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<strong>72</strong><br />
INTERLINKING POLITICS, DIPLOMACY, BUSINESS & FINANCE<br />
ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY, CULTURAL DIPLOMACY & HEALTH<br />
HIS<br />
MAJESTY<br />
KING<br />
PHILIPPE I<br />
KING<br />
OF THE BELGIANS<br />
H.E.<br />
CHARLES<br />
MICHEL<br />
PRESIDENT<br />
OF<br />
THE EUROPEAN<br />
COUNCIL<br />
H.E.<br />
CHANDRIKAPERSAD<br />
SANTOKHI<br />
PRESIDENT<br />
OF<br />
SURINAME<br />
H.E.<br />
ZHANNA<br />
ANDREASYAN<br />
MINISTER OF<br />
EDUCATION, SCIENCE,<br />
CULTURE AND SPORT<br />
OF ARMENIA<br />
H.E.<br />
RUA AL ZADJALI<br />
AMBASSADOR<br />
OF<br />
THE SULTANATE<br />
OF OMAN<br />
H.E.<br />
AMARSAIKHAN<br />
SAINBUYAN<br />
DEPUTY<br />
PRIME MINISTER<br />
OF<br />
MONGOLIA<br />
H.E.<br />
BADR<br />
ABDELATTY<br />
AMBASSADOR<br />
OF<br />
THE ARAB REPUBLIC<br />
OF EGYPT<br />
H.E.<br />
NAWAF<br />
ALENEZI<br />
AMBASSADOR<br />
OF<br />
THE STATE<br />
OF KUWAIT<br />
Winter 2023 www.diplomatic-world.com Quarterly edition<br />
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INTERLINKING POLITICS, DIPLOMACY, BUSINESS & FINANCE<br />
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Dear Excellencies,<br />
Dear partners,<br />
Dear readers,<br />
In this space you would normally find my editorial.<br />
On 21 September, we celebrated the International<br />
Day of Peace, but hardly anyone seemed to<br />
notice, and they cannot be blamed for that.<br />
With war, conflict and crises dominating the daily<br />
news headlines, genuine and lasting peace seems<br />
more elusive than ever. Therefore I have decided<br />
to replace my introduction with an image, which<br />
as the saying goes is worth a thousand words:<br />
The texts were written in English or Dutch and translated in the other language.<br />
Some expressions can change by the translation. To safeguard the language and<br />
tone of all authors, the author’s initial choice of spelling has been maintained as<br />
much as possible. The editorial staff has done its utmost to identify and mention<br />
sources and beneficiaries of the text and images used. The publisher has made every<br />
effort to secure permission to reproduce the listed material, illustrations and photographs.<br />
We apologize for any inadvert errors or missions. Parties who nevertheless believe they<br />
can claim specific legal rights are invited to contact the publisher.<br />
Opinions in this magazine belong to the writers and are not necessarily endorsed<br />
by <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong>.<br />
All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a<br />
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical<br />
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of<br />
the artist and publisher. ©2023 <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong>.<br />
As always, I wish you a fruitful reading,<br />
Barbara Dietrich, CEO,<br />
<strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
3
10 16 18 78<br />
84<br />
86<br />
PHILIPPE I KING OF THE BELGIANS<br />
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8 9
PHILIPPE I<br />
KING OF THE BELGIANS<br />
DOES NOT RULE, HE REIGNS<br />
Univ. Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jan De Maere<br />
After the abdication for health reasons of his father, the muchloved<br />
King Albert II on July 21, 2013, his son Philippe of<br />
its origin a constitutional monarchy, inspired by a combination of<br />
instrumentality of the Crown. The Belgian monarchy was since<br />
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (born 1960) became the seventh King these of the United Kingdom, the French Constitution, the United<br />
of the Belgians. In these ten years since, the monarch quietly<br />
States Declaration of Independence of 1776, and by the century-old<br />
traditions of Brabant, Wallonia, and Flanders. The royal<br />
explored the multiple aspects of his function, in which he grew<br />
every day, first prudently and now with confidence, authenticity prerogatives are not precisely limited in the Belgian Constitution.<br />
and authority. Princess Elisabeth assures the future of the crown<br />
in the same confident and discreet way.<br />
Therefore, King Philippe I carefully explored their frontiers in the<br />
first years of his reign. The King is the head of the dignified part<br />
Before his accession, the then Prince Philippe was badly served of the Constitution. In Belgium, the monarchy has more than a<br />
by the unfair and mean comments by the former Grand Maréchal symbolic or protocolar role. Insofar as the King’s will coincides<br />
de la Cour (Marshal of the Royal Household of the Royal Court of with that of the ministers, who alone bear responsibility for<br />
Belgium) Herman Liebaers to the press (1991). Today, the doubts political decisions. He participates in an essential manner in the<br />
about his capacity to reign while observing the Constitution,<br />
direction of state affairs. My colleague and friend baron Francis<br />
the laws of the Belgians, the country’s independence, and the Delperee writes: “to reign does not only mean to preside over<br />
integrity of its territory, are vanished. All agree, even politicians ceremonies but also to take a part in the running of the State”.<br />
and journalists, that King Philippe and Queen Mathilde fulfil their<br />
function in an immaculate manner, with efficiency and panache, King Philippe I’s flawless run should not astonish those who<br />
privileging discreetly their life as a family. The great emotional intelligence<br />
and communication skills of the Queen are an essential Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is a branch of the German noble house<br />
know the history of the Belgian royal family. The Ducal House of<br />
asset in this success, without obscuring the enormous efforts<br />
of Wettin and has its ancestral seat in Coburg. Its progenitors<br />
and self-discipline King Philippe I deploys in his function in a<br />
ruled from 1423 to 1547 as Electoral Princes of Saxony and later<br />
complicated Belgian political context. The King speaks fluently as Dukes of Coburg. The Saxon duchy of Gotha was acquired<br />
the three national languages (French, Dutch and German) and<br />
in 1826 and since that time the family bears the name of Saxesome<br />
others. In Belgium and abroad, the royal couple elegantly Coburg and Gotha.<br />
imposed their own subdued style while efficiently promoting their<br />
country.<br />
Many Saxe-Coburg and Gotha family members distinguished<br />
themselves in the 19th century. In 1866, Prussia wins the<br />
Over the last 600 years of its history, the monarchy underwent Austro-Prussian War against Austria and its German allies. Prince<br />
an evolution from the time when Kings ruled through the agency Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) masterminded the unification<br />
of ministers to the time when ministers governed through the<br />
of Germany and submitted four of Austria’s Northern-German<br />
Photos Michel Gronemberger / Royale Palace<br />
10 11
allies and forces Saxe-Lauenburg into a personal union. Through<br />
its diplomatic skills and well-conceived marriage politics, for<br />
the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the 19th century was its<br />
golden age. Up to 1918, it became one of the most significant<br />
European ruling dynasties, closely related to almost all European<br />
princely families. It procures still the sovereigns of four royal<br />
dynasties: Belgium, Great Britain, Portugal, and Bulgaria. Some<br />
of Prince-consort Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Queen<br />
Victoria, Empress of India’s nine children and 39 grandchildren<br />
ruled in the German Empire, Russia, Romania, Yugoslavia,<br />
Greece, Spain, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.<br />
In Coburg (now in Bavaria), on 16 December 1790, Leopold of<br />
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1790-1865) was born as a Protestant,<br />
the youngest son of Duke Francis. In 1797, at only six years<br />
of age, he was given the honorary rank of Colonel in the<br />
Izmaylovsky regiment, part of the Imperial Russian Guard.<br />
Six years later, he was promoted Major-General. When<br />
Napoleonic troops occupied the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg in<br />
1806, Leopold went to Paris but left shortly after for Russia to<br />
take up his rank in the Imperial Russian cavalry. Against the<br />
French, he distinguished himself at the Battle of Kulm. By 1815,<br />
at Waterloo, he had reached the rank of Lieutenant General<br />
at 25 years of age.<br />
At a party at the Pulteney Hotel in London in February 1816,<br />
Princess Charlotte of Wales, daughter and only child of the later<br />
(unpopular) King George IV, remarked Prince Leopold, impoverished<br />
but covered in the glory of his deeds at the Battle of<br />
Waterloo. Both fell in love and married a few months later. One<br />
and a halve year after, Princess Charlotte died after given birth to<br />
a still-born boy. Much appreciated by all in the United Kingdom,<br />
Leopold was inconsolable and remained a widower until 1832.<br />
At the end of August 1830, rebels in the southern part of the<br />
United Netherlands (Dutch-Belgian kingdom) contested the<br />
Dutch rule. Their revolt in Brussels pushed the Dutch army back.<br />
International powers met in support of the independence of<br />
Belgium, but the Dutch refused to recognize it as a new state. In<br />
November 1830, the Belgian National Congress adopted a constitution,<br />
stipulating that Belgium will be a popular constitutional<br />
monarchy. The members choose Leopold as their first King.<br />
After the resignation of the regent Surlet de Choquier, Leopold,<br />
dressed in the uniform of a Belgian Lieutenant-General, swore<br />
loyalty to the constitution and became ‘King of the Belgians’.<br />
That date became Belgian’s national day. The accession ceremony<br />
took place on July 21, 1831, on the steps of the church of<br />
Saint James on the Coudenberg, Place Royale, Brussels, and<br />
was met with great patriotic enthusiasm. Less than two weeks<br />
after Leopold’s accession, on August 2, the Dutch army invaded<br />
Belgium from the North, overwhelming the small Belgian army.<br />
At King Leopold’s demand, Louis-Philippe, King of France (reign<br />
1830-1848), sent his ‘Armée du Nord’ to the border, after which<br />
the Dutch army stalled. The following year, on August 9, 1832,<br />
Leopold I married Princess Louise of Orléans (1812-1850),<br />
King Louis-Philippe’s second daughter. This forced the Dutch to<br />
accept a diplomatic mediation and the retreat to the pre-war border.<br />
Skirmishes continued for eight years, but in April 1839, the<br />
two countries signed the ‘Treaty of London’ whereby the Dutch<br />
reluctantly recognised Belgium’s independence.<br />
Leopold I’s reign was marked by an economic crisis which lasted<br />
until the late 1850s because the Dutch had closed the river<br />
Scheldt to Belgian shipping, thus making redundant the port of<br />
Antwerp. The Dutch colonies had been profitable markets for<br />
Belgian manufacturers before 1830. Now they were closed to<br />
Belgian goods. Between 1845 and 1849 in Flanders, harvests<br />
failed and a third of its population had to rely on charity. This<br />
increased the internal migration to Brussels and to the industrial<br />
areas of Wallonia.<br />
Leopold I was an early supporter of railways and industrialization.<br />
In 1835, Belgium’s first railway was inaugurated between<br />
Brussels and Mechelen, one of the first in Europe. He initiated<br />
many successful economic reforms. Nevertheless, in early 1848,<br />
a large number of radical publications appeared in Brussels,<br />
wanting to establish a Republic, since all over Europe social<br />
revolutions caused instability. Belgian troops ended this revolutionary<br />
threat by eliminating the Belgian émigrés attacking from<br />
the French border.<br />
Because of his family connections, as King of a neutral country,<br />
and through his insight in geopolitics, Leopold I was able to act<br />
as an important intermediary in European politics during his<br />
reign. He moderated relations between the hostile ‘Great Powers’.<br />
In the later part of his reign, his role in the relations between<br />
the United Kingdom and the French Empire of Napoleon III was<br />
important.<br />
Shortly after his death (1865), Prussia and its Saxony allied<br />
troops defeated the French army in the Franco-Prussian War<br />
of 1868-1871. His second son, King Leopold II (1835-1909),<br />
became acutely aware of the precarious situation of a neutral<br />
Belgium. He modernized and reformed the Belgian army.<br />
He was the founder of ‘l’État Indépendant du Congo (1885-<br />
1908)’, developed many beautiful urbanistic aspects in Brussels,<br />
Antwerp, and Ostend, still visible today. His reign created great<br />
prosperity for the Belgian economy. Although lately, revisiting<br />
history out of its timely context, ‘woke’ critics observed only the<br />
negative facts of the colonization of Congo. André de Maere<br />
