On the picture Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal. Photography courtesy of the Embassy of Bangladesh.   “I have not seen the Himalayas. But I have seen Sheikh Mujib, in personality and in courage, this man is the Himalayas”  Fidel Castro.   By Roy Lie A Tjam. Just as the Cabinet of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh had done a few days earlier, the Ambassador of Bangladesh to The Netherlands, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Belal flanked by his spouse Dr. Dilruba Nasrin, his team, the Bangladeshi diaspora in the Netherlands and many invitees paid their respects to the memory of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – the founding president of Bangladesh.  

  The commemoration took place at the Chancellery on 15 August 2015, in a ceremony of due solemnity and dignity. The occasion marked the 40th anniversary of the death of the great leader and members of his family. In his keynote address, H.E. Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal paid profound respect to the passing of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in a pre-dawn assassination on 15 August 1975. The Ambassador also read out a message from the President of Bangladesh H. E. Abdul Hamid. Subsequently, Mr. Istiaque Ahmed, Second Secretary, read a message from the Hon. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Bangladesh’s Father of the Nation. Messages on the resounding significance of this day in Bangladeshi history from the Hon. Foreign Minister and Hon. State Minister for Foreign Affairs were also read out. A dozen other distinguished speakers followed, including Mr. Mustafa, Mr. Zakirul Huq Tipu, Mr. Murad Khan, Mr. Bikash Roy, and Mr. Morshed Mannan. All paid homage to the slain Father of the Nation.

 

Of particular note was the discourse delivered by Mr. Morshed Mannan, a Masters Student at Leiden Law School, Barrister-at-Law & Advocate at the Bangladesh Bar Council. He related, ‘ In the past few years, Bangladesh has been the beneficiary of two landmark decisions by the International Tribunal for Law of the Sea and the Permanent Court of Arbitration regarding the delimitation of Bangladesh’s maritime boundaries with Myanmar and India respectively’.

These decisions have created certainty regarding the area of the Bay of Bengal which Bangladesh may rightfully explore for natural resources, thereby opening up new avenues for energy production. While the credit for this goes to the current Government of Bangladesh for engaging with international dispute resolution mechanisms, the process to demarcate Bangladesh’s borders with its neighbors’ began during the tenure of Bangabandhu.

In 1974, Bangabandhu’s Government passed the Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act and entered into negotiations with India and Myanmar regarding these disputed boundaries.

This can be seen as part of a broader scheme, envisioned and initiated by Bangabandhu, of ensuring the sovereign rights of the People’s Republic over its territory and natural resources. This scheme was also manifested in his negotiations with Shell BV – incidentally, a company headquartered down the road from here. At the time, Shell was the owner of 5 major gas fields in Bangladesh and he persuaded them to sell the fields to the State at a nominal price.

The far-sightedness of this became immediately apparent as it insulated Bangladesh from gas price fluctuations for decades. It was also under his leadership that Petrobangla was founded and off-shore exploration began in the Bay of Bengal.

While his brutal assassination left his dreams and plans unfulfilled for many years, with the two recent international decisions, his vision of a sovereign, energy-secure Bangladesh has been furthered. This is worth remembering on a somber occasion like today.

The participations of children in a speech competition added luster to the program. The children spoke of the prerequisites of learning from the life and ideals of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Amongst them, the importance of being not only a good Bangladeshi, but also a responsible global citizen.Dr. Dilruba Nasrin, spouse of Ambassador Belal, distributed prizes to the participating children and urged them to uphold the spirit of freedom and independence in whatever they do later in life. Bangabandhu　Sheikh Mujibur Rahman also had tributes paid to him by foreign statesmen and politicians. Fidel Castro of Cuba said of him: “I have not seen the Himalayas. But I have seen Sheikh Mujib, in personality and in courage, this man is the Himalayas” Lord Fenner Brockway said: “In a sense, Sheikh Mujib is a greater leader than George Washington, Mahatma Gandhi and De Valera.” During my official visit to Bangladesh, I had the privilege of being taken to the lieu of the drama in this fast-developing nation. The experience stirred in me deep emotions. As long as the Padma River flows on, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s heritage will live on.

On the picture Luxembourg’s Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel – Photography by Westerwelle Foundation.   Discussion with Luxembourgian Prime Minister Xavier Bettel at the Westerwelle Foundation in Berlin    The increasing influx of refugees, the crisis in Greece and the Ukraine, and the debate about TTIP are merely a few keywords summarizing the challenges the European Union is currently facing. During his official visit to Germany on June 16th, the Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel was at the Westerwelle Foundation, to speak on “European Challenges, in a World in Transition”. More than 70 guests from politics and the civil society attended the event. After his speech Bettel joined in an open discussion that was moderated by Alexander Vogel, Head of Office at the Westerwelle Foundation.  

