European Union High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini. Pictured by EU.Strasbourg, 14 March 2017- The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European Commission have adopted a Joint Communication proposing a EU strategy for Syria.
As called for by President Jean-Claude Juncker in his State of the Union speech in September 2016, the Communication defines how the European Union can play a stronger role in contributing to a lasting political solution in Syria under the existing UN-agreed framework. It also looks at how the EU can continue its assistance to over 13 million people in need in Syria, help build resilience and stability in the country, and support post-agreement reconstruction and the voluntary, dignified and safe return of refugees and internally displaced persons once a credible political transition is underway.
The High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini said: “The Joint Communication adopted today strengthens not only our current engagement and support for a political solution to the war as the only way we can bring peace back to Syria, but also what the European Union could do in a post-agreement context in which reconstruction can start. And there is much the European Union is ready to do, together with the United Nations and the rest of the international community. The Syrians want peace, they deserve it, as they want and deserve to finally have the possibility to shape the future of their country. We are at their side to support the future of Syria.”
As outlined in the Joint Communication, the European Union’s engagement in Syria goes beyond the current state of play. It is defined by a longer term perspective in support of the EU’s strategic goals on Syria. A stable, strong and secure Syria will be rebuilt provided that a political settlement in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and the Geneva Communiqué is reached.
The Joint Communication comes at a crucial moment for Syria, as we mark the 6th year of the conflict and with the resumption of the UN-led talks in Geneva, supported by a ceasefire mechanism established as a result of the Astana talks. The Communication reiterates the European Union’s direct support for the UN process, notably through ongoing political dialogue with regional actors under the EU regional initiative on the future of Syria and ongoing work to strengthen both the Syrian political opposition and civil society organisations.
The European Union will continue to be the first and leading donor in the international response to one of the worst humanitarian crises since World War II. Since the outbreak of the conflict, the EU has mobilised over €9.4 billion, providing life-saving humanitarian assistance and resilience support to the Syrian people and neighbouring countries hosting Syrian refugees.
The Joint Communication presents the current political, security and humanitarian context in Syria and the state of play of the EU’s assistance in response to the Syria crisis. It contains an assessment of the risks and threats posed by the continuation of the war to the EU’s core interests, regional and global stability, as well as the definition of a set of clear objectives for the EU’s policy for Syria, which include:
Ending the war through a political transition process negotiated by the parties to the conflict with the support of the UN Special Envoy for Syria and key international and regional actors;
Promoting a meaningful and inclusive transition in Syria through support for the strengthening of the political opposition, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and the Geneva Communiqué;
Promoting democracy, human rights and the freedom of speech by strengthening Syrian civil society organisations;
Promoting a national reconciliation process based on peace-building efforts and countering violent extremism and sectarianism, including an approach to transitional justice that should include accountability for war crimes;
Saving lives by addressing the humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable Syrians in a timely, effective, efficient and principled manner;
Supporting the resilience of the Syrian population, as well as of the institutions and Syrian society.
As a next step, the Communication proposes clear lines of action to implement these objectives, in close coordination with regional partners and international organisations, and to continue the diplomatic work and post-agreement planning in order to ensure that international support is ready, coordinated and can be delivered effectively when the appropriate moment comes.
High Representative/Vice-President Mogherini will present the Joint Communication to EU Foreign Ministers at the Foreign Affairs Council on 3 April; it will also be presented to the European Parliament. The Communication will also serve as an important input for the Brussels Conference “Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region” on 5 April 2017 that the EU will co-chair with the UN, Germany, Kuwait, Norway, Qatar and the United Kingdom.
Ambassador Alison Rose (UK to Belgium) – Picture by British Embassy to Belgium
Monday, 13 Monday 2017: 52 countries around the world marked the 40th Commonwealth Day fêted every second Monday in March. HM Queen Elizabeth II as Head of the Commonwealth comprising around 2,4 billion citizens around the globe, as well as the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Office, The Rt Hon Baroness Patricia Scotland of Asthal issued statements marking the day.