d’Aertrycke published recently a more balanced evaluation of this<br />
period in ‘Le Congo au temps des Belges’. i<br />
Photos Michel Gronemberger / Royale Palace<br />
12 13
Veste Coburg (Coburg Fortress)<br />
Photo: Shutterstock<br />
Leopold II’s nephew Prince Baudouin (1869-1891) the eldest son<br />
of his son Baudouin I (reign July 17, 1951 – July 31, 1993), a<br />
of prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, died young. His brother<br />
wise and devout Roman Catholic. With this wife, the active<br />
Photos Michel Gronemberger / Royale Palace<br />
Albert, the later King Albert I (born 1875, reign 1909-1934)<br />
Queen-consort Fabiola, they became one of the strongholds of<br />
became the presumptive heir after the death of their father.<br />
the Belgian identity. At King Baudouin’s death, within hours the<br />
Palace gates were covered with flowers offered by the public. An<br />
case today. Now, as part of the European Union and interna-<br />
i<br />
André de Maere d’Aertrycke, André Schorochoff, Pierre<br />
Efficiently, Albert I, as general commander of the army (a gov-<br />
immense crowd gathered around the royal Palace. All European<br />
tional organizations, Belgium greatly contributes to progress in<br />
Vercauteren and André Vleurinck, Le Congo au Temps des<br />
ernmental prerogative), and his wife Queen Elisabeth from the<br />
monarchs attended the funeral service.<br />
all aspects of society and defends our democratic values. After<br />
Belges. Une réalité qui dérange. Bilan et Réalisations,<br />
House of Wittelsbach confronted the German attack (August 4,<br />
Belgium’s difficult birth, its monarchy was and still is one of the<br />
3e édition réactualisée, ed. Media, 2019.<br />
1914 – November 11, 1918) against a neutral Belgium, assist-<br />
His brother became King Albert II (reign August 9, 1993-July<br />
essential elements uniting the country, as my late mentor profes-<br />
ed by its Allies which had guaranteed the ‘Treaty of the XXIV<br />
21, 2013), whose wife, Princess Paola from the House of Ruffo<br />
sor Robert Senelle (1918-2013) always claimed.<br />
Articles’. The army withdrew behind the river Yser and resisted<br />
di Calabria became Queen. They have now three children (who<br />
heroically for four years. Albert I’s son, Crown-Prince Leopold<br />
have a half-sister), twelve grandchildren and two great-grandchil-<br />
The history of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha illustrates<br />
(later King Leopold III, reign 1934-1951) served in the army as<br />
dren. Home and abroad they represented Belgium on numerous<br />
many lessons in geopolitics, which led after the Second <strong>World</strong><br />
Corporal.<br />
trade missions and their popularity increased continuously during<br />
War to a new awareness that a lasting peace should triumph over<br />
their reign. They are still much-loved today. On July 3, 2013, for<br />
the differences in opinion between neighbouring countries. In the<br />
Even during the difficult times of the great depression (1929-<br />
health reasons, King Albert II announced to the parliament his<br />
open and free European nations respecting human rights and<br />
1932) the monarchs remained popular. After the drama in<br />
decision to abdicate in favour of his eldest son. Since then, King<br />
freedom of speech, Belgium became the seat of many European<br />
Marche-les-Dames (1934), his successor King Leopold III and<br />
Philippe I earned the respect of his compatriots and of many<br />
institutions. The Belgian national devise ‘United We Stand’ rep-<br />
Queen Astrid were acclaimed by the Belgians. After the end of<br />
beyond his realm.<br />
resents an essential value for our democracies. Even more when<br />
<strong>World</strong> War II and the Shoah (May 10, 1940 – 1945), Belgium joins<br />
these are under threat, as is the case now since the Russian<br />
NATO in 1949. The ‘Royal Question’ and the eventual return of<br />
Since the reign of Leopold I, the quality of Belgian diplomacy and<br />
aggression in Ukraine.<br />
the King created a political crisis. The King abdicated in favour<br />
its diplomats was in high esteem everywhere; and it is still the<br />
Univ. Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jan De Maere<br />
Photo: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
14 15
PRESIDENT CHARLES MICHEL<br />
AFTER VISITING THE AREA IMPACTED<br />
BY FLOODS IN SLOVENIA<br />
From left to right: Charles MICHEL (President of the European Council), Robert GOLOB (Prime Minister, Slovenia)<br />
Copyright: European Union<br />
From left to right: Charles MICHEL (President of the European Council), Robert GOLOB (Prime Minister, Slovenia)<br />
Copyright: European Union<br />
I would like to thank you, Prime Minister Golob, for giving me the<br />
opportunity to see with my own eyes the situation on the ground.<br />
I am here to reaffirm the European Union’s solidarity. I am very<br />
impressed by the courage of the Slovenian people. I am also<br />
impressed by the focus and determination of your leadership,<br />
Prime Minister Golob.<br />
It is clear that Slovenia is facing a difficult situation, a complex<br />
situation. And we are thinking what we can do to be operational<br />
and to be concrete.You know that the European Commission<br />
made a very important promise. We will mobilise €400 million<br />
as a starting point. You can also count on the Council and the<br />
Member States.<br />
I know that very quickly many European Union members and<br />
partners, including Ukraine, decided to provide concrete support.<br />
This is not enough and one thing is absolutely clear - we are not<br />
forgetting the Slovenian people. We are with you today Prime<br />
Minister and we are with all the Slovenian people. And we will be<br />
with you tomorrow. We will not forget what happened here.<br />
We also know that is important to invest and to rebuild the<br />
country. It is also important to be better prepared because we<br />
know that in the future, probably not only in Europe, not only in<br />
Slovenia, we will face more and more natural disasters. It means<br />
that we need to be better prepared and to have money available,<br />
in case of need. So that we can act and react very quickly.<br />
Prime Minister, I am impressed by the Slovenian people, and<br />
I am impressed by your leadership. You have many friends all<br />
across Europe. Dear Slovenian people, you have many friends all<br />
across Europe. You can count on us. Today and in the future…<br />
because it will take time. We are and we will be by your side.<br />
16 17
H.E. CHANDRIKAPERSAD SANTOKHI<br />
PRESIDENT OF SURINAME<br />
“WE SHOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO<br />
DEVELOP OUR NATURAL RESOURCES, INCLUD-<br />
ING OIL AND GAS, IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY<br />
FRIENDLY MANNER, TO KEEP OUR STATUS AS<br />
A CARBON NEGATIVE COUNTRY”<br />
there is an expectation of commitment and political will. These<br />
are the fundamentals of this Summit, that we are willing to come<br />
together and address issues which are very important, and some<br />
of which I mentioned above. As a country or as a region alone,<br />
we cannot address these. We have to address them collectively.<br />
That is one of the lessons we have learned from COVID-19:<br />
President of Suriname, H.E. Chandrikapersad Santokhi,<br />
cooperation is essential.<br />
kindly sat down with <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong> on the sidelines of the<br />
EU-CELAC Summit, held in Brussels on 17-18 July 2023.<br />
The two regions are historically connected. We have built<br />
inter-regional cooperation through people-to-people contacts,<br />
HEADS OF STATE & GOVERNMENT OF THE<br />
EUROPEAN UNION AND THE COMMUNITY OF<br />
LATIN AMERICAN & THE CARIBBEAN STATES<br />
(CELAC) GATHERED IN BRUSSELS ON 17 AND<br />
18 JULY 2023. WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS<br />
FOR THE SUMMIT, IN TERMS OF OUTCOMES AND<br />
DELIVERABLES?<br />
business and trade, but I think there are still impediments in<br />
doing business and obstacles to the free movement of people<br />
and goods.<br />
But we see the opportunities also. For one, these are two blocs<br />
of countries with economic growth potential, political power<br />
and influence as well to change the global scene of inter-state<br />
relations for the better. For that reason, we need to meet and<br />
exchange views and perspectives, and engage to build a new<br />
The world as a whole is somewhat in turmoil from the climate<br />
world order.<br />
crisis, debt burden, post-pandemic economic recovery and conflicts.<br />
There is enormous uncertainty where the only planet we<br />
So my first expectation is that we will have a constructive, honest<br />
H.E. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of Suriname<br />
have is going and what will be the fate and future of many mil-<br />
and frank debate and that we will treat each other as equal<br />
lions of people in the world. At the same time there are positive<br />
partners and built trust and confidence going forward. Second-<br />
signs in terms of the political will at the global level to revisit the<br />
ly, I expect concrete results in terms of cooperation in different<br />
For Suriname, CELAC is a useful and necessary platform for<br />
pharmaceuticals, food and energy, just to name a few areas. We<br />
existing diplomatic and financial architecture and infrastructure.<br />
areas, such as climate change, protecting and preserving the<br />
consultation and cooperation regarding political issues, econom-<br />
must develop our own capabilities and create sustainable jobs<br />
Like the recent Summit for a New Global Financing Pact hosted<br />
environment, trade and investment, agree on a way forward<br />
ic opportunities, and the development of stable, meaningful, and<br />
and production capacity.<br />
by the French President Emmanuel Macron. We support that.<br />
with regard to some pressing political issues, including the war<br />
prosperous societies. As such, we actively take part in the meet-<br />
against Ukraine, the reform of the global financial institutions and<br />
ings of CELAC at all levels. I believe that because of the positive<br />
For this our view is, and which we have shared in CELAC, that<br />
SO WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS FROM THIS<br />
HIGH POLITICAL ENCOUNTER BETWEEN THE<br />
EU AND CELAC?<br />
After 8 years, leaders of Latin America and the European Union<br />
are coming together. When you bring all these leaders together,<br />
multilateral organizations.<br />
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF SURINAME WITHIN CEL-<br />
AC? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PROPOSITIONS<br />
THAT SURINAME HAS PUT FORWARD AS PART OF<br />
THIS GROUPING?<br />
financial and economic horizon and opportunities Latin America,<br />
and also the Caribbean neighbours are getting more and more to<br />
Suriname, and for that matter also our neighbour Guyana.<br />
I believe that the Latin American and Caribbean region will not be<br />
able to develop its full potential if we do not create an economy<br />
that is less dependent on distant resources and services, like in<br />
we should:<br />
• Bring our peoples closer together. That will build trust,<br />
recognition and joint opportunities;<br />
• For this we will need improved connectivity on land, in the air<br />
and via the sea;<br />
• We also favour, within the boundaries of national legislation<br />
and security, hassle free travel between our countries.<br />
18 19
Photo: Istock<br />
Photo: Istock<br />
Suriname, since 1 July 2022, opened its borders for more that<br />
that foreign companies are coming. Four companies are already<br />
our natural resources, including oil and gas, in an environmentally<br />
cherish its function as an oxygen producer and a carbon sink for<br />
90 percent of the countries in the world to travel to the country<br />
active, using modern technologies to produce food; high-yield<br />
friendly manner, to keep our status as a carbon negative country.<br />
all the people of the world.<br />
without visa or other applications;<br />
and disease-resistant crops. As a result, we are now able to<br />
Hereby, we can contribute to the region’s energy security. We<br />
• Promote intra-regional trade, so that supply chains can be<br />
export food to the Caribbean region.<br />
have signed in early July an energy agreement with the govern-<br />
Suriname is looking strategically to the future and has started<br />
shortened and be less costly;<br />
ment of Trinidad and Tobago (which could lead to natural gas<br />
with the transition to a carbon-free economy, a green economy,<br />
• And lastly, mobilize “CELAC” capital to invest in the future of<br />
Suriname also wishes to play a bridge function between the<br />
from Suriname being piped to Trinidad and Tobago) and very<br />
despite the presence of oil and gas. At present, 50 percent of<br />
the Latin American and Caribbean world.<br />
South American continent and the countries of the Caribbean<br />
soon we will sign an agreement between Brazil, Guyana and<br />
