By Roy Lie A Tjam. The year 2015 has been a busy one for the Embassy of Georgia in the Netherlands. Events have included National Day, the Embassy Art Exhibition, and most recently the Netherlands Georgia Business Forum at the Hilton on 24 November 2015. The Business Forum was a joint effort which brought together various stakeholders: the EU-Georgia Business Council, Georgian Embassy to the Netherlands, PUM Netherlands senior experts, CBI, Netherlands Council for Trade Promotion (NCH), and EUROCHAMBRES. A sizeable contingent of Georgian business leaders also made the voyage to The Hague in order to support the Forum. The welcome remarks were given by H.E. Ambassador Zviad Chumburidze, from the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and EU-Georgia Business Council. Other speakers included Mr. Gigi Gigiadze, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia; Mr. Carel Richter, Head of International Business, MFA the Netherlands; and Mr. Johannes (Jos) Douma, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Netherlands to Georgia. Mr. David Lee, President of Magticom, moderated the event. Several interesting presentations were given on the investment climate and opportunities in Georgia, followed by a lively Q&A session. The event concluded with a B2B Platform, EU-Georgia Business Council Expo and economic photo exhibition, and a networking lunch offered by NVG Georgia. Georgia offers Dutch investors a variety of opportunities to invest in the country’s fast-growing sectors – these include agribusiness, hydro power, manufacturing, logistics and tourism. Investors will benefit from a liberal tax system, liberal trade regime, access to a customs-free market of 900 million people (EURASIA), excellent banking system, good energy supply, competitively priced labor force and a DCFTA with the EU. By means of anti corruption legislation, effective law enforcement and free access to online registration, the Georgian economy promotes transparency and reduces bureaucracy. The country has also won the UN Public Service Award, the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in public service. Such an achievement puts Georgia in good stead internationally. The Ambassador of Georgia to the Netherlands, H.E. Mr. Konstantine Surguladze, and his team are to be commended for the efforts they made in putting together the highly successful event.

The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon (right) and its Rosette (left). On Thursday 10 December,  Mr. Marcel P.R.C. van Aelst, President of Hotel Okura Amsterdam, will receive an imperial decoration during an official ceremony. In the name of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, he will be decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. This in recognition of his significant contribution to the promotion of mutual understanding, and cultural and economic relations between Japan and the Netherlands.

The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Norway, H.E. Mrs. Erna Solberg today visited the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and met with the Director-General Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü. The Prime Minister expressed her full support for the work of the OPCW: “Norway highly appreciates the outstanding work of the OPCW. The dedicated efforts of the organisation and its Technical Secretariat to free the world of chemical weapons are admirable and have my country’s full support. I thank you for the good cooperation in the past few years and look forward to working with you in the future,” said H.E. Mrs Erna Solberg.

The Director-General thanked the Prime Minister for Norway’s strong commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and its significant financial and material contribution to the work of the Organisation, in particular during the OPCW-UN Joint Mission in Syria. He briefed the Prime Minister on the status of implementation of the Convention, the OPCW’s efforts to achieve its universality as well as the endeavours to ensure the Organisation’s effectiveness in the face of future challenges as well as the progress on the Syria Mission.

The Prime Minister’s delegation included Ms Ingvild Naess Stub, State Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office, and H.E. Ms Anniken Ramberg Krutnes, Permanent Representative to the OPCW. The Prime Minister’s visit to the OPCW was part of her official visit to The Netherlands. For additional pictures, please click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157661659138390   Pictures by the OPCW.

French Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira announces a contribution to the TFV during her visit to the ICC, where she met with ICC President Judge Silvia Fernández, ICC Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut of France, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, ICC Registrar Herman von Hebel, and TFV Executive Director Pieter de Baan © ICC-CPI. French Minister of Justice visits the ICC and announces a contribution of €750,000 to the Trust Fund for Victims. On 7 December 2015, French Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira announced a voluntary contribution of €750,000 to the Trust Fund for Victims (TFV) at the International Criminal Court (ICC). The contribution is the single largest French donation to the TFV to date. Minister Taubira announced the contribution, made by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during her visit to the ICC in The Hague today, where she met ICC President Judge Silvia Fernández, ICC Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut of France, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, ICC Registrar Herman von Hebel, and TFV Executive Director Pieter de Baan. The President of the Court, Judge Silvia Fernández, thanked Minister Taubira for France’s contribution and highlighted the important position of victims in the ICC’s operations. “The justice that the Court provides must be meaningful to those most impacted by the crimes under our jurisdiction, and to achieve this, it is essential to give effect to the full range of retributive and reparative aspects of justice under the Rome Statute. For these purposes, this generous donation to the Trust Fund for Victims is an important contribution, and a reflection of France’s longstanding support of the Court”, President Fernández said. On behalf of the Trust Fund for Victims, Executive Director Pieter de Baan expressed gratitude for the significant contribution, recalling that France was a strong supporter of the creation of the TFV at the time of the establishment of the Rome Statute in 1998 and that Ms Simone Veil has been the first Chair of the Board of Directors of the TFV during 2003-2009. Mr.  De Baan further hailed the significance of the contribution indicating the resumption of France’s financial support to the TFV as an unprecedented institution to address the harm suffered by victims of the most heinous international crimes. The visit ended with a discussion highlighting the importance of improving proceedings on asset recovery for the purpose of reparations to victims. The ICC depends on State cooperation in this regard.