the Kingdom of Belgium: HE Ambassador Elena Basile hosted a very well-attended reception to celebrate Italy’s Republic Day, which commemorates the institutional referendum held on 2 June 1946 which resulted in the establishment of today’s Italian Republic.
Ambassador Basile, who presented her credentials to the VII King of the Belgians on 16 May 2017, is the first woman Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium. Italy and Belgium hold excellent bilateral relations, also due to the common historical ties between the Belgian Royal House and the House of Savoy (Savoia). King Philippus’ mother is the Italian-born mother, Queen Paola (née Princess Ruffo di Calabria). Italy’s last Queen, Marie José, was a sister of then King Leopold III of the Belgians.
Swedish Ambassador Annika Hahn-Englund.
Many representatives of the political, diplomatic and entrepreneurial world attended the Festa della Reppublica in Brussels, among which the President of the Belgian Constitutional Court, Étienne De Groot as well as the Secretary General of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dirk Achten. Guest of honour was President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, who addressed the audience. During her opening remarks Ambassador Basile also highlighted the merits of Milan to become the next seat for the European Medicines Agency (EMA) after it leaves London, and thanked the various Italian enterprises working in Belgium who sponsored the reception.
To conclude the most formal part of the National Day, the Italian anthem was sung by lyrical singer Chiara Giamboi.
H.E. Gladys Marithza Ruíz de Vielman is a Guatemalan lawyer, politician and career diplomat. After spending most of her life working for a contentious case between Guatemala and Belize, first as a Member of the Belize Council and Belize Commission and then as Coordinator of the National Litigation, H.E. Ruiz de Vielman currently serves as Co-agent representing the State of Guatemala before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
H.E Ruiz de Vielman was born and raised in Guatemala, afterwards she moved several times to study abroad; first to The United States of America and subsequently to Brazil and France, developing a good command of the English, French and Portuguese language, in addition to her Spanish mother tongue.
After completed her university studies in Law, she built her own law firm to provide legal services to the Guatemalan government and the private sector and, some years later, she decided to come back to her Alma mater as a law lecturer. During this time, she also imparted various seminars in Guatemala and abroad. Furthermore, H.E. Ruiz de Vielman also carried out several socio-economic development projects in Guatemala in cooperation with distinguished organizations such as the World Bank among others.
Her diplomatic career started in 1986 with ministerial and presidential level meetings. Later on, she was designated as the Guatemala Permanent Representative to the International Coffee Organization, International Sugar Organization and International Maritime Organization. In addition, she negotiated a number of trade disputes before the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GAAT) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), mainly focused on Guatemalan bananas’ access to the European Union market. Her Excellency Ambassador Ruiz de Vieltman, also represented Guatemala in several regional and multilateral organizations, including well known Organizations based in the United Kingdom, Switzerland and other related to the United Nations.
Ambassador Ruíz de Vielman has held various relevant positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala. Among others, she served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1994-1995. She was appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Guatemala to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland (2000-2003), to the United States of America (2016-2017) and finally was deployed to serve as Ambassador of Guatemala to the Kingdom of The Netherlands.
Developing Guatemala with Passion and Determination
A career diplomat, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and experienced lawyer who has acted as legal advisor of her country and other Latin American countries in a number of trade disputes before the World Trade Organization is now the Ambassador of Guatemala to the Netherlands, H.E. Ms. Marithza Ruiz de Vielman.
“The Netherlands is the gateway to Europe. Our products are shipped to the Netherlands to be distributed in this country and throughout Europe. Guatemala produces high quality fresh fruits and vegetables, and we would like to take advantage of new technologies that are available in the Netherlands to expand commercial relations with Dutch companies in other areas.”
Ambassador Ruiz de Vielman feels the decision taken some time ago by the Dutch government to close down their Embassy in her country “fails to promote the conditions required to meet the challenges that Guatemala faces after signing the peace accords in December of 1996 to put an end to an internal armed conflict that lasted over 36 years. Re-opening the embassy in Guatemala would send a positive message, and show that the Kingdom of the Netherlands is willing to walk with us the road to development and prosperity.”