our energy comes from renewables. We are conducting feasi-<br />
Community (CARICOM). We are building a bridge between<br />
Suriname to forge an energy alliance.<br />
bility studies on biomass and wind energy. We have committed<br />
Suriname is one of the three carbon negative countries in the<br />
Suriname and Guyana, which should be ready by the first quarter<br />
to exploit our newfound natural resources, oil and gas, in a<br />
world. We are a highly forested country. We are keeping emissions<br />
low through the introduction of renewable energies (we<br />
have hydro and we are interested in developing solar) and have<br />
therefore initiated a green transition. It is important to look at how<br />
Suriname, a small country, has achieved that. But on the other<br />
side, we are impacted by climate change and global warming.<br />
We do not have the solution to that alone. So we need to cooperate<br />
in this domain under the CELAC umbrella.<br />
Another example of regional cooperation in the CELAC region<br />
concerns food security. Suriname has a large territory, pristine,<br />
with plenty of fertile land. We have made the decision to make<br />
of next year. It will also create connectivity to the north of Brazil,<br />
where a lot of production activities take place. Next to the bridge,<br />
we are setting up a shore base port facility in Suriname, the<br />
closest shore base for the North of Brazil, to bring their products<br />
to the entire world. Such examples improve regional connectivity<br />
and cooperation.<br />
Finally, we are seen as a newcomer to the oil business. But we<br />
have a history of more than 40 years in the oil production, in<br />
Suriname’s mainland. We are indeed newcomers in terms of<br />
offshore oil exploration, with international oil companies having<br />
made good discoveries off the coast of Suriname.<br />
SURINAME IS IN THE CUSP OF AN OIL BOOM<br />
AFTER THE FIRST DISCOVERIES WERE MADE IN<br />
2020. AT THE SAME TIME, IT IS ONE OF THE MOST<br />
DENSELY FORESTED COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD;<br />
ONE OF THREE CARBON NEGATIVE COUNTRIES<br />
AND IS STRONGLY BETTING ON RENEWABLE<br />
ENERGY AS WELL. HOW WILL THE COUNTRY<br />
MANAGE THE TRANSITION TO AN OIL-BASED<br />
ECONOMY AND A GREEN ECONOMY AT THE<br />
SAME TIME?<br />
sustainable, environmentally sound and friendly manner. We<br />
will follow and implement internationally adopted environmental<br />
standards. The income should be utilised for the diversification<br />
of our economy. Revenues will be reserved in a sovereign wealth<br />
fund, the Savings and Stability Fund Suriname (SSF) for future<br />
generations.<br />
At the same time, we are committed to the Paris goals on climate<br />
change, and we expect every country in the world to effectively<br />
deliver on these goals and subsequently agreed new objectives.<br />
The results so far, however, are regrettably poor, so we cannot<br />
continue to deliver nice and politically correct speeches with no-<br />
available 300,000 hectares of land free of cost to investors with<br />
Suriname is blessed with pristine forests, enormous rivers with a<br />
ble commitments and ideals. We need to act now, with commit-<br />
one condition: to come to Suriname and invest in agriculture, by<br />
This is good news for the economic development and energy<br />
rich biodiversity and rapids, and a beautiful mountainous natural<br />
ment and dedication, if we want to safeguard this world for future<br />
setting-up food production and processing facilities. And we see<br />
security of Suriname. We should have the opportunity to develop<br />
landscape. We are committed to maintain our natural beauty and<br />
generations.<br />
20 21
Suriname, faced already with financial and debt crises, and<br />
additionally confronting this loss and damage, cannot easily<br />
cope. These things were not planned or foreseen. We are forced<br />
to decrease budgets from health, security, education, to support<br />
the people in need to cover the loss and damage. This has an<br />
impact on other areas of development. Additionally, we face the<br />
bureaucracy in getting access to international finance.<br />
I hope that the agenda on “loss and damage” will progress<br />
beyond words and that concrete mechanisms of financing and<br />
compensation will be agreed on. And these resources should not<br />
be made complicated to access. Climate change has induced<br />
unexpected, unbudgeted costs to our society, and we were not<br />
even the main perpetrators for these unforeseen events of floods,<br />
mudslides, draughts, etc. to happen.<br />
We demand more justice and sustainability in the international<br />
financial architecture. The system has been unjust until now, especially<br />
the way countries are ranked in the Human Development<br />
Index (HDI). We are a developing country, but we are ranked as a<br />
medium income country, therefore missing out on a lot of opportunities<br />
for financial assistance.<br />
We will participate in the COP 28 in Dubai and repeat our views,<br />
calling for a more honest global framework for development<br />
financing, the so-called Bridgetown Initiative, but also reaffirming<br />
our commitment to protect and preserve our natural habitat.<br />
ARE CARBON CREDITS SOMETHING THAT<br />
SURINAME IS LOOKING INTO?<br />
Suriname has started to develop a carbon strategy, including<br />
mechanisms how to assess all the offers we are receiving regarding<br />
carbon credits, carbon bonds, debt-for-nature swaps, etc. It<br />
seems that carbon trading has become instantly a new and prospective<br />
investment industry. A commercialised business, was<br />
that the objective of the introduction of carbon credits to reach<br />
net zero emissions? I do not believe so.<br />
We also will make the point that a Government’s responsibility is<br />
also to take care of its social habitat, our population, and that we<br />
will follow a very balanced approach.<br />
We have to protect ourselves by making the deals that will be the<br />
best for us today and in the future. To this end, we need technical<br />
support to design a carbon credit strategy which is good for our<br />
people, the region and the world.<br />
Photo: Istock<br />
We find that the newcomers in this industry, especially in the<br />
kind of leadership to we have to express, then, with a view on<br />
developing world, should be given the opportunity to manage<br />
COP28?<br />
these opportunities in a balanced manner. It would not be fair to<br />
set a bar now, simply because those who have already benefited<br />
On one hand, we as a small country (600,000 people) lack<br />
from these resources and have built their economy and society<br />
capacity, but we have the commitment to play a role for protect-<br />
towards the future, find that it is time to limit the use of these<br />
ing the world and saving the planet. We also expect from the<br />
energy resources.<br />
international community to give us the support in developing<br />
sustainable forest management, enhancing our capacity to pro-<br />
ACCORDING TO VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE<br />
EUROPEAN COMMISSION FRANS TIMMERMANS,<br />
SURINAME CAN PLAY A LEADING ROLE IN THE<br />
FIELD OF CLIMATE CHANGE. WHAT WILL BE<br />
SURINAME’S AGENDA IN THE UPCOMING COP28<br />
TO BE HELD IN THE UAE, PARTICULARLY ON<br />
THE QUESTION OF LOSS AND DAMAGE THAT IS<br />
CENTRAL TO THE ALLIANCE OF SMALL ISLAND<br />
STATES (AOSIS), OF WHICH SURINAME IS A PART<br />
OF? MORE GENERALLY, WHAT ACTIONS IS<br />
SURINAME TAKING IN CLIMATE MITIGATION<br />
AND ADAPTATION?<br />
tect biodiversity and protecting our coastal areas. And to give us<br />
support in case of climate-related crises.<br />
A couple of months ago, we suffered a period of extreme<br />
rainfall, causing flooding in Suriname’s interior, which led to<br />
the displacement of people. It is also leading to the alteration<br />
in people’s livelihoods. The soil where people used to plant is<br />
changing: cassava and other products can no longer grow.<br />
So now are introducing rice seeds. This requires a change in<br />
mindset and lifestyle for tribal people who have been around<br />
hundreds of years. Traditionally, people built their villages along<br />
the shores of rivers, used for transportation, drinking water, etc.<br />
Now, we need to move them to higher places, and for this, we<br />
The message from Frans Timmermans was quite clear. We are<br />
one of greenest countries, providing oxygen to the world. What<br />
need to create the necessary infrastructure.<br />
H.E. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, President of Suriname with Barbara Dietrich CEO <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong> and<br />
Alberto Turkstra, project manager <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
Photo: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
22 23
H.E. ZHANNA ANDREASYAN<br />
MINISTER OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE,<br />
CULTURE AND SPORTS OF ARMENIA<br />
The main understanding of our education strategy<br />
is that every child is talented, and the goal of the education system<br />
is to discover those talents and provide opportunities<br />
for their development<br />
COULD YOU COMMENT ON THE CULTURAL<br />
HERITAGE PROTECTION EFFORTS OF THE<br />
GOVERNMENT OF ARMENIA, INCLUDING<br />
THE COOPERATION WITH INTERNATIONAL<br />
PARTNERS LIKE UNESCO? HOW DO YOU<br />
ASSESS THE THREAT TO THE CULTURAL<br />
HERITAGE OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH?<br />
This is a very important question, especially nowadays that we<br />
are facing many challenges and difficulties regarding the preservation<br />
of Armenian cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh. After<br />
the war in 2020, we applied to UNESCO to send an observation<br />
mission to the region to understand the situation of our cultural<br />
heritage there. We have very valuable pieces of cultural heritage<br />
in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. It is part of the universal<br />
H.E. Zhanna Andreasyan Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport and Barbara Dietrich<br />
culture, therefore for us it is very important to have an understanding<br />
that there are international mechanisms to keep all<br />
those monuments safe.<br />
But unfortunately, we did not succeed in sending the mission<br />
to the region during these three years. And what we have in<br />
the end is more than 50 monuments destroyed or demolished<br />
by Azerbaijan. After the September 19 attack by Azerbaijan on<br />
Nagorno-Karabakh, we have even more concerns. We are now<br />
talking about more than 5,000 items of cultural heritage in the<br />
territory of Nagrono Karabakh, among them are the Amaras<br />
Monastery, home of the first Armenian school; Gandzasar and<br />
Dadivank Monasteries, to name a few, all part of the universal<br />
Christian heritage.<br />
We think that it should be the task or first priority of international<br />
organizations which have this mandate to preserve this cultural<br />
heritage. You mentioned UNESCO, we are actively working with<br />
them, we hope it would be possible to send a mission to the<br />
region to undertake concrete steps to preserve cultural heritage<br />
and ensure their safety.<br />
missions. Especially because after the September 19 attack, we<br />
see new cases of demolition of cultural heritage.<br />
WHAT ARE THE MAIN PILLARS OF THE NEW<br />
EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT PLAN UNTIL 2030,<br />
WHICH WAS ADOPTED EARLIER THIS YEAR?<br />
We have quite ambitious goals for our education strategy. Of<br />
course our first priority is to ensure high-quality education, fully<br />
accessible for all our citizens in all our regions, cities and villages.<br />
We are bound to transform our education system. Globally there<br />
are various understandings that formal education is in crisis, we<br />
need to understand what could be the new forms and mechanisms<br />
how to organise education to be more in tune with the<br />
changing world and high-speed transformation of our societies.<br />
In this regard, education reforms have no alternative. We need<br />
to think about reforming education and making it more flexible in<br />
terms of changes and creating some sort of symbiosis of formal<br />
and non-formal education.<br />
At the moment we see there are some missions by UN organisations<br />
to Nagorno-Karabakh and we have applied to our<br />
system that is providing opportunities for each of our children to<br />
For us it is very important, through these changes, to create a<br />
international partners, international organisations, to join these develop their individual talents. The main understanding of our<br />
Alberto Turkstra, H.E. Zhanna Andreasyan Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport and Barbara Dietrich<br />
24 25
Alberto Turkstra, Marina Hakobyan Director National Gallery of Armenia, Barbara Dietrich and<br />
H.E. Zhanna Andreasyan Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport<br />
H.E. Zhanna Andreasyan Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport<br />
