By the Ambassador of Cyprus, Dr Kyriacos Kouros.

First contact between the Cypriots and the Dutch took place in the late 16^th century. It had to do mainly with isolated visits of pilgrims en route to the near-by Holy Lands.

The oldest Dutch text available so far is by a student of ecclesiastical law at the Utrecht University named Iohann van Kootwyck who set foot on Cyprus in 1598 – 1599 on his way to and from Jerusalem and made extensive references to his impressions and observations in the island.

The contemporary state of affairs 

Cypriote-Dutch relations have nothing worthwhile to display until 1960 when the Republic of Cyprus was established and the two states started building ties. When Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004 and the EUROZONE in 2008, mutual goals and common aspirations took the relationship on the next level.

The Cypriot-Dutch bilateral track remains quite active. Only this year so far, Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans and Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem under his capacity as EUROZONE President paid separate visits to Cyprus. Cypriote visitors to the Netherlands included Energy Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis who came to talk about prospects in the domain of energy, following the discovery of significant amounts of natural gas off-shore the island; and the Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Alexandros Zenon, also paid a working visit. More ministerial visits are on the making. Apart from the Embassy of Cyprus in The Hague, we also operate an office for the promotion of Cypriote tourism in Amsterdam. Cyprus is a fascinating destination for those who like spending quality time under the sun in marvelous beaches, swimming in crystal clear seas, enjoying Mediterranean cuisine and night life, appreciating environmental friendly holidays, and exploring a family-oriented destination with thousands of  years of civilization attractions including stone age settlements, Greco-Roman sites, Byzantine and Muslim places of worship, medieval castles, and all this located in an area the size of one fourth of the Netherlands! A ship registry office is also operates in Rotterdam since maritime affairs are contributing substantially to our economy. Our Registry ranks tenth among international fleets and third within the EU! The political situation in Cyprus To those of us who follow developments in international affairs, the prevailing situation in Cyprus is an anomaly in contemporary Europe. This is an EU member-state a large part of which is under a 40-year occupation by a foreign army of an EU membership candidate! A no man’s land between the cease-fire lines patrolled by UN peace keeping force UNFICYP also provides for a mistaken impression of a “border”!  The Netherlands was one of the countries which contributed a contingent and since their first arrival in 1998 more than 900 Dutch had served in UNFICYP. In February 2014 a fresh round of fully-fledged negotiations for a viable Cyprus settlement has been launched. This is the sixth such attempt under the UN Secretary General’s good services. We hope it will be the last attempt for the benefit of all concerned stakeholders on a local, regional and international level. The important of the natural gas findings Cyprus can play a significant role in the energy security of the EU and our Eastern Mediterranean region’s stability due to the natural gas reserves discovered off shore of Cyprus. However, there is an urgent need to adopt a common EU policy, with a view to secure energy security in the wider region, that will not only be positive for EU but for the Middle East as well. If you wish to learn more about Cyprus in general, we suggest the following website: http://www.aboutcyprus.org.cy/. If you want to travel to Cyprus for holidays, we suggest you seek advice from the website www.visitcyprus.com/  but be very careful if you seek advice from other websites due to the prevailing situation in Cyprus  

————————————————————————————————————————–By H.E Mrs. Odette Melono, Cameroon’s Ambassador to the Netherlands

Cameroon stands out with a genuine identity. An identity reinforced with references such as “Africa in miniature”, “All Africa in one”, “the throbbing heart of Africa”, “Small Africa”, “the melting port of Africa” and “Africa in Microcosm”.  All these references for one country already tell you a lot of what Cameroon really is.  She concentrates all the beauties of Africa as one of the most culturally diverse countries on the African continent which valuates ‘the essentials of Africa’. This explains why people consider that nobody could truly discover Africa without having visited Cameroon, because it provides tourists with a unique spectacle giving them the impression that they are visiting several countries at the same time. It is a nation that expresses dynamism, diversity, modernity and traditions, stability, and calm all at once.

