55eme Anniversaire de l’indépendance de la République de Côte d’Ivoire. On August 7, the Republic of Ivory Coast celebrated the declaration of independence from France. This wealthy cacao producing West-African country often referred to as the Paris of West-Africa. The first moves towards independence were made by Félix Houphouët-Boigny. He was a member of the French parliament and member of the French Cabinet. For a photo-album on the Ivory Coast’s National Day please click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157658618401285

  Mr. Félix Houphouët-Boigny was the first African to be admitted to the august institution of L’Académie française. On August 7, 1960 Ivory Coast declared independence. The prominent Félix Houphouët-Boigny, was elected the first president of Ivory Coast. H.E. Mr. Hamza Sallah Ambassador of Ivory Coast in the Netherlands celebrated the 55th Independence Day on 9 September at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in The Hague. He treated his fellow Ambassadors and other distinguished guest with traditional hospitality, vibrant music, images on Ivory Coast wild life and a hearty Ivorian style buffet.  

 

On the picture HE Maria Teresa Infante Caffi. Photography and video by K. Mirza.   Hosted by ProChile and the Trade Department of the Embassy of Chile. This tasty and innovative event was part of the campaign ‘Foods from Chile’ , it took place last week on September 17  in the Taste of the World test kitchen in the Market Hall, Rotterdam.     The Chilean Chef María Teresa Madrid successfully introduced her ​​creations to a variety of Chilean products.  María Teresa Madrid was born in Chile and was an excellent student of Guillermo Rodríguez, Best Chef of the country. Her original cuisine combined innovation with traditional Chilean gastronomy for yielding surprising results. Ambassador Maria Teresa Infante, was proud to introduce the fantastic work of the chef, and the excellent Chilean product in the Dutch market including the well known Chilean wine

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  By Carlotta Duken. On the 18th of September, the Embassy of Malta invited to celebrate Malta‘s National Day, commemorating the independence which it gained from Great Britain in 1964. This years‘ celebration concurred with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malta and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. H.E. Joseph Cole, Ambassador of Malta and his wife Bernadette Cole warmly welcomed all their guests. The guests enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere of the reception and the variety of Maltese specialties served. Among the delicacies were Bigilla dip, a dip made from broad beans, Twistees, a rice based and savory snack, and Biskutelli, traditional Maltese biscuits. For a photo-album on Malta National Day 2015, please click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/albums/72157658853810942

    In his welcome speech, the ambassador stressed the positive history of diplomatic relations between Malta and the Netherlands, „guided by trust, goodwill and respect for each other“. In the present and in the future, the Ambassador sees strong potential to strengthen co-operation on a political, economic and cultural level. The bilateral relations have been strengthened through a number of initiatives amongst which one can list: – The military cooperation where the Armed Forces of Malta have participated in EUTM Somalia for a number of years, on Dutch military vessels. Maltese soldiers received medals for their participation and there is no doubt that many of them will be volunteering for similar exercises in the future.

  – The export of potatoes from Malta to The Netherlands. – Tourism between the two countries is doing very well. – Culturally, Valletta and Leeuwarden will have the honor of holding the title of European Capital of Culture in 2018. – Malta and the Netherlands together with Slovakia will form the next trio of the EU Presidency from January 2016 to June 2017. In the near future, Malta will host the EU/Africa Summit which will bring together EU and African leaders to discuss how Europe and Africa can cooperate together to face current challenges and seek further opportunities how to consolidate the relationship between the continents. Among the guests were Mr. Roelof van Ees, Director of Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, ambassadors of Egypt HE Mr. Taher Farahat, Albania HE Ms. Adia Sakiqi, Belgium HE Mr. Chris  Hoornaert, Estonia HE Mr. Peep Jahilo, HE Archbishop Aldo Cavalli Apostolic Nuncio, the Charge d’Affaires of Indonesia Mr. Ibnu Wahyutomo, Kosovo HE Ms. Vjosa Dobruna, Morocco HE Mr. Abdelouahab Bellouki, Saudi Arabia HE Mr. Abdulaziz Abohaimed, Lithuania HE Mr. Darius Jonas Semaška, Philippines HE Mr. Jaime Victor  Ledda, Ghana HE Mr.  Tony Aidoo, Slovenia HE Mr. Roman Kirn, New Zealand HE Ms. Janet Lowe, Tunisia Karim Ben Becher and the new Ambassador of Australia H.E. Dr Brett Mason.

