Dr. Saad A. Ibrahim Al Ali is about to sign off as Iraqi ambassador to the Netherlands. Looking back he is proud of the strengthening of the political and economic ties between Iraq and the Netherlands, thankful for the Dutch support to the process of democracy in Iraq, but above all, and considering his country’s recent history, proud to have been a chairman of the 18th conference of states parties of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).   By Dr. Saad A. Ibrahim Al Ali, ambassador of Iraq to the Netherlands   I would like to thank Diplomat Magazine for providing me with the opportunity to address its readers directly concerning the Iraqi/Dutch relationship, which has been developing for many years. I presented my credentials to HM Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands on the 23rd of June 2010, becoming the thirteenth Ambassador of The Republic of Iraq to the Netherlands. Since then, the relationship between the Netherlands and Iraq has witnessed remarkable developments in strengthening and maintaining good diplomatic, political, economic and military relations. When I arrived, less than fifteen Dutch companies were doing business in Iraq; today their number has increased to over 170. Shell in recent years closed billion dollar oil deals with Iraq. The Dutch Foreign Ministry strengthened its embassy staff in Baghdad with additional diplomats and opened a consulate in Erbil. Ministers of Foreign Affairs of both countries exchanged visits to each other. Since 2010, there has been an exchange of trade missions, led by civil servants or an ambassador, on oil and gas, water and agriculture. Iraq is showing a great deal of interest in economic sectors in which the Netherlands has expertise, for instance water, agriculture, construction, oil and gas. Dutch firms in the horticulture sector have signed contracts involving investments in, for instance, southern Iraq. On the other side, many delegations from Iraq visited the Netherlands; and a new delegation led by the Iraqi Minister of Agriculture will visit the Netherlands this year in early October. This all led to the signing and activation of agreements which, in some cases, had been waiting for years: The agreement for the establishment and operation of air services, which was originally signed in 1955 and finally activated in 2013, to stimulate civil air transportation between and via the Netherlands and Iraq. A gentlemen’s agreement has recently been reached between credit insurer Atradius Dutch Business on behalf of the Dutch government and Trade Bank of Iraq on behalf of the Iraqi government, for the protection of Dutch exporters to support Dutch companies in Iraq and provide them with coverage against risks. A memorandum of understanding between the Netherlands Court of Audit (NCA) and the Federal Bureau of Supreme Audit of Iraq (FBSA) was signed in the first half of 2013, to review the Performance Audit Function of the Federal Board of Supreme Audit of Iraq. A treaty was signed concerning the encouragement and reciprocal protection of investments, to intensify economic cooperation between both states. As was a Double Taxation Treaty which aims to eliminate the double taxation on its finalization stage. A treaty for the import of live animals is to be signed soon. While our countries strengthened its economic and political ties, safety unfortunately remained an issue. In 2003, the Netherlands participated in the international alliance which toppled the former dictatorial regime in Iraq, and supported the democratic political process. More recently, the Dutch government participated in the international coalition against DAESH (ISIS in English) and provided military support. By September 2014, the total value of Dutch humanitarian assistance provided to Iraq was eight million euros. I have a great deal of appreciation for all the Dutch support – both economically and militarily – to our democratic process. The Netherlands, along with other European countries, also opened its arms for Iraqi refugees. It created a new Iraqi community of 55,000 people in the Netherlands; a community which turned out to be successful in the Dutch society. Many Iraqi’s participate actively and enrich the Dutch fabric with their contributions. Iraq developed from being a country with weapons of mass destruction under supervision of the OPCW to being a member state of the OPCW. That is: from being part of the problem, to being part of the solution. Iraq ratified the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in December 2008 and became a member in February 2009. Iraq is now an active member of the Executive Council. I presented my credentials to the Director General of the Organization as the Permanent Representative of Iraq to the Organization on June 14, 2010. I felt very fortunate to represent my country with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, in 2013. We even went to Oslo because OPCW was granted the Nobel Peace Prize for its role in achieving peace and security. In 2013, Iraq chaired the 18th conference of the state parties and also chaired the committee of the whole of the third review conference. I was elected as deputy chair for the 19th session of the state party’s conference in 2014, representing the Asian Group for one year. I feel proud to be part of the success of the organization. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all my colleagues who, with their help and support, have made my job possible, especially those in the Dutch government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I must also not forget my colleagues in the OPCW, with whom I share the continued success of the organization.   Half a century of Dutch Iraqi relations Iraq attended its independence as a kingdom in 1932. A Republic was proclaimed in 1958. The first Iraqi diplomatic envoy to the Netherlands was appointed in 1957, coinciding with raising the level of diplomatic representation of the Dutch diplomatic mission and the appointment of a Dutch charge d’affaires in Iraq. In 1960, the diplomatic representation for both countries rose to the level of Embassy.  

