By Baron Henri Estramant. His Excellency Mr Gabriel Edgardo Aguilera Peralta is since 19 November 2014 Ambassador of the Republic of Guatemala to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

By Baron Henri Estramant. On 19 November 2014, Panamanian Ambassador Willys Delvalle Velasco presented his letters of credence to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander at Noordeinde Palace. He was accompanied by his wife, Tatiana, the embassy staff as well as the General Consul of Panama in Rotterdam, Mr Gustavo Leignadier. The new Panamanian Head of Mission was followed by the new Cuban Ambassador Mr Fermín Gabriel Quinoñes Sánchez, and finally the Guatemalean Ambassador Mr Gabriel Edgardo Aguilera Peralta. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Secretary General drs. Renée Jones-Bos was also present as were some members of the Royal Household. The Netherlands and Panama entertain diplomatic relations since 2 April 1904. During this long friendship, the two countries have signed agreements for the abrogation of tourist and business visa, to avoid double-taxation, for the protection of investments, aerial services, and for the operation of Dutch ships in the Panama Canal. Ambassador Delvalle graduated from Florida State University, Business Faculty. Mr Delvalle is a specialist in Maritime and International Commercial Law. From 2006 and until 2012, he held the position of General Manager for APL (American President Line) in charge of the areas of operations, finance, sales, customer service and human resources for the company. Since 2012 until the present year, Mr Delvalle held the position of Senior Maritime Operations Manager for Latin America, with responsibilities for the entire region from Mexico to Chile. From 2007 until 2014, was a member of the Board of Directors of the Panama Maritime. Chamber holding various positions in the Board, before being elected President of the Chamber from 2012 to 2014. During this time participated in various fora in the areas of logistics, bunkers, maritime operations and the Panama Canal.  

On the Picture Ms. Abir Ali Chargé d’Affairs of Lebanon with H. E. Nassima Baghli, Ambassador of Algeria. By Roy Lie A Tjam. With a reception at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, the Embassy of the Republic of Lebanon celebrated the country’s 71st Independence Day, many came to present their felicitations to charming Ms. Abir Ali, Chargé d’ affaires a.i  and to join in the festivity. The ancient country of Lebanon with its modern cosmopolitan capital city of Beirut is a true beacon in the region. Despite the current Syrian refugee crisis which is causing strain on the Lebanon’s political and socio-economic system, the country is looking to the future unfazed – a very resilient people indeed. The Lebanese people in a way resemble the pleasant scent- and robustness of the Cedarus Libani – cedar tree. Lebanon and the Netherlands enjoy excellent relations and the Netherlands is supporting Lebanon to deal with the Syrian refugees crisis that put a lot of pressure on its political and socio-economic system due to the more than 1.3 million Syrian refugees that Lebanon is hosting. “Lebannon is more than a country, it is a message of freedom and an example of pluralism”,  words of H.H. Pope John Paul II in describing Lebanon. Last Tuesday was a day of celebration, and that is what has happened. Joyeuse fete nationale Lebanon!    

By Diana Totinska, Junior Editor. On the occasion of the Sultanate of Oman’s 44^th National Day Anniversary, the Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, His Excellency Muhammed bin Harub bin Abdullah  Al Said, organized a  diplomatic reception at the Crowne Plaza on Tuesday 18^th of November. A special guest of honour to the event was Omani entrepreneur and owner of Oceanco and Chevron, Dr. Mohammed Ali Al Barwani, who presented the importance of business partnerships between Oman and the Netherlands. The hall of the reception was esthetically decorated with models of luxurious yachts, traditional clothing and progressive shell installations in Oman. The programme ended with the announcement of the two lucky winners of the Oman Air Raffle Ticket Prize. All guests left the reception delighted with a bag of traditional Omani sweets and selected souvenirs.  

His Excellency Jean Pierre Karabaranga, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda,  recently presented the credential letters to the President of the Republic of Estonia H.E. Toomas Hendrick Ilves. The ceremony took place in Tallinn at the president’s office. Ambassador Karabaranga was accompanied by his spouse Viviane Uwicyeza Mironko and Minister Counselor Guillaume Kavaruganda. The discussion between the President of Estonia and Ambassador Karabaranga focused on the bilateral relations specifically on the cooperation in Information Communication Technology. Estonia is an international leader on ICT. President Toomas Hendrick Ilves emphasized the fact that Estonia invested in ICT while it was a less developed  country. This vision has helped Estonia to achieve the growth the country is enjoying now. Ambassador Jean Pierre Karabaranga expressed the long path that Rwanda has undergone since the Genocide of the Tutsi in 1994, and indicates to the president of Estonia other areas where the two countries can work hand in hand such as in agriculture and energy. Estonia has only one Embassy in the African continent which is based in Egypt. Estonia regains its independency in 1991 separating itself with the former URSS. It is now part of the European Union, NATO, OCDE, Euro zone, SCHENGHEN visa and is among the top fifteen richest countries worldwide in GDP. Ambassador Karabaranga is the second Rwandan Ambassador to present his credentials in Estonia.

Photography by Hasan S. Aloul.

The Hague Institute for Global Justice and the Embassy of Georgia organized a panel discussion last November on Georgia and its European ambitions on the occasion of the official visit to the Netherlands of the Chair of the Parliament of Georgia, His Excellency David Usupashvili.  The main theme: Challenges and Opportunities of Georgia’s Path towards Europe’s Institutions.   The visit followed the invitation of his counterpart, the Speaker of the Dutch House of Representatives of the Netherlands, Her Excellency Anouchka van Miltenburg. David Usupashvili was elected as a Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia on October 21, 2012. He was  the Chairman of the Republican Party of Georgia (2005-2013); he worked for an USAID Rule of Law program (1999-2005); he was an Executive Secretary for Anti-Corruption Working Group under President of Georgia (2000-01); he was the Chairman of the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (1994-97); he was the Senior Legal Adviser and Special Envoy of the President of Georgia to Parliament (1992-94); he served at the Central Election Commission of Georgia, as Member and Chief Legal Consultant (1990-94). Conference started with Dr. Abiodun Williams, President of The Hague Institute, welcome remarks follow by a key note Presentation by H.E. David Usupashvili. Mr. Usupashvili, spoke out about the importance of the maintaining of EU monitoring group reporting constantly about the border situation with Russia to ensure stability and peace; as he stressed out this observatory group is the only technical support Georgia is receiving  from the EU and is a key issue in monitoring the actual situation. He also explain the firm decision of Georgia to keep normalizing relationship with Russia in a peaceful atmosphere as independent country who share a lot in common.