By Her Excellency Ms. Dziunik Aghajanian, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia.   Armenian -Dutch connections go back into the depth of history. Sint Servaas, an Armenian-born bishop from 4th century, is patron saint of Maastricht and the towns of Schijndel and Grimbergen. Gent still honors the memory of St. Macarius, an Armenian thaumaturge who died there in the eleventh century. Over half a millennium Armenians were trading with the Dutch and had well-established communities around the country. A Dutch writer states in ” De Amsterdammer ” magazine of 14 August 1887 that “The story of the Armenian community is a golden page in the history of the city of Amsterdam.” Despite the historic connections, the relationship between Armenia and the Netherlands are still in early stages of development. It started in 1992, as Armenia regained its independence after six centuries of statelessness. The cooperation then focused mainly on assistance to Armenia as part of the Dutch constituency in IMF and World Bank. It is only recently that the cooperation has shifted towards bilateral economic partnership. Yet there is an untapped potential that could easily develop given the many similarities between our peoples. Both the Dutch and the Armenians are well-known for being trading people with big networks, both are heavily reliant on the human capital given the natural restrictions, both have relatively small countries and are focusing on innovative approaches to maximize the possibilities for advancement. Yet the geopolitical situation that Armenia faces- the continued blockade by Turkey and Azerbaijan, the escalation of ceasefire violations around the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, the persistent geopolitical tensions in the South Caucasus and inoperative communication infrastructure in the region create almost insurmountable difficulties for rapid development of a landlocked country like Armenia.

  The resilience of the Armenian people is more apparent now than ever. Hundred years from the day when the Armenian genocide was perpetrated in the Ottoman Turkish Empire with the purpose of wiping out Armenians and all Armenian traces from their homeland, Armenians are proud to stand with a strong and prosperous Diaspora enjoying respect in all the countries where they found refuge. About two decades after a devastating earthquake that took the lives of more than 25000 people leaving one-third of the country in total devastation and over half a million people homeless, over 400000 refugees fleeing the massacres of Armenians in Sumgait, Kirovabad and Baku, and a war unleashed by neighboring Azerbaijan to stifle the peaceful drive of Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh for self-determination, the collapse of the Soviet economic system and the blockade by the neighbors that through the economy to a total standstill, Armenia, today, presents itself as a middle-income country with diversified economy registering growth despite the world financial crisis hitting hard. Reforms carried out in the country have created beneficial environment: Armenia ranks thirty-seven in WB’s 2014 “Doing Business” index, 2013 Index of Economic Freedom by Heritage Foundation rates Armenia thirty-eight, greater than global average. It is considered to be a good place to do business especially in the areas considered to be priority for Armenia’s development: IT, precision engineering, agriculture, especially horticulture, tourism, health and education, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Highly-skilled labor force and emphasis on innovative technologies generate competitive advantages for all those creating partnerships in Armenia. Armenia, blessed with nine climatic zones in a relatively small territory, with rich history, culture and traditions, diverse flora and fauna presents multiple possibilities for traditional and ecological tourism, an area which can be very attractive to the Dutch people. The recent archeological discoveries – the oldest known winemaking facility, dating back to 6100BC, and the oldest, 5000-year-old leather shoe add on to the existing historic and natural attractions in the country. Hundreds of Medieval churches dotting the Armenian landscape are of immense interest to tourists that have a fancy for the early Christian history and architecture. Creative zeal of the Armenian people well-known for its hard-working nature can be a good basis for establishing businesses and tapping into abundant research opportunities. Unique soil and climatic conditions, the limited use of chemical fertilizers make the Armenian agricultural products much appreciated in the export markets because of their high quality. The recent years have seen surge in horticulture and aquaculture in Armenia. Vegetables, trout, sturgeon, red and black caviars are some of the products highly sought in export markets. Alcoholic beverages, world famous Armenian brandy, natural juices, grape and fruit wines are expanding their markets as well. The Armenian beer, produced in Armenia from ancient times, the oldest records of which can be found in Xenophon’s “Anabasis”, has been rediscovered and is gaining more ground, too. Armenia’s recent joining the Eurasian Union and privileged trading status with USA and the EU creates unequaled opportunities for becoming an economic bridge between the two markets.      