education strategy is that every child is talented, and the goal of<br />
tion for them into the educational system. The right scenario is<br />
a contemporary environment for our universities and research<br />
regard that are connecting scientists from abroad with Armenian<br />
the education system is to discover those talents and provide<br />
that all these people have the possibility to return back to their<br />
institutes to operate.<br />
scientist to conduct joint projects.<br />
opportunities for their development.<br />
homeland and have the opportunity to live safely, with their rights<br />
ensured. But otherwise, if that is not possible, we in Armenia are<br />
If we look at the numbers, we have more than doubled the state<br />
Aside from Horizon, we are part of different projects implemented<br />
Today, apart from the implementation of the education strategy,<br />
ready to support as much as we can.<br />
funding for science in recent years and we have new pro-<br />
by the EU, such as the Erasmus + programme, and in the field of<br />
we are also in a situation in which we need to ensure the right for<br />
grammes for the financing of young scientists, having achieved<br />
culture we are part since last year of the Creative Europe<br />
education for the children who have fled Nagorno Karabakh to<br />
Armenia: 30,000 kids, out of which 21,000 in schooling age, are<br />
all now in Armenia. We are trying to ensure their school education,<br />
but we are struggling with integrating them in our school<br />
system. In some regions – Kotayk, Ararat and Armavir – there<br />
COULD YOU COMMENT ON ARMENIA’S LONG<br />
TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE IN THE FIELDS OF<br />
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY?<br />
tangible progress. Of the grants provided last year to our scientists,<br />
over 70 percent went to young scientists. Additionally, there<br />
is a plan to gradually increase the salaries of scientists in order to<br />
make science more attractive for young people.<br />
Programme, additionally to bilateral programmes with EU<br />
Member States.<br />
The last EU budget support programme – which aims to increase<br />
the competitiveness of the Armenian education system, and<br />
is greater pressure on schools, but we are trying to locate the<br />
We have a very ambitious project in this regard, which is called<br />
We are working intensively in terms of internationalization,<br />
focused in particular on improving the quality of STEM<br />
students more proportionately across the country. We are also<br />
Academic City. One of the main goals is to have better con-<br />
actively participating in Horizon programmes of the EU, both in<br />
(Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) teaching and<br />
trying to create support mechanisms for university and college<br />
nected and integrated higher education and science. Our main<br />
the previous iteration, Horizon 2020 (2014-2020), and currently in<br />
earning, bringing together formal and innovative non-formal<br />
students from Nagorno-Karabakh.<br />
priority is to make all our universities research-based, with a<br />
Horizon Europe (2021-2027). Our researchers and scientists have<br />
education to make high quality educational services more<br />
strong science component delivering high-quality research. We<br />
been able to obtain funds from these frameworks.<br />
accessible in rural communities – was signed and ratified this<br />
We have also special programmes for teachers from Nagorno-<br />
have started the process of reforms. Our student body is not so<br />
year, and is aligned with our Education Strategy 2030.<br />
Karabakh, for them to enrol in schools and continue their profes-<br />
big but the number of universities in Armenia is quite large. One<br />
So our research capacities are developing year-by-year and our<br />
sional work in Armenia. Many of them have already applied, and<br />
of the directions of our work is merging universities, connecting<br />
scientific work is becoming more competitive in the process.<br />
Photos: Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports<br />
we are committed to ensure a smooth and supportive transi-<br />
them with research institutes and creating a new Academic City,<br />
Additionally, we have very important grant programmes in this<br />
of the Republic of Armenia<br />
26 27
DIR_0170-2303_diplomatic_world_hd.pdf 2 7/03/16 17:43<br />
DONATION OF ARTWORK<br />
TO THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ARMENIA<br />
During the working visit of <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong> to Armenia, from<br />
16 to 20 October 2023, CEO Barbara Dietrich donated the<br />
artwork “Lachende” (100 x 200 cm, photo technique on polycarbonate,<br />
acrylic and oil with lime) by the artist Ulrike Bolenz, to<br />
the National Gallery of Armenia, in the framework of <strong>Diplomatic</strong><br />
<strong>World</strong>’s work in the field of cultural diplomacy, building bridges of<br />
understanding between countries and societies through art and<br />
culture.<br />
are the human ideals of peace and freedom. Bolenz’s works of<br />
art contain highly aesthetic images of women who express joy<br />
through their posture and laughter. The artist preferred women as<br />
her motifs because they, especially as mothers, have to convey<br />
joy of life, optimism and courage to their children. Thus, women<br />
essentially introduce a new member of human society to peaceful<br />
enjoyment of life and harmony between races, cultures and<br />
religions.<br />
The work was officially presented on October 17 to H.E. Zhanna<br />
Andreasyan, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport<br />
of the Republic of Armenia and Marina Hakobyan, Director of the<br />
National Gallery of Armenia.<br />
Through her work, the German-Belgian artist Ulrike Bolenz<br />
connects and reconciles people. At the centre of this artistic idea<br />
The National Gallery of Armenia is the major fine art museum in<br />
Armenia and the largest in the world with its Armenian fine arts<br />
collection. Established in 1921, the Gallery includes more than<br />
40,000 highly valuable works of Armenian and foreign fine art<br />
and those of decorative-applied art.<br />
Photo: Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports<br />
of the Republic of Armenia<br />
28 29
H.E. VASSILIS MARAGOS<br />
EU AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA<br />
The EU aims at supporting Armenian resilience,<br />
institutional development and reforms, while supporting<br />
the country’s very statehood and independence<br />
in the current challenging circumstances<br />
AS THE NEW HEAD OF THE EU DELEGATION TO<br />
ARMENIA, WHAT PRIORITIES WILL YOU PURSUE<br />
DURING YOUR TENURE?<br />
enhance our cooperation and reinforce ties. We already have the<br />
Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreement, which facilitates<br />
the issuance of visas for short-term trips to the EU for Armenian<br />
citizens, and we have just negotiated an ambitious agreement<br />
Many thanks for the opportunity of this interview, and many<br />
of cooperation with EUROJUST, which is a key for our judicial<br />
thanks for the question. It is a great honour but also a very<br />
cooperation in criminal matters, notably when it comes to com-<br />
demanding challenge to serve as EU representative in Armenia<br />
bating serious crime.<br />
in particular now, in these difficult times when Armenia faces important<br />
challenges. Following the military operation by Azerbaijan<br />
Focusing on the full implementation of CEPA but also further<br />
against the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh and the<br />
expanding our partnership, and promoting EU’s role as a key<br />
massive exodus to Armenia, the EU focus is now on to support-<br />
partner in strengthening Armenia’s political, institutional and<br />
Syunik, which has already mobilised more than EUR 120 million<br />
together to accelerate this process. We will also accelerate work<br />
ing the government of Armenia to cater to the immediate needs<br />
economic reform will be crucial.<br />
– while new connectivity projects and trade routes can also be-<br />
in areas which are key for the Armenian economy and regional<br />
and the economic integration.<br />
come possible following a peace agreement boosting economic<br />
connectivity such as air safety, nuclear safety and upgrading of<br />
The EU aims at supporting Armenian resilience, institutional<br />
development and people to people contacts and reconciliation.<br />
electricity transmission systems.<br />
Armenia is a country with which we share democratic values and<br />
a commitment to a rules-based international order. In the context<br />
of the significant geopolitical challenges of this region following<br />
notably Russia’s war against Ukraine, and the EU’s engagement<br />
with all partners in the Eastern Partnership region, relations with<br />
Armenia stand out.<br />
Back in 2017 the EU signed a very ambitious agreement with<br />
development and reforms, while supporting the country’s very<br />
statehood and independence in the current challenging circumstances<br />
in Armenia and the region. These reforms will only produce<br />
the necessary results when they respond to the high expectations<br />
of citizens but also help address important challenges in<br />
relation to climate change, green energy and the digital transition.<br />
An important area of cooperation is also innovation and research,<br />
fields where Armenia’s competitive advantage is a real one.<br />
An important focus of the EU’s work in Armenia is our care for<br />
people. Our projects, investments and actions on the ground<br />
aim at exploring craftsmanship, talent, entrepreneurship and<br />
innovation to help the Armenian economy grow and the society<br />
to become more resilient. I am also going to promote inclusion,<br />
protection of human rights, including labour rights, the rights<br />
of people belonging to vulnerable groups and minorities, and<br />
HOW DO YOU ASSESS THE CURRENT STATE<br />
OF THE ARMENIA-EU PARTNERSHIP? HOW<br />
SPECIFICALLY IS THE EU FACILITATING THE<br />
REFORM PROCESS IN ARMENIA IN THE SPHERES<br />
OF THE ECONOMY, PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION,<br />
CIVIL SOCIETY AND OTHERS?<br />
Armenia, the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agree-<br />
promote freedom of expression and media freedom, as well as<br />
As mentioned, EU-Armenia relations are based on CEPA, which<br />
ment (CEPA), which has been termed “a blueprint for reforms”.<br />
Another key element of my mandate is to encourage negotiations<br />
media literacy.<br />
entered into force on 1st March 2021. CEPA supports Armenia’s<br />
One of the key priorities during my tenure will be to promote and<br />
to advance the peace process with Azerbaijan, promote and<br />
comprehensive reform agenda, based on democracy, transpar-<br />
accelerate the implementation of this agreement to ensure its<br />
support the EU’s role as a facilitator in this respect, and support<br />
The civil society will be an important partner in this respect, mak-<br />
ency and rule of law and the introduction of far reaching reforms<br />
numerous benefits can reach all people in Armenia.<br />
confidence-building initiatives. Let me also stress the presence<br />
ing sure nobody is left behind, including people with disabilities,<br />
in areas related to environment, energy, consumer protection,<br />
of the EU Mission to Armenia, whose role is to observe and<br />
LGBTI persons and persons from unfavourable social environ-<br />
digitalisation, competition and trade. Armenia’s focus and com-<br />
I also expect that together with the Armenian authorities we can<br />
report on the security situation along the Armenian side of the<br />
ments. Working with youth, consulting and sensitising young<br />
mitment in realising the potential of CEPA is indeed remarkable<br />
improve monitoring of its implementation as well as showcasing<br />
international border with Azerbaijan. It will contribute to human<br />
people across the country will also be an important priority.<br />
taking also into account the challenges faced by the country.<br />
the reforms already implemented while working together to pro-<br />
security in conflict-affected areas in Armenia and contribute to<br />
mote further reforms in line with the aspirations of the Armenian<br />
build confidence between Armenia and Azerbaijan.<br />
And in the current context, integrating the care for refugees in<br />
Let me stress in particular the results achieved already when it<br />
people. To that effect, together with my team we are actively<br />
the way we work in Armenia will be certainly key for our partner-<br />
comes to the reform of the judiciary, education, social protec-<br />
engaging not only with the authorities, but also with the civil<br />
Despite the current challenging context (made even more difficult<br />
ship. President von der Leyen has already announced redoubled<br />
tion, while also a comprehensive anti-corruption toolbox has<br />
society, social partners and businesses to ensure they are also<br />