Although Cameroon is universally known for its football legends like Roger Milla and Samuel Eto’o, many are yet to discover Cameroon as a Tourist and cultural heaven. Cameroon is characterized by several (sultry mosaic of) volcanoes, white sand beaches, black volcanic sand beaches, Waza National Park, Dja Fauna Reserve, Korup National Park, the once-powerful Mandara Kingdom from 1500s or the Diy-Gid-Biy with 300 years old stone monuments; the 3000 years old man made Rupestral Engravings of Bidzar, the Archeological Remains of Shum Laka; the Bafut Chiefdom etc. There are rainforests with exceptional variety of flora and fauna, magnificent landscapes, the legendary 4100m high Mount Cameroon likened by Hano the Carthaginian navigator to the biblical “Chariot of the Gods”. There is the relation between tribal societies and modern cities, the cohabitation of traditional and democratic leadership, two official languages and more than 250 tribes and dialects. Why invest in Cameroon Peace is one of Cameroon’s priceless advantages. With a friendly and hospitable population, abundant natural resources, high literacy rate, investors easily find a ready-made labor force. Cameroon has 65% fertile agricultural land making it one of the best-endowed primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Cameroon maintains her long-stated goal to be an emerging market economy by 2035. Investors have opportunities in Agriculture and forestry, Energy, Mining, infrastructure, Transport, Telecommunications sectors etc, and benefit from a new investment code since 2013 given new tax incentives and exemptions on VAT and duties. Cameroon’s 50^th Anniversary of Reunification The recent celebration of Cameroon’s 50^th anniversary of Reunification this year consolidated Cameroon’s unity. On 1 October 1961, French and British administered Cameroons officially reunited after 45 years of separate administration. 1 October 1961 has tremendous significance as one of the most important dates in Cameroon’s history. This date beckons on all Cameroonians to accept, recognize and protect the various diversities in the country because it is a pacifying sign of inclusion and recognition…a sign that should be replicated in every facet of our daily interactions.

By Jean Pierre KARABARANGA, Ambassador of Rwanda. My country, Rwanda, known as well as “the Switzerland of Africa” by some or “Country of thousands hills” by others, contrary to the Netherlands, which is a flat country and below the sea level, is a hilly country and landlocked. Both countries have also similarities, such as being both of them small, overpopulated (12 million in Rwanda), hardworking people, farmers and entrepreneurs. On April 7, 1994, started the Genocide against Tutsi; Rwanda went through the worst tragedy of the modern human history. While the world did nothing, over one million Tutsi were massacred in the most barbaric ways. In the City of The Hague, on April 7, 2014 we commemorated the genocide against Tutsi with Dutch Minister of State in charge of Trade and Development Cooperation Lilianne Ploumen as a key note speaker and guest of honor. The same day in Kigali, Honorable Minister Frans Timmermans joined the world to commemorate with Rwandans in Kigali.  It was a sign of solidarity and compassion from The Government and the people of The Netherlands to the people of Rwanda, especially the survivors of that genocide. After 1994, all predicted that Rwanda as a country will no longer be there in future. In his speech at Kwibuka (remember word in Kinyarwanda), His Excellency President Paul Kagame said: “Rwanda was supposed to be a failed state. Watching the news today, it is not hard to imagine how we could have ended up. We could have become a permanent U.N. protectorate, with little hope of ever recovering our nationhood. We could have allowed the country to be physically divided, with groups deemed incompatible assigned to different corners. We could have been engulfed in a never-ending civil war with endless streams of refugees and our children sick and uneducated. But we did not end up like that. What prevented these alternative scenarios were the choices of the people of Rwanda. After 1994, everything was a priority and our people were completely broken. But we made three fundamental choices that guide us to this day: One – we chose to stay together. When the refugees came back home – we were choosing to be together. When we released genocide suspects in anticipation of Gacaca – we were choosing to be together. When we passed an inclusive constitution that transcends politics based on division and entrenched the rights of women as full partners in nation-building, for the first time – we were choosing to be together. When we extended comprehensive new education and health benefits to all our citizens – we were choosing to be together. Two — we chose to be accountable to ourselves. When we decentralize power and decision-making into the towns and hills across the country -we are being accountable. When we work with development partners to ensure that their support benefits all our citizens – we are being accountable. When we award scholarships and appoint public servants based on merit, without discrimination – we are being accountable. When we sanction an official, no matter how high-ranking, who abuses their power or engages in corruption – we are being accountable. As a result, our citizens expect more from government, and they deserve it. Three — we chose to think big. When Rwandans liberated our country – we were thinking big. When we created Rwanda’s Vision 2020 and committed to meeting our development goals -we were thinking big. When we decided to make Rwanda attractive for business – we were thinking big. When we invested in a broadband network that reaches all our 30 districts -we were thinking big. When we became a regular contributor to United Nations and African Union peacekeeping missions — we were thinking big.” The Rwandan economy has been growing at a consistently high rate of 8% for the last decade, despite global economic difficulties.  Rwanda is one of the countries on track to achieve almost all the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by the 2015 deadlines. Women have come at the forefront of nation-building with a women representation in parliament of 64%, the largest in the world for the last 10 years. Rwandans believes in sustainable trade and business cooperation, which is in line with the “New Agenda for Aid, Trade and Investment” policy by the Dutch Government.  Rwanda wants to become “a middle income country” by 2020. To achieve this goal we have given ourselves a target to achieve 11, 5% growth annually, and all predict that we shall succeed in this endeavors.