H.E. Ms. Marithza Ruiz de Vielman, Ambassador of Guatemala
Guatemala is a multiethnic, multicultural, multilingual society “whose people take great pride in their Maya heritage, acknowledged as great mathematicians and astrologers, who built important urban centers in northern Guatemala.” said Ambassador Ruiz de Vielman.
The ambassador of Guatemala to the Netherlands is also accredited before the International Court of Justice, and as she declared during this interview, “the case that Guatemala may bring against Belize before the ICJ regarding her country’s territorial, insular and maritime rights is a professional challenge and a personal privilege for someone who like herself has been working on the issue for most of her professional life. Because efforts to find an amicable solution to the dispute failed, Belize and Guatemala signed a special agreement to submit Guatemala’s claims to the ICJ. They further agreed that separate referenda, i.e. consultation or popular vote, must be convened in both countries prior to submitting the case to the ICJ. Guatemala held a referendum on April 15th, and 96% of the votes cast approved the decision to submit the case to the ICJ. For its part, Belize announced that its own referendum will be held on the 10th of April 2019.”
Ambassador Ruiz de Vielman added a final thought on the Belize issue saying she would like to be remembered in her country for her commitment and dedication to the case during more than two decades, particularly during her tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala
In closing, she explained the broad and complex agenda she is pursuing to strengthen the ties between Guatemala and the Netherlands, such as water management projects, protection of the environment, gender rights, the rights of women and children, promoting non-violence, and most of all, ensuring market access and investment opportunities for Dutch and Guatemalan entities
To have H.E. Marithza Ruiz de Vielman posted here just confirms the famous phrase: “We send our best to The Hague.”
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Hotel Des Indes.
The interview with H.E. Marithza Ruiz de Vielman, has been held at Hotel del Indes an emblematic historic hotel in The Hague, symbol of Dutch beauty, tradition and class, charm and character, elegance and grandeur with more than 132 years of credentials: www.hoteldesindes.nl
By Roy Lie A Tjam.
The second biking spree for diplomats in the Netherlands was held on Saturday, 10 June 2017.
The group of participants in the 10 Km route was made up of cyclists of all ages, first-time riders as well as veteran riders. Participating Ambassadors and diplomats were from: Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Ecuador, Estonia, ICC, OPCW, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Poland, South-African and the USA.
For additional Kim Vermaat’s pictures, please open the link below:https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157682994523200The Ambassador of Kazakhstan, H.E. Magzhan Ilyassov with two sons, Fatima Yerman and her son Ansgar also from Kazakhstan.
The objectives of the ride were to promote inclusion and to provide an opportunity for networking, all while having fun and exploring The Hague’s historical and to touristic environment.
Mr Sherman R. McGrew, guided the group all around The Hague.
The tour departed from Carlton Ambassador Hotel, traveled in the direction of the International Zone, and returned via Haagse Bos to end in the city center. Along the way, stops were made at interesting sights.
Following the bike ride, all participants were invited for lunch at a renowned cafe in the center of The Hague.
Group picture with H.E. Fernando Bucheli, Ambassador of Ecuador.
Diplomat magazine appreciates the participation of all those who have contributed to yet another successful cycling event.
Ms Thibule Muzenda, 3rd Secretary and Mr Nzaliseko Sifuba from South African Embassy, Mr. Raphael Mutinda, Counsellor in charge of Consular & Immigration at the Embassy of Kenya, Ms Kim Reid, Program Office at the Embassy of Canada and Ms Gcobisa Makapela also from South African Embassy.
On the picture H.E. Alexander Shulgin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and spouse Natalia Shulgina.
On Friday, June 9, Russia celebrated the country’s National Day on the premises of the Russian Embassy with her many friends in the community. Diplomats, Dutch politicians, academics, artists, business people, Russians expatriates living in the Netherlands and many other distinguished guests from former Soviet Union countries were in attendance.