following the events of last month) it is important to prepare the<br />
efforts to implement the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan<br />
also been introduced and is being implemented with significant<br />
actively involved in the process and help shape relevant reforms.<br />
ground for the “peace dividend”, notably when it comes to the<br />
which has the ambition to provide in the next few years up to<br />
results. The EU has been actively fostering policy dialogue and<br />
economic boost a country gets from peace, security and stability.<br />
EUR 2.6 billion to be used for investment in infrastructure, private<br />
committing substantial financial resources in technical and<br />
While CEPA remains the basis of our cooperation, both on<br />
In that respect we try to promote resilience and post-conflict<br />
sector development, notably for small and medium-sized enter-<br />
budget support that facilitates the implementation of planned<br />
the EU and the Armenian side we have the ambition to further<br />
recovery with our significant “Team Europe Initiative” for resilient<br />
prises and the green and the digital transition. We have to work<br />
reforms. Additionally, the EU’s Economic and Investment Plan<br />
30 31
has established a collaborative platform with international finan-<br />
ing on providing tools for accelerating the reform process and<br />
cial institutions (IFIs) to enhance its impact.<br />
making it more focused on the needs of the Armenian economy<br />
and society, while showcasing the results already achieved and<br />
This coordinated effort has already yielded a cumulative mo-<br />
engaging with civil society on CEPA implementation issues.<br />
bilisation of investments exceeding 400 million euros. These<br />
investments are specifically directed towards promoting sustain-<br />
Secondly, we have agreed with the government to enhance<br />
ability, innovation, and resilience, underscoring the EU’s commit-<br />
our engagement with all government bodies involved in CEPA<br />
ment to fostering positive economic progress. I want to stress in<br />
implementation and to upgrade policy dialogue. To that effect we<br />
particular the particularly favourable ecosystem when it comes to<br />
have agreed to work together to identify a set of short- to medi-<br />
start-ups in the area of new technologies but also to sector with<br />
um-term priorities expected to have an impact on the economy<br />
added value linked to new technologies.<br />
and society.<br />
One of the challenges is related to administrative capacities, and<br />
But this is not all, through the implementation of projects (our<br />
we have recently discussed with our Armenian counterparts on<br />
current portfolio is more than EUR 300 million in grants) we aim<br />
how we can scale up support to public administration reform.<br />
at implementing on the ground projects, which make a differ-<br />
A new strategy is now on the table and we are currently explor-<br />
ence for all people in Armenia. Let me give you an example:<br />
ing together on how we can further support its implementation,<br />
EU4Sevan. A couple of weeks ago I met with several farmers that<br />
following up on an earlier engagement in this sector.<br />
have benefited from the EU4Sevan actions, and I could witness<br />
the exceptional crop of potatoes and broccoli that they managed<br />
The objective would be to have better streamlined procedures,<br />
by using innovative green technologies and in this way contribut-<br />
including when it comes to further strengthening links between<br />
ing to the environmentally friendly social-economic development<br />
conception and implementation of policies and on how we can<br />
of the Lake Sevan surroundings.<br />
concretely and practically help government agencies become<br />
more transparent, efficient and be at the service of citizens. The<br />
Thanks to these new methods they could save millions of cubic<br />
current challenge with the integration of refuges may provide an<br />
meters of water while enhancing the environmental protection of<br />
additional incentive towards the successful implementation of<br />
Lake Sevan, the most significant source of freshwater, irrigation<br />
these plans.<br />
water and aquaculture for Armenia.<br />
WHAT IS THE PROGRESS IN THE IMPLEMENTA-<br />
TION OF THE EU-ARMENIA COMPREHENSIVE<br />
ECONOMIC AND PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT<br />
(CEPA), WHICH ENTERED INTO FORCE IN 2021?<br />
WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?<br />
HOW DO YOU SEE THE ROLE OF THE EU IN<br />
FACILITATING LONG-TERM SUSTAINABLE PEACE<br />
IN THE REGION AND THE NORMALIZATION<br />
OF RELATIONS BETWEEN ARMENIA AND<br />
AZERBAIJAN?<br />
As already mentioned significant reforms have already been im-<br />
Since its very beginning, European integration has been a “peace<br />
plemented within the context of our partnership. I want to stress<br />
project” – this is what has been very much in the origin of the<br />
in particular significant results already achieved when it comes<br />
first bold steps towards European integration back in the 1950s;<br />
working through its EU Special Representative whose role is<br />
Despite setbacks such as the recent use of force in Nagorno-<br />
to justice, in particular on arbitration and alternative dispute<br />
probably you recall that the declaration of the 9th of May starts<br />
to contribute to a peaceful settlement of conflicts in the region,<br />
Karabakh (which was clearly condemned by the EU) and the<br />
resolution, which has improved access to justice and streamlined<br />
with the words “La paix…”. Reconciliation, solidarity, concrete<br />
notably by engaging with the parties to achieve peace and<br />
more than 100,000 new refuges from this region who arrived in<br />
its delivery.<br />
steps to build together lasting peace, have been taken and over<br />
normalisation. But even more importantly, the President of the<br />
Armenia, but also the non-holding of the planned five-way meet-<br />
the following decades lasting peace has been built on European<br />
European Council Charles Michel has personally engaged to<br />
ing in Granada as one of the parties did not join, the EU remains<br />
I wish to stress the reform of the police with the creation of a<br />
soil.<br />
facilitate the advancement of the peace and normalisation<br />
committed to the peace process and we work relentlessly to<br />
patrol police service which is bringing police closer to citizens,<br />
process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.<br />
promote the “peace dividend” among all actors.<br />
while bringing migration management within the system of the<br />
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the European Union in<br />
Ministry of Interior has also helped to improve processes and se-<br />
2012 “for over six decades contributed to the advancement<br />
We should also not forget the Eastern Partnership as a concrete<br />
The EU Member States are united in this and we are ready to use<br />
cure a more integrated approach to migration. Education reforms<br />
of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in<br />
form of regional cooperation which aims at bringing together<br />
all EU tools to further promote peace and reconciliation.<br />
have also been introduced which have helped, i.a., to develop an<br />
Europe”. Our global strategy and our commitment to a rules-<br />
the governments and people in this region to address common<br />
ecosystem which nurtures innovation and high-tech.<br />
based multilateral legal order aims also to promote peaceful<br />
challenges, such as for instance in the area of environment,<br />
Photos: EU Delegation to Armenia & <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
resolution of conflicts and this is the main objectives of our<br />
green and digital transition, connectivity and economic develop-<br />
Yet, we now realise that the potential of CEPA is larger and to<br />
various peace-building efforts around the world.<br />
ment, and it thus also contributes concretely to building lasting<br />
realise this we are doing two things: Firstly, back in April we<br />
peaceful relations across the region.<br />
launched a EUR 7 million technical support programme focus-<br />
In the region of South Caucasus, the European Union is mainly<br />
32 33
H.E. ERIC DE MUYNCK<br />
AMBASSADOR OF BELGIUM TO ARMENIA<br />
We must safeguard the territorial integrity<br />
and sovereignty of Armenia and this is<br />
what will guide our action<br />
WHAT IS THE RATIONALE FOR THE OPENING<br />
OF A FULL-FLEDGED EMBASSY OF BELGIUM<br />
IN YEREVAN AT THIS POINT IN TIME?<br />
On the economic front, our agenda is to develop our cooperation<br />
with Armenia in different areas. In October we had the Wallonia<br />
Export-Investment Agency (AWEX) economic mission supported<br />
by the Belgian Armenian Chamber of Commerce in Yerevan.<br />
The geopolitical context has profoundly changed with a particular<br />
This is the opportunity to identify sectors of common interest, as<br />
risk of increased destabilisation in countries close to the EU. The<br />
health, IT, logistics, energy, just to cite of few.<br />
government of Belgium came to the conclusion that we needed<br />
to reinforce our presence in the South-Caucasus and as a result<br />
So, there are many reasons why Belgium decided to be the right<br />
that we needed to have a resident Embassy in Armenia. This de-<br />
moment to open an Embassy. I should also mention the signifi-<br />
cision was taken by the Council of Ministers in June of this year.<br />
cant Armenian community in Belgium, 30,000 to 40,000 Belgians<br />
We have diplomatic relations with Armenia since more than thirty<br />
of Armenian origin. This is also a strong motivation for us to have<br />
years. It was expected by the Armenian authorities for a long<br />
an Embassy here, to help further connecting this diaspora with<br />
time that Belgium would establish a permanent representation<br />
Armenia, and to develop joint projects on many fronts: academic,<br />
here in Yerevan.<br />
cultural, economic, among others.<br />
Ambassador of Belgium to Armenia Eric de Muynck presented his credentials to President Vahagn Khachaturyan<br />
Photo: Office of the President of Armenia<br />
Moreover, we observe see for the moment that there is a huge<br />
appetite by Armenian authorities for Europe. This was reiterated<br />
by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at during this his intervention<br />
on October 17 during at the plenary session of the European<br />
Parliament in Strasbourg where he declared: “the Republic of<br />
Armenia is ready to be closer to the European Union”. They wish<br />
HOW DO YOU ASSESS THE CURRENT STATE OF<br />
ARMENIA-BELGIUM TIES, AND WHERE/IN WHICH<br />
AREAS AND SECTORS DO YOU SEE ROOM FOR<br />
THEIR EXPANSION AND ENHANCEMENT?<br />
cooperation in the framework of the Francophonie (Armenia is<br />
a full-fledged member of the Organisation Internationale de la<br />
Francophonie since 2015). We need now to connect the dots<br />
between Armenia and Belgium to develop new bilateral projects.<br />
burns (at the Queen Astrid Military Hospital in Neder-over-<br />
Heembeek, Brussels). This was a concrete action, a sign of<br />
solidarity to the Armenian authorities in this difficult time.<br />
to diversify their alliances, to be more connected to Europe, and<br />
we support this ambition. We want also to show our support to<br />
the various diplomatic initiatives that have been taken to find<br />
peace and stability in the South Caucasus, as for instance meditation<br />
mediation process that is supported by President of the<br />
European Council Charles Michel.<br />
The bilateral relationship between Belgium and Armenia is excellent.<br />
As proof of this, I can cite the recent visit of the Minister<br />
of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, Mrs. Hadja Lahbib, to Armenia last<br />
August, during which the Minister had the opportunity to discuss<br />
the situation in the region with wide set of interlocutors including<br />
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.<br />
WHAT KIND OF HUMANITARIAN SUPPORT IS<br />
BELGIUM PROVIDING TO THE 100,000 ETHNIC<br />
ARMENIANS WHO HAD TO FORCIBLY FLEE<br />
NAGORNO KARABAKH?<br />
On a broader scope, Belgium is contributing to the general<br />
funding of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),<br />
and UN agencies. As part of our peace-building efforts, Belgium<br />
has supported a medical and reintegration centre for wounded<br />
soldiers and we currently consider other initiatives to respond to<br />
this crisis.<br />
It was very peculiar to arrive in Armenia just a few days before<br />
I also strongly believe that since the Velvet Revolution in 2018,<br />
As a new Ambassador I am regularly paying visits to members of<br />
the military operation on Nagorno-Karabakh occurred (Septem-<br />
The Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh have the right to live in<br />
Armenia is engaged in democratic process, and we want to<br />
the Government, and each time I visit a Minister, new ideas are<br />