In Belgium, Her Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador Alison Rose issued a message in both Dutch and French reading: “We zijn bewust van het werk van het Agentschap van het Gemenebest voor het onderhoud van oorlogsgraven. De Commonwealth War Graves Commission zorgt voor de graven waar soldaten uit het Gemenebest werden begraven, en helpt ons herinneren wat de tol voor onze vrede was.”“En Belgique on est reconnaissant du travail de la Commission Commonwealth War Graves, qui s’occupe des tombes des soldats qui avaient perdu leurs vies pendant 2 guerres mondiales et nous aide à rappeler le coût de la paix”.For further information:
The Commonwealth: http://thecommonwealth.org/commonwealthday
British Embassy to the Kingdom of Belgium (HE Ambassador Alison Rose):
https://www.gov.uk/government/world/organisations/british-embassy-Brussels
The Hague, 13 March 2017- ICTY and MICT Prosecutor Serge Brammertz will visit Zagreb on 13 and 14 March 2017, as part of preparations for his regular biyearly report to the UN Security Council (UNSC). The Prosecutor will meet with Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Davor Ivo Stier, Minister of Justice Ante Šprlje and State Attorney General Dinko Cvitan to discuss cooperation with the ICTY and MICT, prosecutions of war crimes by the Croatian judiciary including Category II cases, and regional cooperation in war crimes justice in the Western Balkans.
Pursuant to UNSC Resolutions 1503 (from 2003) and 1534 (from 2004) the Prosecutor has a duty to report to the UNSC every six months about the current progress towards the implementation of the Tribunal’s Completion Strategy. The reports have been provided on a regular basis since May 2004. Pursuant to UNSC Resolution 1966 (from 2010) the Prosecutor of the Mechanism is required to submit a progress report to the UNSC every six months.
It is expected that Prosecutor Brammertz will present his next report to the UNSC in June.
On the picture the ambassador of Romania H.E. Brânduşa Predescu.By Sheila Turabaz.
On the 2nd of March, the Embassy of Romania organized a conference entitled “The Jews from Romania in the European Context: Similarities and Differences”, on the occasion of the closure of Romania’s Chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
The IHRA is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1998 with the objective of attracting support from political and social leaders for expanding and improvement of Holocaust education, remembrance and research.
The IHRA currently has 31 member countries and eleven observer countries and has an annually rotating chairmanship. A member country will be responsible for organizing activities in the sphere of Holocaust education and commemoration. Romania served as chairman of the organization from March 2016 to March 2017.
For additional Robert Huiberts’ pictures, please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157677984832823Carmen Ducaru, Deputy Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Brussels.
The event took place at the Glazen Zaal in The Hague, with the façade of the 18th century former Portuguese synagogue serving as a backdrop. The evening commenced with a word of welcome by H.E. Ms. Brânduşa Predescu, Ambassador of Romania to the Netherlands, Rabbi Marianne van Praag of the Liberal Jewish Community in The Hague and Ms. Carmen Ducaru, Deputy Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Brussels.
Ms. Van Praag mentioned that “The Liberal Jewish community is very much alive – 120,000 Jews were part of the community before the war and only 20,000 Jews after the war –, and have built a very small, but strong Jewish community”.
Ms. Van Praag expressed her gratitude to the ambassador for organizing the event and “for trying to give every one of the six million Jews (who died in the Holocaust) a face”. Ms. Predescu stated that “We again find ourselves today in times of turmoil, where anti-Semitism, hate and intolerance unfortunately persist, but let us not despair, because we must act, because we are able to act and we are able to prevent and reject these demons that are still plaguing us”.Professor Andrei Oisteanu from the Department for Jewish studies at the University of Bucharest, present his new book to H.E. Ms. Brânduşa Predescu, Ambassador of Romania to the Netherlands.
During the event, Professor Andrei Oisteanu from the University of Bucharest, Department for Jewish studies, launched his book “Inventing the Jew: Antisemitic Stereotypes in Romanian and Other Central-East European Cultures”, focusing on how stereotypes of Jews in these cultures have evolved throughout history.
Furthermore, the evening also marked the opening of the exhibition “Education and Remembrance of the Holocaust in Romania” created by Romania’s Chairmanship of the IHRA and the Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania. Marcela Obermeister-Shasha. mezzo-soprano.