Guests formed a long line from the street corner to the embassy’s entrance. Every salon, the embassy’s beautiful gardens and a few temporary pavilions, which had been added to the main building, were all filled to capacity with the hundreds of invited guests joining Russia with the celebration.
H.E. Alexander Shulgin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, dressed in his gala uniform and his spouse; Natalia Shulgina, dressed in an elegant black dress and Mr Boris Zhilko, Minister Counsellor, also in a diplomatic uniform, formed a receiving line with all Russian diplomats at the embassy to extend a personal welcome to all invitees.
The Ambassador took the opportunity to speak personally with many of his guests. Others gradually drifted inside to join their peers and everyone was invited to sample a wide selection of vodka, brandy, wine and other beverages during the massive reception.
In his address, to the large crowd who had gathered for his speech, the Ambassador called attention to the fact that 2017 is a special year for Russia with respect to her long standing relations with the Netherlands, and noted, “In 2017 we celebrate a remarkable date: 300 years ago Tsar Peter the Great visited the Netherlands for the second time.”
He added further that, “besides pursuing his interest in science, technology, medicine, and mathematics, Peter expressed strong interest in the art and culture of the Netherlands. He was the one who gave a tremendous boost to the cooperation between our two countries and it was under his reign that Russia established its Embassy in the Netherlands.”
H.E. Ankie Broekels-Knol, President of the Senate.
He continued his remarks by announcing, in a remarkable resemblance with the Dutch spirit, “this year, Russia has declared 2017 as the “Year of Ecology” in the country, in an effort to attract public attention to the existing problems in this sphere, to maintain ecological diversity and to improve ecological security of our country.’
In recognition of the “Year of Ecology,” children of the embassy’s staff planted a small fruit garden on the embassy’s grounds to further develop a new tradition which was established by Ambassador Shulgin last year during the tree planting ceremony in recognition of Russian-Dutch friendship during the National Day.
The Ambassador of Russia, H.E. Alexander Shulgin.
Ambassador Shulgin concluded his speech with another, exciting, announcement, “for the first time in history, the Russians will enjoy two major football events to be held in Russia–the Confederation Cup 2017 and the FIFA World сup 2018.”
He continued, ‘This will be the first World Cup ever organised in Eastern Europe. The final tournament will involve 32 national teams and a total of 64 matches will be played in 12 venues located in 11 cities.” The Ambassador warmly extended invitations to all present to visit Russia in the near future and concluded his speech by cordially stating, “I would like to invite you all join the football fest.”
H.E. Soraya Alvarez Nunez, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba, Judge Walid Akoum, from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Mr Edward Slootweg Head of Information Office , European Parliament and H.E. Vestine Nahimana, Ambassador of the Republic of Burundi.
He also expressed his gratitude to several companies who assisted the Embassy with sponsoring the event. The Ambassador said, ‘I would like to express our gratitude to the companies “Ebben”, “Fachjan”, “ArtAqua”, “PrimaLabel” and “Peony Shop Holland” and as special appreciation I express thanks to Ludmila and Jan Groenendijk, whose family and business vividly illustrate that a Russian-Dutch bond increases creativity, brings about a lot of positive energy and changes the world for the better.”
Ms Abir Ali, Chargé d’affaires, Embassy of Lebanon.
Following the Ambassador’s speech and other Russia Day formalities, the celebration continued in a festive spirit with musicians and singers and a magnificent buffet served along the several salons and pavilions.
H.E. Saywan Barzani, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq together with Defence Attachés from the Embassy of Japan.
Music played, animated conversations continued, vodka flowed and guests enjoyed a wonderful program well into the night. Congratulations to the Russian team for organizing such a memorable National Day in The Hague!