ber 19), an offensive that Belgium, with the European Union, has<br />
safety, with dignity and respect for their identity, and this includes<br />
stand by the Republic of Armenia as important reforms are being<br />
coming up to reinforce this relationship. We are not really begin-<br />
condemned. One of the first actions I was involved in was the<br />
the right of return for displaced persons. Over the last weeks, Ar-<br />
implemented in this direction.<br />
ning from scratch, we already have projects implemented here,<br />
medical evacuation of severely burnt patients of the fuel ware-<br />
menia had has to absorb a huge influx of 100,000 people coming<br />
but we do not have a lot of cooperation agreements with the<br />
house explosion in Stepanakert on 25 September.<br />
from Nagorno Karabakh. This creates a lot of challenges for the<br />
On the economic front, our agenda is to develop cooperation<br />
Ministries. We definitely need to figure out what are our competi-<br />
Armenian authorities to cope with. Belgium is closely monitoring<br />
with Armenia in several areas. In October, we had the Wallonia<br />
tive advantages to provide the best experiences possible for our<br />
I coordinated this evacuation with B-FAST (Belgian First Aid and<br />
the Armenian coordination efforts towards a collective response.<br />
Export-Investment Agency (AWEX) economic mission taking<br />
Armenian interlocutors.<br />
Support Team, an interdepartmental structure which organizes<br />
But what I have learnt from Armenia’s history is the resilience of<br />
place in Yerevan. This event is supported by the new Belgian em-<br />
the dispatching of Belgian emergency assistance abroad) and<br />
the Armenian people, so I have no doubt that they will be able to<br />
bassy and by the Belgian Armenian Chamber of Commerce. This<br />
For instance, I recently had a meeting with the Minister of<br />
the <strong>World</strong> Health Organisation (WHO) in close cooperation with<br />
find ways to absorb these refugees by integrating children and<br />
is the opportunity to identify sectors of common interest,<br />
Education, H.E. Zhanna Andreasyan, and many ideas came<br />
the Ministry of Health of Armenia. At the moment, three patients<br />
students in the education system, for instance.<br />
as health, IT, logistics, energy, just to cite of few.<br />
up on supporting the exchange of students and strengthened<br />
including two teenagers are being treated in Belgium for their<br />
34 35
MARKUS RITTER<br />
HEAD OF MISSION, EU MISSION<br />
IN ARMENIA (EUMA)<br />
The EUMA has three lines of operation:<br />
security awareness patrols alongside<br />
the international border;<br />
human security patrols in the villages and towns<br />
& confidence-building measures<br />
HOW DOES BELGIUM INTEND TO FACILITATE<br />
LONG-TERM PEACE IN THE REGION AND<br />
NORMALISATION OF RELATIONS BETWEEN<br />
ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN?<br />
WITH ITS RICH CULTURE AND HISTORY, DO<br />
YOU THINK ARMENIA WOULD MAKE FOR<br />
A CANDIDATE FOR FUTURE EDITIONS OF<br />
EUROPALIA?<br />
IN ORDER TO FAMILIARISE OUR READERS WITH<br />
THE MISSION AND MANDATE OF THE EUROPEAN<br />
UNION MISSION IN ARMENIA (EUMA), AND ITS<br />
DELIVERABLES SINCE BEING FORMALLY<br />
LAUNCHED IN FEBRUARY 2023 – PARTICULARLY<br />
WITH REFERENCE TO THE STABILITY AND<br />
REDUCTION OF TENSIONS IN THE BORDER<br />
AREAS; CONFIDENCE-BUILDING MEASURES AND<br />
ENHANCED HUMAN SECURITY FOR THE LOCAL<br />
POPULATION – DIPLOMATIC WORLD SPOKE WITH<br />
HEAD OF MISSION MARKUS RITTER DURING OUR<br />
VISIT TO YEREVAN IN OCTOBER 2023.<br />
Monitoring experts were temporarily deployed by the EU in<br />
October 2022 along the Armenian side of the international<br />
an initial mandate of 2 years) are to contribute to stability in the<br />
border areas of Armenia, building confidence on the ground,<br />
and ensuring an environment conducive to normalisation efforts<br />
between Armenia and Azerbaijan supported by the EU.<br />
On 20 February 2023, EUMA was launched, the new mission with<br />
three lines of operation: (1) security awareness patrols alongside<br />
the international border; (2) human security patrols in the villages<br />
and towns in the conflict-affected areas near the border and (3)<br />
confidence-building measures. In those days it was the idea, and<br />
it still is, to have a liaison office of the mission in Baku, to act as<br />
a hotline between us and Azerbaijan in case that some incidents<br />
arise, and to facilitate small projects between Armenia and<br />
Azerbaijan in the border areas to build confidence.<br />
We believe that only a political and diplomatic option can lead to<br />
I believe that Armenia is like a precious stone with many facets<br />
border with Azerbaijan following an agreement reached at a<br />
For the first line of operations I mentioned, we have launched<br />
real peace, as the use of force only feeds instability in the long<br />
and would be for instance a wonderful candidate for Europalia<br />
quadrilateral meeting in Prague between President Aliyev, Prime<br />
over 1,000 patrols, we are directly at the border every day. When<br />
term. Belgium is supporting the peace processes in the region.<br />
(a major international arts festival held every two years in Belgium<br />
Minister Pashinyan, French President Macron and President of<br />
and where necessary patrols are escorted either by the Armenian<br />
We know the EU is truly involved in trying to help the dialogue<br />
to celebrate one invited country’s cultural heritage).<br />
the European Council Michel. The first monitors were operational<br />
military or the Armenian border guards, depending on who has<br />
between parties and to find a solution to this long-lasting conflict.<br />
on the ground as of 20 October.<br />
the responsibility at the border. These patrols are planned one<br />
We have an excellent expert in Belgium on Armenia, Professor<br />
week in advance.<br />
We support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia<br />
Bernard Coulie, who focusses on ancient Armenian manuscripts,<br />
In the beginning it was a mission with 40 monitoring experts de-<br />
and that is a strong message that we are defending. By opening<br />
which embody the unique character of the Armenian culture and<br />
ployed from the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia<br />
an Embassy here we have a permanent and direct contact with<br />
the Armenian alphabet (dating from the 5th century). Of course,<br />
(EUMM Georgia), which was decided to ensure monitors are<br />
Armenian authorities to show our support in that. For the future<br />
there are other reasons: Armenia’s gastronomy and wine-making<br />
rapidly deployed on the ground. During the two months this first<br />
of Armenia, for the future of the region, we definitely need stabil-<br />
tradition, but also architecture, dance and vocal polyphony, to<br />
EU monitoring Capacity mission was in Armenia it conducted<br />
ity and peace.<br />
name a few.<br />
more than 175 patrols on the Armenian side of the internationally<br />
recognised border between Armenia and Azerbaijan and reported<br />
Also, a European Union civilian observer mission (EUMA) was<br />
The current edition of Europalia is devoted to Georgia, and Spain<br />
to the EU on the situation on the ground, thus contributing also<br />
deployed in Armenia at the beginning of this year and is carry-<br />
will be the guest country in 2025, but in future editions Armenia<br />
to stabilisation between the two countries.<br />
ing out numerous observation missions on Armenian soil along<br />
could be a great candidate and we would support this.<br />
the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. This mission, in which Belgian<br />
After the successful end of this mission and following a request<br />
experts take part, makes it possible to assess the situation on<br />
by Armenia the EU decided to Establish a civilian European<br />
the ground but also, through its presence, to prevent larger-scale<br />
Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) under the Common Security<br />
incidents that could lead to a resumption of hostilities.<br />
and Defence Policy (CSDP). The objectives of the Mission (with<br />
36 37
What are we essentially doing? Our presence on the ground is to<br />
serve peace. We are observing, we are doing regular patrols or<br />
going to the so-called hotspots. We park our vehicles in places<br />
visible to both sides. The vehicles are clearly marked with the EU<br />
flag. We are unarmed civilians, but wearing blue vests and caps<br />
so everybody sees that we are there. Our presence in Armenia<br />
has clearly had a positive effect.<br />
Besides these escorted patrols, we also carry out unescorted<br />
patrols, because by now, having been there for eight months, we<br />
know the terrain, the border lines and where to go. Our findings<br />
and observations are put in patrol reports which are sent<br />
exclusively to Brussels in line with the rules about such civilian<br />
missions. We do not report our findings to the Armenian side or<br />
anybody else.<br />
We also conduct human security patrols visiting villages in border<br />
areas and talking to the people in case they have seen any<br />
incidents. These patrols aim also at informing people about our<br />
presence and the scope of our mission. Having direct contact<br />
with local people is essential as expectations from our mission<br />
have been and continue to be very high. We currently have 103<br />
international staff from the EU Member States, all civilians from<br />
different backgrounds: some are police officers, such as myself,<br />
others come from civil society. Soon two Canadian experts will<br />
also join.<br />
The third pillar concerns confidence-building measures. This<br />
summer I was invited to the South Caucasus Regional Dialogue<br />
Forum in Kachreti, Georgia, an event promoted and facilitated by<br />
the EU, whereby Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijani students<br />
came together for a week. This was the first time I had the<br />
change to present our mission and mandate to an Azerbaijani<br />
audience.<br />
We have six Forward Operating Bases, staffed with eight<br />
monitors each and located in Ijevan, Martuni, Jermuk, Goris,<br />
Yeghegnadzor and in the south in Kapan. The EUMA has a<br />
standard two-year mandate, which will end in February 2025.<br />
Lastly, concerning the current humanitarian situation derived<br />
from the inflow of ethnic Armenians fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh,<br />
let me stress that from day one of the exodus, we have closely<br />
monitored the situation. Now, during our human security patrols,<br />
we have had many encounters with refugees and facilitated also<br />
the identification of needs and delivery of humanitarian and other<br />
emergency support.<br />
My personal role is to lead operations on the ground while the<br />
Civilian Operation Commander is Stefano Tomat, EEAS Managing<br />
Director of the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability in<br />
Brussels. Let me stress as well that we work very closely with<br />
the EU Delegation to Armenia and the EU Ambassador Vassilis<br />
Maragos, that is providing political guidance to the Mission here<br />
in Armenia.<br />
Photos: EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA)<br />
38 39
ARA KHZMALYAN<br />
DIRECTOR, MATENADARAN<br />
MESROP MASHTOTS INSTITUTE<br />
OF ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS<br />
The older our heritage and culture is,<br />
the newer the approaches should be towards<br />
its preservation and popularization<br />
Matenadaran is a unique library, depository, museum and re-<br />
cooperate with our international colleagues, scholars from all<br />
search centre for ancient manuscripts, archival documents and<br />
over the world. We are also included in international educational<br />
early printed books, and the largest one of Armenian manu-<br />
programmes, being in constant contact with the Armenian chairs<br />
scripts. It contains academic and academic-technical depart-<br />
in different universities. And we want to bring this collaboration<br />
ments where restoration, digitization, research and translation<br />
to a higher qualitative level. Additionally, let me mention that<br />
works are carried out.<br />
we have Master’s programmes here which we intend to actively<br />
develop.<br />
The Matenadaran contains about 23,000 manuscripts, most of<br />
which are of religious content (Bibles, gospels, ritual books), but<br />
We also want to develop new mechanisms to improve the acces-<br />
they also include all the fields of science including astronomy,<br />
sibility of our ancient and medieval written heritage. Especially<br />
law, philosophy, historiography, medicine, etc. The Matenadaran<br />
taking into consideration that the written heritage kept at Mate-<br />
also holds manuscripts in Arabic, Persian, Greek, Ethiopian,<br />
nadaran does not only have national value but essential interna-<br />
Syriac, Latin, and other languages. Many originals, lost in<br />