                   

By Baron Henri Estramant.  

On the picture Dorel Vișan, Șerban Marinescu, H.E. Ireny Comaroschi and Mircea Diaconu. Photography by C. A. Dailey.   By Catherine A. Dailey. The Embassy of Romania, in cooperation with the Romanian Cultural Institute in Brussels, presented a screening of the recent Romanian comedy film, “ To Paris with the Identity Card,” on Thursday, 17 September to mark the opening of the European Film Festival. The four day festival, being held in the Netherlands, is organized by the Information Office of the European Commission in the Netherlands, the Filmhuis in The Hague, the Romanian Embassy and other diplomatic, cultural and business partners. Ten films will be shown at various venues in The Hague during the festival, which runs through Sunday, September 20.  In addition, many more films will presented in seven other Dutch cities during the coming days. H.E. Ireny Comaroschi, Ambassador of Romania to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, warmly welcomed guests to the special event held in the embassy’s grand drawing room. The room had been transformed into a private “film house” for the evening screening shown to a capacity crowd. Among the ambassador’s invited guests were members of the Romanian community in the Netherlands, Dutch government officials, including Mr. Roelof van Ees, Director of Protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and film aficionados enjoying the opportunity to participate in the European festival. After reading a short synopsis of the film, before responding to the ambassador’s invitation, some guests may have been expecting a light comedic story about migration, love or a tourist’s adventures in Paris. Instead, they were introduced to a realistic tragicomedy.  The film depicted contemporary life in Bucharest, after the fall of communism nearly twenty-five years ago, as experienced by a community of former academics, politicians, aging citizens, young couples and troubled families. Serban Marinescu, the director of the film, documented the vacuous reality of his fictionalized characters’ bleak isolated lives sharply—lives seemingly devoid of values, hope and meaning. His acute eye for detail in chronicling the mundane sights, sounds and dialogue in a sordid Kafkaesque parody of  “civilized” urban society in the modern world, where every character’s life seems to have been impacted by the “seven deadly sins” in the age of globalization.  Only the aging academics, idealists of Bucharest’s “University Square” have managed to retain their dignity and values in the midst of a seemingly decaying culture.

  Following the screening, the audience had an opportunity to speak with the film director, Mr. Șerban Marinescu, actors Mr. Mircea Diaconu and Mr. Dorel Vișan, the director general of DACIN-SARA, Mr. Bogdan Ficeac and the film producer Mrs. Carmen Tripădus.  Many in the audience, who were gathered for the event, expressed their views on Romanian politics, society’s values and poverty.  Others expressed feelings of pride with both the excellent film and the artistic skills of Mircea Diaconu and Dorel Vișan, with bringing cinematic “life” to their characters.  Even the Ambassador, shared her opinion, by expressing her gratitude to the film team present for the occasion, for their daring exploration of the uncomfortable realities of Romania’s modern life through the art of film. “To Paris with an Identity Card” is produced in Romanian with English subtitles. Ambassador Comaroschi, as is her custom, ensured that, in addition to her staff, two professional translators were available to facilitate discussions between her guests throughout the entire evening.  Following the screening, lights refreshments, including Romanian wines, were served. For more information about the upcoming films, screening times and venues for the European Film Festival, please visit the “Events” page on the website of the Europe Commission’s website or contact Anna Matus at (070) 313 5300.