On the picture Italian Ambassador to Belgium, HE Elena Basile.By Henri Estramant.Republic of Italy to the Kingdom of Belgium: HE Ambassador Elena Basile is Italy’s first female ambassador to Belgium. Previous to this appointment, she was head of mission in Sweden. Ms Basile presented credentials to HM The King of the Belgians on 16 May 2017. The latter’s mother Queen Paola is of Italian extraction. http://www.ambbruxelles.esteri.it/ambasciata_bruxelles/it/HE Ambassador Hajime Hayashi presenting credentials to The King of the Belgians.Japan to the Kingdom of Belgium: HE Ambassador Hajime Hayashi presented credentials on 16 May 2017. Previous to this diplomatic post, Ambassador Hayashi was Director General of the Nipponese Foreign Ministry.
http://www.be.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.htmlHE Ambassador Lembit Uibo with King Philippus of Belgium.Republic of Estonia to the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg: HE Ambassador Lembit Uibo presented credentials as head of mission to Belgium on Tuesday, 16 May 2017. He is already Deputy Permanent Representative at the Representation of Estonia to the EU as well as Permanent Representative to the Political and Security Committee (PSC).
http://www.estemb.be/embassy/ambassadorHM King Philippus, VII King of the Belgians and Ambassador Manasvi Srisodapol.Kingdom of Thailand to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the EU: HE Ambassador Manasvi Srisodapol was previously Ambassador to Poland.
http://www2.thaiembassy.be/h-e-mr-manasvi-srisodapol-ambassador-of-thailand-presents-letter-of-credence-to-hm-king-philippe-of-the-belgians/HE Ambassador Zacharie Richard Akplogan and The King of the Belgians.Republic of Benin to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the EU, the ACP Group of States and the OPCW: HE Ambassador Zacharie Richard Akplogan is in Brussels for his first ambassadorship. Previously he held the post of chargé d’affaires en pied at Benin’s embassy to Denmark co-accredited to all Nordic states as well as the three Baltic republics. http://www.ambassadebenin.be
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All pictures by the Royal Palace Brussels/The Belgian Monarchy
Pamela Angwech, Founder & Executive Director of Gulu Women’s Economic Development &Globalization (GWED-G) receives the 2017 EU Human Rights Defender Award in Uganda on 25 May 2017.On 25 May 2017, on behalf of the Delegation of the European Union, the EU Member States and Norway represented in Uganda, H.E. Henk Jan Bakker, the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Uganda, announced Pamela Angwech, Founder & Executive Director of Gulu Women’s Economic Development &Globalization (GWED-G) to be the winner of the 2017 EU Human Rights Defenders Award.Ms. Angwech is Founder and Executive Director of GWED-G, the region’s largest grassroots human rights organization, focusing on women and youth. Since its founding in 2004, GWED-G aims to strengthen the capacity of grassroots communities in northern Uganda to become self-reliant agents of change for peace and development through training and education so that they can make effective decisions concerning their rights, health, and development. GWED-G has programme in health, human rights, peace building, economic empowerment and livelihoods, psychosocial support and counselling, research and advocacy.“This is great news and congratulations to Pamela and GWED-G for winning the award. A very well-deserved recognition of Pamela’s tireless advocacy and effective leadership in support of victim survivors and to ensure that women and girls have equal rights”, said Pieter de Baan, Executive Director of the Trust Fund for Victims. He adds, “The Trust Fund for Victims is honoured and proud to have a partnership with GWED-G over the years, as one of our implementing organisations in Uganda.”Since 2008, the TFV had indirectly partnered with GWED-G through another organisation, and in 2015, the TFV started a new partnership with GWED-G to implement a project under the assistance mandate in northern Uganda. Under this project, GWED-G provides medical referral (physical rehabilitation), and psychological support to reduce trauma and restore hope of victim survivors of war, and to raise awareness of community members on preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).In winning the prestigious award, Ms Angwech is recognised for:
Her leadership role to promote the rights of war-affected women and girls who are suffering as a result of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) war in northern Uganda. She is at the forefront of advancing women’s and girl’s rights and gender equality in the district of Gulu, Nwoya and Amuru through empowering grassroots groups.