tional significance. Out of 23,000 manuscripts that we hold in our<br />
their original languages have been saved from loss thanks to<br />
depository, approximately 4,000 are in foreign languages.<br />
Armenian translations of the texts. Additionally, Matenadaran<br />
holds approximately 500,000 archival documents, ranging from<br />
In addition to the manuscript collection, we have a very rare and<br />
Ara Khzmalyan, Director, Matenadaran<br />
Photo: Matenadaran<br />
ecclesiastical documents, letters to decrees.<br />
unique archival collection. The basis of our archives is the collection<br />
of patriarchs, among it we have many international decrees<br />
YOU ARE LEADING THE MATENADARAN INSTI-<br />
TUTE SINCE JULY. WHAT WILL BE THE PRIORITIES<br />
OF THE INSTITUTE UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP<br />
TO BOLSTER THE INSTITUTION’S CORE MISSION<br />
– PRESERVING AND RESEARCHING ANCIENT<br />
MANUSCRIPTS?<br />
The first thing that I would like to mention is that we would like<br />
to make Matenadaran more modern. When we speak about the<br />
– the decree of Napoleon, for instance, and other Emperors,<br />
which speaks to its international value. Matenadaran also has the<br />
richest collection of early printed books in Armenia.<br />
YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE ARE 23,000<br />
MANUSCRIPTS IN MATENADARAN. WHAT ARE<br />
THE OLDEST ONES? WHAT ARE SOME UNIQUE<br />
FEATURES OF ARMENIAN MANUSCRIPTS?<br />
writing or printing), which was not very widespread at the time,<br />
sometimes the scribes erased the text and wrote a new one,<br />
what we call palimpsests – manuscripts with two layers. Now<br />
we are implementing a very interesting project with German colleagues,<br />
with special digitization techniques we can recover the<br />
first layer of the text, which we cannot read with our own eyes,<br />
but through such image processing we discover the original<br />
layers.<br />
We also want to start using Artificial Intelligence techniques es-<br />
which we organise. At the end of October we hosted a very<br />
important textological conference at Matenadaran, as we feel it<br />
is important to have tight connections with international scholars<br />
and with their help and expertise train our young professionals.<br />
Next year we are planning a major Armenological conference in<br />
Syunik, dedicated to the 650th anniversary of the establishment<br />
of the University of Tatev, which will be a great occasion for<br />
everyone to learn about our rich cultural heritage.<br />
21st century it is impossible not to speak about advanced technologies,<br />
specially knowing how interlinked they are to palaeography,<br />
textology and source studies.<br />
If we speak about what I am going to do as a director, first of all,<br />
I think about Matenadaran as a palaeographical and textological<br />
The oldest complete manuscript that we possess in our depository<br />
belongs to the 7th century, the Vehamor Gospel, donated to<br />
Matenadaran by Patriarch Vazgen I. In addition to this complete<br />
manuscript, we also have fragments which are older and date<br />
back to the 5th- 6th centuries.<br />
pecially when we speak of preparing critical editions. Previously,<br />
for instance, it could take 15 years to prepare the critical edition<br />
of one work because there may be hundreds of manuscripts by<br />
the same author or same work; but now with AI we can shorten<br />
this time which can be very helpful for us. The older our heritage<br />
and culture is, the newer the approaches should be towards<br />
WITH THE SIZEABLE ARMENIAN DIASPORA<br />
AROUND THE WORLD, DOES THE INSTITUTE<br />
REGULARLY RECEIVE DONATIONS OF MANU-<br />
SCRIPTS FROM THEM?<br />
centre, this is why it is very important to prepare young profes-<br />
There was another interesting feature in medieval Armenia. Due<br />
its preservation. We actively host international scholars, both<br />
In general, the role of Armenians in the diaspora is huge in re-<br />
sionals who can work with the texts, and in this regard we actively<br />
to lack of parchment (animal skin which has been prepared for<br />
through educational programmes or international conferences<br />
plenishing the collection of the Matenadaran. Let me give you a<br />
40 41
concrete example. A few days ago we received a huge donation<br />
from one of our Armenian compatriots from the diaspora, who<br />
donated us ancient fragments in Syriac and Coptic languages,<br />
and also rare archival documents.<br />
in auctions or in private collections. In this regard, very soon we<br />
will publish a catalogue where manuscripts not present here at<br />
the Matenadaran will be listed.<br />
It is not a secret that Armenia’s history is quite tough, and that<br />
relates to the manuscripts too! Behind every manuscript there is<br />
a history of sacrifice and survival. It is only due the huge respect<br />
towards the written heritage that these manuscripts survived and<br />
come down to us passing through difficult roads. In our restoration<br />
department you will see burnt and damaged manuscripts<br />
and you will see the traces they had, the history they had to go<br />
through to reach us.<br />
For example, during the 1915 genocide, Archbishop Hovhannes<br />
Hyusyan, alongside saving people, also organised the salvation<br />
of manuscripts. What is worth mentioning is that he saved not<br />
only manuscripts in Armenian but also in foreign languages and<br />
belonging to other religions, such as Qurans, with the same<br />
sense of responsibility and care that he did for Armenian manuscripts.<br />
When today we speak of cultural diversity and tolerance,<br />
we see that our ancestors were great examples demonstrating<br />
these qualities.<br />
While we continue to receive many donations from diaspora,<br />
manuscripts and archival documents, there are still many manuscripts<br />
whose whereabouts are unknown and sometimes appear<br />
CONCERNING THE PRESERVATION OF THIS<br />
WONDERFUL HERITAGE FOR THE FUTURE<br />
GENERATIONS, ARE YOU REACHING OUT TO<br />
SCHOOLS IN YEREVAN AND ACROSS THE<br />
COUNTRY, SO THAT CHILDREN BECOME<br />
ACQUAINTED WITH IT FROM AN EARLY AGE?<br />
We implement numerous educational programmes here at the<br />
Matenadaran. Our exhibitions are hard to comprehend, especially<br />
when we speak about children, that is why we have developed<br />
various specific educational programmes to help them understand<br />
better how, for example, the parchment was prepared,<br />
comprehending the peculiarities of miniatures, etc.<br />
Matenadaran itself is the result of a very long educational process:<br />
there were scriptoria adjacent to the monasteries where<br />
archbishops and church doctors taught and translated these<br />
manuscripts and what we have today is the result of all this. And<br />
today, the educational mission of Matenadaran resumes.<br />
Photos: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
42 43
BELGIAN ECONOMIC MISSION<br />
TO ARMENIA<br />
Five Belgian companies signed up for this mission:<br />
• Buzon: manufacturer of building materials<br />
• Lotronic: light and sound equipment<br />
• Medaro: aromatic and medicinal herbs<br />
• JGI Hydrometal: recycling of non-ferrous metal waste<br />
• Citadel Real Estate: real estate development<br />
• Craft and special beers: large assortment at Parma<br />
Supermarkets and Houl<br />
• Lubricants from Bardahl, available at Autosan.<br />
• Fancy jewellery from Ice-Watch, available on-line and at the<br />
Dalma Garden Mall<br />
• Modern Cutlery from Eternum, available at Complex Bar<br />
On September 26, Mr. Eric De Muynck presented his credentials<br />
Armenia) and 94th supplier (2nd within the EU-27) (EUR 136.2<br />
Participating companies will be looking for partners to import<br />
In addition to the above-listed companies, more breweries and<br />
to the President of the Republic of Armenia, H.E. Vahagn<br />
million worth of Armenian goods have been exported to<br />
and distribute their goods, find suppliers, as well as to invest in<br />
pharmaceutical companies are currently negotiating collabora-<br />
Khachaturyan. This ceremony marked the start of the engage-<br />
Belgium in 2022). Since 2020, trade between Belgium and<br />
Armenia.<br />
tion agreements with partners in Armenia.<br />
ment of Mr. De Muynck as the first resident ambassador of<br />
Armenia has almost tripled and is expected to exceed EUR<br />
Belgium to Armenia. One of the objectives of this presence is the<br />
300 million in 2023. For the past few years, the trade balance<br />
Here are a few original Belgian products already present on the<br />
Contact: Eric Blétard, Trade & Investment Counsellor<br />
strengthening and the expansion of economic relations between<br />
has been in favour of Armenia. Trade is dominated by precious<br />
Armenian market:<br />
e.bletard@awex-wallonia.com, T. +7 925 464 3898<br />
Armenia and Belgium.<br />
stones and metals (such as zinc), chemicals, and pharmaceuti-<br />
• Chocolate to produce top-quality confectionary<br />
cals. Sectors like IT and logistics are also promising.<br />
(Cargill Chocolate)<br />
Photos: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
With the support of the Belgian-Armenian Chamber of Commerce,<br />
the Wallonia Export & Investment Agency (AWEX) is<br />
At the official press conference of the economic mission, Valery<br />
bringing a delegation of Belgian companies to Yerevan on<br />
Safarian, Chairman of the Belgian Armenian Chamber of Com-<br />
October 19 and 20. Wallonia is the French-speaking region of<br />
merce, additionally mentioned that Armenia has enterprises<br />
Belgium. AWEX has arranged the individual meeting programs<br />
specialised in nano-technology, one domain where cooperation<br />
of the representatives of the Belgian companies and acts as the<br />
with Belgium and Wallonia in particular (where one can also find<br />
main sponsor of the event, including the official reception held<br />
world-class companies in this domain) could be sought, through<br />
on October 19.<br />
joint ventures, for example. More generally, Belgium could be an<br />
interesting destination for Armenian companies to install them-<br />
Armenia is Belgium’s 121st customer (7th within the EU-27)<br />
selves and prospect the European market.<br />
(EUR 86 million worth of Belgian goods have been exported to<br />
44 45
TEACH FOR ARMENIA<br />
TEACH FOR ARMENIA ENVISIONS<br />
AN ARMENIA WHERE ALL CHILDREN HAVE<br />
ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION<br />
On October 18, Teach For Armenia welcomed a delegation from<br />
Belgium to its headquarters in Yerevan. The delegation included<br />
the Ambassador of Belgium to Armenia Eric De Muynck; Valéry<br />
Safarian and representatives of Triangle Partners; Armine<br />
Hareyan,Vice-President of the Committee of Armenians in<br />
Belgium; Aleksandra Tonkikh of the Walloon Export and Foreign<br />
Investment Agency (AWEX) and <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong> represented<br />
by CEO Barbara Dietrich and Project Manager Alberto Turkstra.<br />
During the meeting, guests learned about Teach For Armenia<br />
and Triangle Partners’ generous support of its program. Teach for<br />
Armenia is an Armenia-based non-profit organization that works<br />
to increase educational opportunities nationwide. Since 2021,<br />
Triangle Partners has sponsored two school communities as a<br />
Teach For Armenia Nation-Builder. Thanks to their generous support,<br />
Teach For Armenia has placed teachers in Araks Secondary<br />
School and Hushakert Secondary School in the Armavir region of<br />
Armenia. Nation-Builders is Teach For Armenia’s two-year school<br />
sponsorship program for committed individuals from around the<br />
world to invest in the development of Armenia through education.<br />
Through the program, donors sponsor a school and receive<br />
a deep and unique engagement experience with school communities.<br />
Guests also discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis. Since<br />
September 19, over 100,000 Armenians have been forcibly<br />
displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. Of those,<br />
21,000 are school-age children. These children have endured a<br />
10-month-long blockade that harmed their health and disrupted<br />
their education. Teach For Armenia is mobilizing a coalition of<br />
organizations to deliver an emergency response of wraparound<br />
support to forcibly displaced students: food security, health care,<br />
housing, and education. As part of the coalition, Teach For<br />
Armenia is recruiting a team to implement an Education in<br />
Emergencies program that addresses the social, emotional,<br />
and learning needs of forcibly displaced students.<br />
In the fall of 2022, Teach for Armenia launched a new Master’s<br />
in Teacher Leadership with Yerevan State University. The degree<br />
equips university graduates and professionals with the necessary<br />
skills, knowledge, and mindsets to serve as public education<br />
teachers in the 21st century. The program focuses on educational<br />
equity in the Armenian context, emphasizing the need for system-wide<br />
transformation through innovative teaching practices<br />