Traditional Romanian and Jewish music was performed by mezzo-soprano Ms. Marcela Obermeister-Shasha.
On the 7th of March, Romania officially concluded the Chairmanship of the IHRA during a handover ceremony at the Embassy of Switzerland in Berlin. Switzerland will be the new Chairman of the IHRA until March 2018.
On the picture Ambassador Jasem bin Mohammed Al Budaiwi and President Donald Tusk.By Henri Estramant.State of Kuwait to the EU: HE Ambassador Jasem bin Mohamed Al Budaiwi, who was previously head of mission to the Republic of Korea (South Korea), presented credentials on Wednesday, 22 February 2017 before the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk. https://www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/EU/XXV/EU/12/17/EU_121787/imfname_10669339.pdfAmbassador Kim Hyoung-zhin and President TuskRepublic of Korea to the EU: HE Ambassador Kim Hyoung-zhin was accredited on 22 February 2017. Before his post in Brussels Ambassador Hyoung-zhin was Deputy Minister for Political Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea. http://bel.mofa.go.kr/english/eu/bel/main/index.jspDato’ Hasnudin bin Hamzah and President Donald Tusk.Federation of Malaysia to the EU: HE Ambassador Dato´ Hasnudin bin Hamzah was accredited on 22 February 2017 with President Donald Tusk of the European Council. From 2012 up to the summer of 2016 Dato´Hasnudin bin Hamzah served as Permanent Representative of Malaysia to ASEAN, at Jakarta, Indonesia.http://www.kln.gov.my/perwakilan/brussels/Ambassador Colin Connelly from Trinidad and Tobago and President Donald Tusk.Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to the EU: HE Ambassador Colin Connelly was accredited on 22 February 2017. Previously he held the rank of Counsellor and Chargé d’affaires at the Mission of Trinidad and Tobago to the USA.
9 March 2017, Brussels: Donald Tusk was re-appointed for a second term as president of the European Council (Consilium), one of the EU’s governing bodies, despite objections from the government of his own country, Poland, that had created an unprecedented confrontation in Brussels.
It was the first time such a decision was made without unanimity since the position was created in 2009.
The council sets the leaders’ agenda; President Tusk is expected to forge compromise amongst its fractious membership during a two-and-a-half-year term. President Tusk acknowledged the “unusual circumstances” created by the opposition of his own nation and offered the government in Warsaw an olive branch by pledging to work with all members “without any exceptions.”The meeting also was the first time the leaders gathered inside an orb-like structure at the heart of their new headquarters, called Europa. During the dinner the Balkans were top on the agenda as were possibilities of Russian aggression in Europe.
To encourage Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia to stick to paths of peace and reform, the leaders offered fresh assurances to they would eventually be able to join the European Union if they met the criteria for membership.
European leaders, with the exception of Poland, who blocked a formal endorsement by the European Council, reaffirmed their “unequivocal support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans” in a statement.
For further information: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/home/——-
Picture by EU/President Donald Tusk
Mr Serzh Sargsyan, President of Armenia and President Donald Tusk – Picture by EU.
Monday, 27 February 2017, Brussels: the European Union and the Republic of Armenia finalised a new agreement seeking to deepen political and economic ties between the two entities.
The new agreement comes more than a year after Armenia’s controversial accession to a Russian-led trade bloc. President Serzh Sarkisian unexpectedly signed an agreement back in September 2013 to make Armenia part of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), in a move that has been widely credited to strong Russian pressure.
The EU-Armenia agreement is likely to be signed in May 2017. Hitherto EU relations with Armenia are governed by the EU -Armenia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed in 1996, and which entered into force in 1999.
Information:
President of Armenia: http://www.president.am/hy/
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Photography by EU
The IHRA is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1998 with the objective of attracting support from political and social leaders for expanding and improvement of Holocaust education, remembrance and research.
The IHRA currently has 31 member countries and eleven observer countries and has an annually rotating chairmanship. A member country will be responsible for organizing activities in the sphere of Holocaust education and commemoration. Romania served as chairman of the organization from March 2016 to March 2017.
For additional Robert Huiberts’ pictures, please open the following link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157677984832823