Photography by the Mission of the PRC to the EU – Brussels.   By Ambassador Yang Yanyi, PRC Head of Mission to the EU. In commemoration of the 70^th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.   September 3 marks the 70^th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War seven decades ago was a life-and-death contest in human history of justice versus evil and brightness against darkness. In the wake of the war of aggression launched by German, Italian and Japanese fascist forces and its unprecedented havoc to human civilization, the Chinese people and other peace-loving forces in the world rose in united resistance and, after years of bloody battles, won eventually the great victory of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. That victory was a glorious epic in the cause of peace and justice and left us valuable inspiration of history. The very purpose that we commemorate the 70^th anniversary of the victory of the war is to bear in mind the history and open up the future. To do so, we must adhere to a correct outlook of history. The road to the future starts with lessons from the past. An important prerequisite to prevent the recurrence of the tragedy is for countries that committed the crime of aggression to repent thoroughly and profoundly and break with the history of brutal aggression. The international community, major countries with significant responsibility for world peace in particular, should take a clear-cut stand not tolerating the erroneous outlook of history. Over the past seventy years, amidst efforts by the international community to reflect on the root-cause of the war and explore ways to prevent war and bring about lasting peace, Germany has taken actions, in a correct historical perspective, to wash away the crime of war and prevent, by legislative means, the resurrection of the ghost of war. In sharp contrast, Japan has never thoroughly broken away with the past of aggression. Certain obstinate forces in the country even openly challenge human conscience by distorting and denying the history and attempting to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution. Unfortunately, they are connived to a certain degree by some in the world. The past, if not forgotten, serves as a guide for the future. How can regional and world peace sustain without rooting out the ghost of war? To bring about sustainable peace, the international community should unswervingly stick to a correct outlook on the history of the World War II and staunchly oppose any attempts to distort facts and turn back the wheel of history. To bear in mind the history and open up the future, we must stick to the path of peaceful development. The world we live in crackles with profound, complex as well as dynamic changes. In face of such changes, China pursues a policy of peace, development and cooperation. We adhere to the path of peaceful development, i.e., we strive for a peaceful international environment for our own development which, in turn, safeguards and promotes world peace and common development. However, whether or not China succeeds down the road of peaceful development and whether or not world peace and development sustains do not depend on China alone. It takes joint efforts by the entire international community. There is no denial that even as we live in the 21^st century, some people and some forces choose to stay in the old days of colonial expansion and in an outdated Cold War mentality. They interpret, willingly or non-willingly, the profound changes in the world today as a zero-sum game in the western theory on the rise and fall of powers. At the same time, hegemonism, power politics and neo-interventionism are still asserting themselves. All this, without doubt, poses a root for international tension and regional instability. History is the best textbook that blows cobwebs in the mind. Sustaining world peace requires all countries to follow the path of peaceful development as this is the wise choice that conforms to the trend of the times and the law of history. To bear in mind the history and open up the future, we must hold high the banner of international justice. History finds familiar faces. In the past, in an attempt to conquer China and Asia, Japanese militarists launched the war of aggression in defiance of international justice by fabricating shameless lies and tried to blur the lines and cover up their act of aggression under the disguise of the so-called Greater East Asia Co-prosperity. Today, some politicians and right-wing forces in Japan, resorting to the same old tricks, stand facts on their heads and shift the blame to others. They purposefully blur the nature of war between aggression and resistance and try to depict Japan the victimizer as a victim of the war. They fabricate the so-called China Threat, and flare up tension and confrontation, only to create an excuse to break Japan’s pacifist constitution, pass the security bills and lift bans on exercising the right of collective self-defense. On matters bearing on international justice, the international community must explicitly oppose these negative acts of Japan. One must not forget that the policy of appeasement by some countries was an important reason for Japan to launch and expand the war of aggression against China seven decades ago. Today, all countries need to bear in mind the lessons of history and do nothing to rear a tiger only to invite disaster for themselves and others. To bear in mind the history and open up the future, we must uphold the victory outcomes of WWII and the post-war international order. Houses wobble on a shaky foundation. The outcomes of the victory of WWII and the post-war international order underlie lasting peace in Asia and the world at large. The international instruments signed by the U.S., UK, China and the USSR on the eve of the end of WWII, i.e., the Declaration of United Nations, the Declaration on General Security, Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Proclamation, indubitably concluded that the war against China and the Pacific War launched by Japan were wars of aggression. The invasion and looting of Chinese territories by Japan are facts of modern history that brook no denial. These international instruments provide the very legal basis and obligation under which all sacred territories Japan stole from China, i.e., Northeast China, Taiwan and Penghu Islands, be returned to China. These are the purposes and principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter that should be observed in the post-war international order, as well as the role and mission of the United Nations to preserve the existing international order. The perverse acts by Japan are, in essence, designed to undermine and reverse the outcomes of WWII and the post-war international order. The crux and the nature of the contest among parties concerned is whether these outcomes and the existing world order should be preserved or rejected. As a founding nation of the post-war international order, China has both the right and obligation to uphold, together with the rest of the international community, the outcomes of the war and consolidate the post-war order. Likewise, other signatories of the Cairo Declaration, Potsdam Proclamation and the United Nations Charter should stand on the right side of history and honour their responsibilities and obligations. They should uphold justice and staunchly preserve the outcomes of WWII and post-war world order by saying unequivocally No to any attempts to turn back the wheel of history. They should join efforts in safeguarding security in Asia and the Pacific and world peace and in promoting common development and prosperity.