By His Excellency, Karim Ben Becher, Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia.   Four years after the peaceful jasmine revolution, Tunisia has developed as an example of a peaceful democratic transition and political compromise with a new progressive Constitution and free and fair well-organized legislative and presidential elections in 2014.   An unprecedented political transition to Democracy was triggered starting from January 2011, led by transitional governing institutions, political actors and civil society representatives who agreed on a broad framework for a participatory and inclusive democratic transition process, including elections for a National Constituent Assembly (NCA) in October 2011, mandated to draft and adopt a new democratic Constitution. In a second step, transitional Authorities have organised in the period of October-December 2014, new free general elections based on the provisions of the new Constitution.This development led observers to talk about a ‘Tunisian exception’.   Political process At first, an independent election commission organized free multi-party elections on October 23th, 2011, of the members of the National Constituent Assembly, NCA, that was tasked to draft a new constitution. The NCA appointed also an interim Government and an interim president. Starting from 2013 a National Dialogue process was developed serving as a framework for free dialogue between political actors with the facilitation of a quartet of civil society organizations. This process became an important institution for resolving differences, and making compromise agreements at first, about key issues in the constitution being discussed inside the National Constituent Assembly (NCA). The NCA adopted finally a new Constitution on January 26^th 2014, which was regarded by the international community as the most progressive in the region, setting the rules for a fully democratic regime, providing for a democratic civil nation, the freedom of conscience and belief and establishing gender equality. In order to bring political, social and economic stability to the country, both ruling and opposition parties agreed in the framework of the National Dialogue institution to designate Mehdi Jomaa as an interim Prime Minister. A new caretaker cabinet of technocrats was approved by the NCA, on 29 January 2014, with the task to maintain security, engineer economic reforms and organise legislative and presidential elections by the end of the year in accordance with the provisions of the new constitution. Observers were unanimous to consider that the National Dialogue contributed significantly to the success of the democratic process in Tunisia, getting the country out of a political deadlock, and creating a compromise between electoral and consensus legitimacies. It is regarded, finally, as a real commitment by all political parties involved to look for common solutions through negotiation and mediation The contribution of the Mehdi Jomaa Government to the country’s transition into democracy was crucial. By organising free and fair legislative elections in October 26^th  2015 and then, the presidential elections in two rounds in November 23^rd and December 21^st , 2014, through an Independent High Authority for Elections, the country has nowadays a new Parliament and President, thus becoming the only country in the region to have peacefully achieved a democratic transition process since the beginning of the Arab Spring in 2011. It is regarded as a unique example of free elections, free press and active civil society. On February 5^th, 2015, Tunisia’s newly elected ‘Assembly of the Representatives of the People’ approved a coalition government headed by the Head of Government Habib Essid. This new government proved that Tunisia is stepping toward pluralism and stability in the framework of the second republic. The government had to push through a broad range of economic reforms, preserve the security conditions and continue the fight against extremism and terrorism. The success of the democratic transition and continued economic reforms are expected to boost economic growth and favour social stability. The prospects for partnership and investment in Tunisiaare very positive. Big investment projects in infrastructure and energy were presented during the international conference “Invest in Tunisia, a start-up democracy”, held in Tunis in September 2014.