Her relentless commitment to support over 400 women’s groups to ensure women and girls have equal rights to resources and livelihoods and are given a political voice and her extensive experience with community-based human rights policy and post-conflict development.
Her strong and sharp voice on zero tolerance to sexual and gender-based violence following up on cases within the judiciary system. She has been working on this over the past few years and has cumulatively responded to 670 gender-based violence cases- most of them with positive results for the victims.
Her visibility and audacity to speak on behalf of the voiceless in various human rights platforms at local and national level, including the International Conference for Great Lakes Region, the UN1325SCR Coalition platform, the regional GBV and District Working Groups on Gender and VAWG, UWONET, CEWIGO and HURINET.
The sixth annual European Union Human Rights Defenders Award (EU HRD) granted by the EU and its member states in Uganda, to recognise the achievements of individuals who act to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. These include civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights. An individual eligible for the EU HRD Award is nominated by another individual or organization. Human Rights organizations active in Uganda were invited to nominate candidates for the award. Candidates were assessed by a jury composed of human rights experts of different European Embassies and the EU Heads of Mission.
President Emannuel Macron carried out his promise to appoint the same number of women as men, albeit merely one woman was given a senior role.
Macron I cabinet
Edouard Philippe, Prime Minister. Like the president, he graduated from the elitist Ena college for France’s top civil servants. In 2002 he was actively involved in setting up the centre-right, Les Républicains, party led by Bordeaux Mayor Alain Juppé.
Bruno Le Maire, Economy Minister: A right-winger, aged 48, he was part of Nicolas Sarkozy’s government and is said to have coveted the economy role for several years.
Gérard Darmanin, Public Accounts Minister. Right-wing politician.
François Bayrou, Justice Minister: At 66, this centrist is no stranger to government, having served twice as education minister several years ago.
Gérard Collomb, Interior Minister: An early adopter of the new president, aged 69, Minister Collomb was part of the Socialist party for decades. He was seen as instrumental in bringing François Bayrou into the campaign.
Jean-Yves Le Drian, Foreign and Europe Minister: Aged 69, he served President François Hollande with fidelity as Defence Minister and is one of only two survivors of the outgoing government.
Nicolas Hulot, Ecology Minister: An environmentalist opposed to nuclear energy, he was heavily involved in the COP21 climate change conference in Paris.
Sylvie Goulard, Defence Minister: At 52, she is a europarlamentarian, and has been part of Mr Macron’s foreign affairs team for several months.
Agnès Buzyn, Health Minister: A well-known health professional, she has headed the haematology department at the Necker children’s hospital in Paris as well as France’s national cancer institute.
Sophie Cluzel, Disabilities minister. Her four children include a daughter with Down’s Syndrome.
Laura Flessel, Sports Minister: Aged 45, she is a double Olympic fencing champion widely known in French sport. With an eye to the Paris bid to hold the 2024 Olympics.
Françoise Nyssen, Culture Minister: Born in Etterbeek, Belgium. She worked for the Belgian government for several years in urban planning before moving into publishing in France.
Murielle Pénicaud, Labour Minister: No stranger to the labour ministry, where she worked in the early 1990s, Ms Pénicaud, 61, has been head of the Business France agency with the aim of attracting foreign investment.
Richard Ferrand, Minister for Territorial Cohesion: Aged 54, he is also secretary general of Mr Macron’s fledgling La République en Marche (Republic on the Move) party.
Mounir Mahjoubi, Minister for Digital Affairs: He ran the digital side of Mr Macron’s presidential campaign but now has a high-profile post in government. President Macron has placed the digital economy as a high priority.
Ambassador Philippe Étienne, Chief diplomatic adviser, 61, currently ambassador to Germany, who will have to pursue the president’s agenda of reforming the EU.