Luxembourg has always played a central role in the development of the European Union. Beginning July 1st, the Grand Duchy will hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the twelfth time in the Council’s history. In this context, the discussion at the Westerwelle Foundation offered Bettel the opportunity to take a stand on current European politics, and also share his plans for the European Union. The Prime Minister emphasized the necessity to stand united as a European community, and remain united while seeking solutions to problems affecting the entire region. He pointed out the urgency of taking immediate action with regards to a myriad of problems the European Union faces. Above all however, he stressed the importance of turning words into actions, particularly with issues such as the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean, or the ongoing economic crisis in Greece. Finding an answer to the migrant crisis will be most effective, he concluded, if we looked for solutions in the migrants’ countries of origin. The people there must be offered perspectives, and the freedom and peace that comes with security and prosperity. Regarding the European Union, Bettel said, he will focus on the fight against unemployment. To him the creation of sustainable economic development, particularly by prioritizing environmental aspects and climate change, is important. With regards to the negotiations on TTIP, Bettel remarked that the idea behind the venture was essentially good and necessary to boost the transatlantic economy, however this could not occur at all costs. Standards of quality, important to both prospective partners, should not be downgraded. The Prime Minister however called for more constructive debates on the subject, especially in the media coverage. Bettel also spoke on the issue of Ukraine. He announced he has plans travelling to both Kiev and Moscow, to speak with both parties to the conflict. “We need to communicate with all sides,” he concluded, after all that is the only way to find a peaceful solution   Source: http://westerwelle-foundation.com/en/events/review/lecture-xavier-bettel/ Text and pictures to The Westerwelle Foundation for International Understanding  

On the picture H.M. Willem-Alexander and H. Ankie Broekers-Knol, President of the Senate.   By Buonamassa G.W. The Dutch Stichting Herdenking 15 August 1945 commemorates the 70th anniversary of the 2nd World War, during an event organized on August 15 under strong security control with more than 3000 people assembled in Den Haag by the Indisch monument of Professor B.M. Teldersweg.     Special guests for this event was H.M. Willem-Alexander the King of Netherlands and several Dutch ministers. Eric Schneider addressed an impressive and emotional speech. He is the writer of Moesson , a theater production in memory of II World War victims.     Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s speech underlined the occupation of Japanese Army in East Asia and highlighted the independence day of Indonesia on 24 august 1945. The event was organized in memory of civilians and military and Dutch victims that lost their lives in 1945 and were buried during the war in Thailand, Birma, Singapore, Hong kong, Japan, Australia and Indonesia.

On the picture Dr Eckart Cuntz displaying his Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Belgium.   By Baron Henri Estramant.   Germany’s Dr. Eckart Cuntz.  Ambassador Cuntz left Belgium for his new base in Berlin on 30 June 2015 after serving since 2011 as bilateral ambassador accredited to the Kingdom of Belgium. On the last day of his mission, the ambassador paid a farewell visit to HM The King of the Belgians who in his turn presented him with the “Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown”. It is Belgium’s second highest order  albeit it was originally instituted as a Congolese Order by King Leopold II in 1897. His successor is Ambassador Rüdiger Lüdekind, previously director general of the German mission to the OSCE (Vienna).  

Indonesia’s Arif Havas Oegroseno.  Deputy Minister for Maritime Sovereignty Coordinating (Ministry for Maritime Affairs – Republic of Indonesia), Arif Oegroseno, served as chief of mission to the EU, Belgium and Luxembourg from 2010 to 2015.  

Democratic Republic of Congo’s Professor Henri Mova Sakanyi.  Professor Mova Sakanyi was ambassador accredited to the three Benelux countries from 2009, head of mission to the EU and the OPCW. He left Brussels for the political appointment as Secretary General of the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (Parti du Peuple pour la Reconstruction et la Démocratie – PPRD), which is the party of incumbent DRC President Joseph Kabila Kabange. A mission of the DR of Congo to The Netherlands opened in early 2015 but is yet to receive an ambassador. Currently the chargé d’affaires in The Hague is Minister Counsellor Thomas Konko.  

Israel’s Jacques Revah. Bilateral ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, Jacques Revah, left Brussels for Jerusalem on 12 August 2015 after serving as head of mission since 2011. He is now retired. His successor, Ambassador Simone Frankel, arrived in Brussels on 13 August 2015. This shall be her first ambassadorship.  

Laos’ Phonseya Manorom.   Ambassador Phonseya was recalled to Laos back in April 2015. He had served as head of mission since mid-2012 covering the EU, the OPCW, and bilaterally the Benelux countries, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. Chargé d’affaires a.i. is Mr Sengprachang Thongkhoun.  

Cambodia’s Hem Saem.  Ambassaor Hem left his post in Brussels in the beginning of May 2015. He had served since 2009 as chief of mission to the EU, the OPCW, the Benelux countries and Austria. His successor is Ambassador Chea Thireak.    For more information  Embassy of Germany to Belgium: www.bruessel.diplo.de/Vertretung/bruessel/fr/Startseite.html Embassy of Indonesia to Belgium and Luxembourg, Mission to the EU: http://www.embassyofindonesia.eu/ CV of Deputy Minister Oegroseno: www.europeantunaconference.com/havas.html Mission of the DR of Congo to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU: www.ambardc.eu Embassy of Israel to Belgium and Luxembourg: http://embassies.gov.il/Bruxelles/Pages/default.aspx Mission of Laos to the EU, the Benelux, Scandinavia: www.ambalao.be Mission of Cambodia to the EU, the Benelux and Austria: http://www.embassyofcambodia.org/other_embassies.html