 Bilateral relations with the Netherlands Bilateral relations with the Netherlands have grown steadily since the outbreak of the Yasmine revolution in Tunisia resulting in closer cooperation relations in the context of the democratic transition process, the consolidation of capabilities and reforms to meet the development challenges ahead such as unemployment, regional development and boosting economic growth. High level visits were organised in order to give a fresh impetus to bilateral relations, such as the visit of the Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mongi Hamdi, to the Hague in September 2014 and the recent visit of Mrs Liliane Ploumen, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in Tunisia with a view to strengthening cooperation relations, economic exchanges and promoting direct investment and partnership. There are much room to further develop economic exchange, trade relations, partnership and investment with the Netherlands. Tunisian and Dutch companies should be encouraged to make additional efforts in this regard. There are opportunities particularly in the agricultural sector, horticulture and food products processing, infrastructure and energy sectors . The “Cartago” exhibition organised in the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, November, 27^th2014-10 May 2015 , is a landmark in the bilateral relations. It is being held for the first time in the Netherlands and presents the history and archaeological treasures of the ancient Carthage. The exhibition presents an overview of the rich cultural heritage of Tunisia dating back to ancient times, and represents a basic factor for the promotion of Tunisia as a leading tourist destination at the south shore of the Mediterranean with sunny beaches, a rich history and typical hotel resorts with thalasso, and world class golfing sites. We are confident that more and more Dutch tourists will enjoy their stay in Tunisia thanks to its rich cultural heritage, its natural beauty and its numerous tourist attractions.        

  By Her Excellency Mrs. Teresa Paraskevi Angelatou, Ambassador of Greece to the Kingdom of The Netherlands   As we celebrated, few days ago, the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of the Schengen Convention, countries like Greece, being on the European border line, understand better than others common security as well as common European asylum issues. The Schengen Convention made it possible for citizens to travel freely to visit friends and family, make business trips or visit other Schengen countries as tourists, without giving up on security. The Common European Asylum System made it possible for any alien or stateless person to seek international protection out of fear of persecution due to race, religion, nationality, etc. Facing the immense challenge of a large flow of irregular migrants in the recent years, Greece has accelerated the implementation of actions for the establishment and functioning of the new Asylum Service in 2013. This new Service is independent and is operated by civil servants trained by specialists in the field with the cooperation of UNHCR and EASO, the European Asylum Support Office. Establishing a “fair and efficient” asylum system is an integral part of a modern and comprehensive management policy of migration flows. A fair but speedy asylum procedure, as the one being implemented nowadays in Greece, ensures that purely economic migrants have no reason to resort to the asylum system, since they are aware that their claim will be denied shortly, while actual refugees receive the protection afforded by international conventions and national law within a reasonable time frame. The distinction between economic migrants and refugees is a complex process. Migration flows towards Greece are “mixed”, since the refugees and the economic migrants use the same transit routes and entry points to get into the country. Both often lack legal documents or identity documents, thus turning to networks of facilitators so as to avoid border controls, rendering the recognition and verification of their country of origin and their need for international protection extremely difficult. As far as the asylum seekers are concerned the case workers can understand, using specific methods and “tools”, which is their country of origin and determine through the asylum procedure, which ones are refugees. Not all irregular migrants request asylum. International experience shows that the better and more complete the official information provided to the third-country nationals relating to the legal framework for international “protection” is, the fewer non-refugees will apply for asylum. On the contrary, when the main source of information of third-country nationals is, for example, the illegal trafficking and exploitation networks, then there is a rise in international protection claims without valid reasons. Greece has been a country of origin of refugees and migrants for many decades. During the last twenty years Greece has been turned into a country of destination and entry into the EU, due to the political and economic stability as well as due to its geographic location, which makes it a natural crossroads between the countries of northern and central Europe and the countries of Asia and Africa. Therefore it is very important to have a reliable asylum procedure as part of a comprehensive management system of migration flows, which will secure the refugee from the dangers in his country of origin, as well as our country from any exploitation of this process from persons who are not entitled to receive protection. Apart from the speedy processing time, the Asylum Service lays particular importance to the quality of its procedures and, especially, of the decisions it issues. Emphasis is given to the correct information imparted to persons interested in asylum, to the asylum seekers and to the beneficiaries of international protection. In addition, every effort is made to ensure all the rights stipulated in national and European legislation. In the course of its first eighteen months of operation (from June 2013 to November 2014), the Asylum Service has registered 13,289 applications for international protection. The asylum seekers who submitted their applications in Greece during the aforementioned period originate from 96 different countries. The main countries of origin are Afghanistan, Pakistan, Albania, Syria, Bangladesh, Georgia, Egypt, Nigeria, Iran, Sudan and Eritrea.