Patrice Strzoda: 64, in charge of the president’s office and a highly experienced civil servant, who acted briefly as chief of staff for the outgoing prime minister.
Sibeth Ndiaye: Born in Senegal, 37, and a mother of three, she ran the press relations side of his presidential campaign and now has the task of doing the same for his presidency. She only became a naturalised French citizen last year and played a starring role in a behind-the-scenes TV documentary on the Macron campaign.
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For further information:
French Presidency: http://www.elysee.fr/toutes-les-actualites/
Président Meron présente au Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU le rapport sur l’avancement des travaux
Arusha, La Haye, 7 juin 2017 – le Président du Mécanisme pour les Tribunaux pénaux internationaux (le « Mécanisme »), le Juge Theodor Meron, a pris la parole devant le Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU pour présenter le dernier rapport semestriel sur l’avancement des travaux du Mécanisme.
Dans son allocution, le Président Theodor Meron a souligné que le Mécanisme « continuait de faire d’excellents progrès dans la gestion de ses travaux judiciaires et a sans cesse vu sa charge de travail augmenter ». À cet égard, le Président a signalé que le Mécanisme avait rendu 146 décisions et ordonnances au cours des cinq premiers mois de l’année 2017. Un certain nombre de décisions ont été rendues au cours de la période considérée dans l’affaire Stanišić et Simatović, le premier procès devant le Mécanisme qui devrait s’ouvrir le 13 juin 2017. Le Président a également fait savoir que la phase de dépôt des mémoires dans les affaires en appel concernant Radovan Karadžić et Vojislav Šešelj s’était achevée et que la préparation des audiences d’appel avançait à grands pas. Le Président Theodor Meron a en outre souligné qu’une part importante de l’activité judiciaire du Mécanisme portait sur un vaste éventail de questions autres que les grands procès, notamment des allégations d’outrage, des demandes en révision de jugements et des demandes de mise en liberté provisoire.
Par ailleurs, les juges du Mécanisme répondent régulièrement à des requêtes présentées par des autorités nationales aux fins de modification de mesures de protection et à des demandes d’autorisation de consulter des informations ou documents confidentiels. À cet égard, le Président a signalé que, sur les 366 décisions et ordonnances rendues entre la mi-mai 2016 et la mi-mai de cette année, 164 — soit environ 45 % — concernaient des demandes de modification de mesures de protection ou des demandes d’autorisation de consulter des informations confidentielles. L’examen de ces questions est le plus souvent confié à des juges uniques qui travaillent à distance.
Le Président Theodor Meron a rappelé que la procédure au fond dans l’affaire Ngirabatware restait au point mort en raison du maintien en détention par les autorités turques du Juge Aydin Sefa Akay, malgré le fait que les Nations Unies aient confirmé l’immunité diplomatique du Juge Akay en octobre 2016. Il a souligné que la situation compromettait l’intégrité du modèle de travail à distance des juges envisagé par le Conseil de sécurité, et, plus grave encore, portait atteinte au principe d’indépendance judiciaire. Attirant l’attention du Conseil de sécurité sur le refus de la Turquie d’exécuter l’ordonnance rendue par le Mécanisme l’enjoignant de mettre un terme aux poursuites engagées contre le Juge Akay et de le libérer, le Président a invité le Conseil de sécurité « à prendre les mesures nécessaires pour que cette situation inédite trouve un dénouement approprié ».
Le Président Theodor Meron a également informé le Conseil de sécurité que le Mécanisme avait récemment conclu un accord avec le Gouvernement du Bénin sur une version révisée de l’accord relatif à l’exécution des peines. De plus, il a fait savoir que le Mécanisme et le Gouvernement du Sénégal mettaient actuellement en œuvre le dernier volet de la décision de principe par le Sénégal d’accueillir huit prisonniers dans des cellules qu’il a mises aux normes conjointement avec les Nations Unies.
Pour conclure, le Président Theodor Meron a invité les membres du Conseil de sécurité à ne pas laisser les défis dans le domaine des relations internationales menacer les progrès importants que les Nations Unies et le Conseil de sécurité ont réalisés en renforçant le principe de la primauté du droit et en combattant l’impunité conformément au droit international.
On the picture H.E. Ambassador Mr. Och Od and spouse Mrs. Tsolmon Jadamba.
By His Excellency Mr. Od Och, Ambassador of Mongolia.
I feel myself privileged to address the audience of your esteemed magazine-the very first diplomatic magazine in the Netherland’s history, launched “By diplomats for diplomats”. It is honour for me to convey the heartfelt greetings of the Mongolian people to the great people of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. I had a chance to present my Letters of Credence to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands who graced me with this opportunity. The Mongolians feel special respect to the Dutch people for their great achievements.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is one of our important partners. This year marks the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our two countries.
We appreciate enormously the invaluable development assistance provided by the Government of the Netherlands. We are grateful for the reintroduction of Przewalski horses – Mongolian wild horses, which were in danger of total extinction not only in Mongolia but also in the world, to the Hustai National Park of Mongolia. It has become a flagship of our cooperation.
The Government of the Netherlands strongly supported Mongolia to become a member of the EBRD. Today, the Netherlands and Mongolia belong to the same constituency at the EBRD.
Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Crown Princess Maxima paid an official visit to Mongolia in 2006, at the invitation of the Government of Mongolia on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of Mongolian statehood.
The Netherlands is the second largest investor in Mongolia. We see all opportunities to complement each other. Agriculture and renewable energy are the most promising sectors of our cooperation.
The Netherlands is supporting economic development in Mongolia, which is eligible for a large number of programmes, conducted by the Netherland’s Enterprise Agency (RVO), the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI), the Netherlands Senior Experts programme (PUM) and the Netherlands Development Bank (FMO). Mongolia’s first ever wind farm was inaugurated in 2013 thanks to the partial investment of the FMO.
Mongolia has established the Partnership Cooperation Agreement with the EU. The Netherlands was the first EU member state who ratified the Agreement.
“Takhi” Mongolian wild horses, also known as Przewalski horses at the Hustai National Park of Mongolia, supported by the Government of the Netherlands.
Mongolia and the Netherlands enjoy close cooperation in the field of education, culture and tourism. A large number of Mongolian students studied in the Netherlands thanks to a grant awarded by the Netherlands Fellowship Programme. The University of Groningen is conducting the Chair for East Asian Studies with a focus on Mongolia. Clingendael diplomatic training has been one of the highlights of our relations, since it has notable contribution to the capacity building of Mongolia and preparing Europe oriented diplomats since 1994. I was myself the first Mongolian diplomat to study in this Alma Mater.
Recent years, the number of Dutch tourists travelling to Mongolia is increasing significantly as Mongolia is a unique and relatively unexplored travel destination that offers a great combination of beautiful natural features, a wide variety of untouched landscapes, nomadic way of life and culture.
Salkhit wind farm in Mongolia.
In 2006, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Crown Princess Maxima paid an official visit to Mongolia at the invitation of the Government of Mongolia on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of Mongolian statehood.
In 2016, His Excellency Mr. Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands visited Mongolia to participate in the 11th ASEM Summit in Ulaanbaatar. His Excellency Mr.Gerrit Zalm, former Finance Minister of the Netherlands visited Mongolia in 1998 and 2002. From Mongolian side, official visits were paid to the Netherlands at the level of the President, Prime Minister and Minister of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry.
H.E. Prime Minister Mr. Mark Rutte with H.E. President of Mongolia Tsakhia Elbegdorj during the 11th ASEM summit in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in 2016.
Mongolia and the Netherlands enjoy the successful development of our bilateral cooperation on international arena. Both countries are working closely towards promoting peace and human rights all over the world.
I wish all success to the Kingdom of the Netherlands to its noble contribution to the world progress.