and leadership in the classroom. Currently, it is open for Teach<br />
for Armenia Teacher-Leaders, but will eventually be open to all<br />
teachers.<br />
ABOUT TEACH FOR ARMENIA<br />
Teach For Armenia envisions an Armenia where all children have<br />
access to quality education. Its mission is building a movement<br />
of leaders who increase educational opportunities in Armenia.<br />
Teach For Armenia does this by recruiting and training recent university<br />
graduates and professionals to teach in rural communities<br />
for a period of two years. Its program participants are called<br />
Teacher-Leaders. Currently, Teach For Armenia reaches over<br />
30,000 students, through 130 Teacher-Leaders, in every region<br />
of Armenia. It has a network of 342 Alumni-Ambassadors.<br />
Change-Based Learning is Teach For Armenia’s signature approach<br />
to teaching which aims to foster agency in our students<br />
by cultivating innovative thinking and collective leadership.<br />
Students identify opportunities in their community and work<br />
collaboratively to design and implement community innovation<br />
projects that spark civic engagement, local ingenuity and global<br />
connectivity. Since launching in 2020, students have designed<br />
and implemented over 200 such projects. Teach for Armenia<br />
has worked with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture<br />
and Sports to disseminate the curriculum to classrooms nationwide<br />
and the methodology has become part of Armenia’s new<br />
Education Development Strategy up until 2030.<br />
For further details or inquiries, please reach out to Marketing,<br />
Communications, and Engagement Manager Tatev Kaplanyan:<br />
tatev.kaplanyan@teachforarmenia.org.<br />
Photos: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
46 47
H.E. AMARSAIKHAN SAINBUYAN<br />
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER<br />
OF MONGOLIA<br />
We are grateful to the EU for including Mongolia<br />
in its Forest Partnership Scheme<br />
WHAT WERE THE MAIN OUTCOMES OF THE<br />
22ND ANNUAL JOINT COMMITTEE BETWEEN<br />
MONGOLIA AND THE EU, HELD IN BRUSSELS<br />
IN JULY 2023?<br />
Thanks to <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong> magazine for inviting me to talk and<br />
warm greetings to its readers. It is a pleasure to talk with you<br />
soon after the 22nd session of the Mongolia-European Union<br />
up its cabinet. During the past spring session, the State Great<br />
Khural (Parliament) of Mongolia made an amendment to the<br />
Constitution and increased the number of seats from 78 to 126,<br />
which we believe will strengthen the classic feature of the Parliament,<br />
respect human rights, improve representative democracy<br />
and good governance. It also amended laws on Elections and on<br />
Political parties so the parliamentary elections scheduled for next<br />
year will be held on a mixed electoral system.<br />
AT A TIME OF GREAT GEOPOLITICAL SHIFTS,<br />
WHAT ROLE DOES THE EU PLAY IN MONGOLIA’S<br />
THIRD NEIGHBOUR POLICY?<br />
that the implementation the Agreement on Partnership and<br />
Cooperation and the opening of the EU Delegation in Mongolia<br />
have provided an essential impetus in our bilateral interactions<br />
and exchanges.<br />
Joint Committee meeting, which is the annual and very important<br />
Mongolia has been maintaining cooperative relations under<br />
mechanism where we discuss the state of our bilateral relations<br />
the framework of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with<br />
We are grateful to the EU and its Member States for their stead-<br />
in detail. Thus, my government has decided to upgrade its level<br />
its immediate neighbours like the Russian Federation and the<br />
fast support and assistance given since the beginning of dem-<br />
of representation. With Gunnar Wiegand, Managing Director for<br />
People’s Republic of China; in addition to strategic partnerships<br />
ocratic transformations, socio-economic reforms in Mongolia in<br />
the Asia and the Pacific at European External Action<br />
with Japan, India, USA, Germany and the Republic of Korea, and<br />
the early 1990s. The EU has been together with us and rendered<br />
Service (EEAS) and H.E. Axelle Nicaise, Ambassador of the EU<br />
expanded partnerships with Canada and Australia.<br />
its support at challenging times and continued its interaction. We<br />
to Mongolia, as well as with other officials of the EEAS, we had<br />
are equally thankful to the EU for its support in overcoming the<br />
an exchange of views on a wide range of issues of our bilateral<br />
The EU is our important “third neighbour”. With the EU we con-<br />
COVID-19 pandemic.<br />
relations and cooperation and of our mutual interests.<br />
cluded the Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation in 2013,<br />
which entered into force on November 1, 2017. This is indeed a<br />
We are actively working together with our friends and partners to<br />
Then we pointed out that thanks to efforts by both sides, the<br />
fundamental document for widening our bilateral relations and<br />
increase economic growth and reducing the impacts of exter-<br />
relations between Mongolia and the EU have been successfully<br />
cooperation in all areas including political, economic, industry, IT,<br />
nal shocks. Let me illustrate with one example. Mongolia is a<br />
growing based on common principles and values, including de-<br />
science, infrastructure, education, environment and energy. We<br />
vast country with continental climate: this means six months of<br />
mocracy, human rights and rule of law. We also briefed and dis-<br />
accord particular significance in its effective realization. Under<br />
sub-zero temperatures. We have five distinct geographic zones:<br />
cussed about the implementation of our respective policies and<br />
this Agreement the relations between Mongolia and the EU have<br />
western, central, southern, eastern and the Altai-Uliastai, with<br />
programs. In a nutshell, the Joint Committee meeting was useful<br />
been expanding in areas of our reciprocal interests.<br />
centralized energy systems. 81.1 percent of our energy source<br />
in further intensifying Mongolia-EU relations and cooperation.<br />
is provided by coal-fired power stations and some 20 percent<br />
The Mongolian government stands for the intensification of the<br />
of the electricity demand is met by imports. The role of renewal<br />
Taking this opportunity, I would like to say that the overall<br />
implementation of this Agreement in accordance with new and<br />
energy is increasing and sources are growing year by year. Cur-<br />
political and socio-economic situation in Mongolia is stable. We<br />
ever-changing circumstances. One of our foreign policy priorities<br />
rently, 18.3 percent of the installed capacity is provided by solar<br />
had parliamentary and local elections in 2020, the Mongolian<br />
is to further reinvigorate the constructive relations and cooper-<br />
(Mongolia has over 250 sunny days per year), wind and hydro<br />
People’s Party (MPP) won the majority in parliament and formed<br />
ation with the EU and its Member States. I have to underscore<br />
power stations. Since January 11, 2007, when the Mongolian<br />
48 49
Parliament ratified the law on Renewable Energy, the produc-<br />
Desertification (UNCCD) in 2026. Preliminary work for the organi-<br />
tion of renewable energy is growing and at present eight solar,<br />
zation of this conference has already started and we hope the EU<br />
three wind and six hydro stations are supplying their outputs<br />
will support us in this regard. Mongolia has also recently jointed<br />
to the central electricity grid. With the pace of socio-economic<br />
the Global Methane Pledge.<br />
development, the energy demand is also growing rapidly so that<br />
energy security, decrease of greenhouse gas emissions and the<br />
We have implemented a number of projects under the FAO-<br />
adoption of ecologically friendly technology are high priorities in<br />
EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT)<br />
our sustainable development policy, similar to other countries.<br />
Programme. The EU-sponsored project Sustainable resilient and<br />
ecosystem and agriculture management (STREAM) is also being<br />
WHAT IS THE PARTICIPATION OF MONGOLIA IN<br />
KEY INITIATIVES AND PROJECTS OF THE EU,<br />
SUCH AS THE GLOBAL GATEWAY STRATEGY AND<br />
THE FOREST PARTNERSHIPS?<br />
implemented. The project aims to increase capacity of Mongolian<br />
communities to implement innovative and sustainable long-term<br />
landscape management to address food system challenges and<br />
climate stresses. In March 2023, we organised a stakeholders’<br />
meeting for ascertaining the possibility for continuing the project.<br />
Within the framework of the UN Convention on Climate Change<br />
and Paris Agreement Mongolia is contemplating to reduce<br />
Greenhouse gas emissions by 22.7 percent by 2030. In a bid to<br />
make the energy sector more environmentally friendly we are<br />
intending to increase the role of renewable energy in centralized<br />
electricity grid in a way of not causing a negative impact on its<br />
reliable and continuous operation. We are working to upgrade<br />
renewable energy presence to up to 30 percent within our overall<br />
installed energy system by 2030. Therefore, in the country’s five<br />
western provinces we have begun the construction of a hydro<br />
AFTER THE PANDEMIC, ONE OF THE KEY PIL-<br />
LARS OF MONGOLIA’S RECOVERY HAS BEEN A<br />
STRONG EMPHASIS ON DEVELOPING THE DIGITAL<br />
ECONOMY. HOW WILL SUCH AN APPROACH CON-<br />
TRIBUTE TO MONGOLIA’S DEVELOPMENT, JOB<br />
CREATION, AND ENHANCING COMPETITIVENESS,<br />
GROWTH AND RESILIENCE OF THE MONGOLIAN<br />
ECONOMY?<br />
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our economy contracted by<br />
5.3 percent. However, it regained growth by 1.4 percent in 2021<br />
the tourism sector and announced the years of 2023, 2024 and<br />
2025 as the “Welcome to visit Mongolia” years.<br />
power station in Erdeneburen; solar power plant and battery<br />
Mongolia has set forth a task to become a “Digitized Nation”<br />
and 4.8 percent in 2022. The Government actively undertakes<br />
storage power station stations in Zavkhan province; a solar<br />
and based on Estonia’s experience we have successfully been<br />
mid- and long-term development policies known as Economic<br />
Last year, Mongolia traded with 160 countries for a total trade<br />
station and windmill in Gobi-Altai province and a solar station in<br />
developing “E-Mongolia” application to deliver the state servic-<br />
Recovery Policy and Vision 2050 to reinvigorate the country’s<br />
turnover of USD 21.2 billion, of USD 12.5 billion in exports and<br />
Khövsgöl province.<br />
es. Currently, some 650 state services have become available in<br />
economic growth.<br />
USD 8.7 billion in imports. Total trade turnover increased by<br />
online form.<br />
32.1 percent vis-a-vis the previous year – exports by 35.7 per-<br />
Major targets of the “New Economic Recovery policy” mid-term<br />
Vision 2050 defines the development policy for the next 30 years<br />
cent and imports by 27.2 percent.<br />
programme and the “Vision 2050” long-term development policy<br />
We are attaching increased attention to promote cooperation in<br />
and is geared to turn Mongolia into one of the leading countries<br />
are in a line with the priorities of the EU’s Global Gateway strat-<br />
areas such as innovation, information technology, cyber secu-<br />
in Asia in terms of social progress, economic growth and welfare.<br />
Apart from tourism, agriculture, light industry, telecommunication<br />
egy; and we are determined to expand our collaboration based<br />
rity, education and science as well. The Parliament of Mongolia<br />
The Economic Recovery Policy is the targeted mid-term pro-<br />
sectors have significant growth potential. The Government is<br />
on them. For instance, we proposed to explore the possibility to<br />
has debate and approved the Law on Digital Signature; Law on<br />
gramme aimed at strengthening the economic independence and<br />
consistently supporting the business community and individual<br />
undertake a joint project for accomplishing concrete outcomes in<br />
Cyber Security; Law on Transparency of Public Information and<br />
self-reliance of the country, reduce the negative implications of<br />
entrepreneurs’ interests to learn from the experiences of the<br />
expanding the use of renewable energy in consonance with the<br />
Law on Privacy Protection.<br />
the pandemic, quickly resolve hindering factors for the develop-<br />
EU Member States and adopt European standards.<br />
priorities of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy.<br />
ment and build up prerequisites for the effective implementation<br />
Experience sharing and interaction with foreign partners, particu-<br />
of the Vision 2050, and enhance the efficiency of economy, infra-<br />
Photos: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
Due to intensive development, the negative impacts on the envi-<br />
larly EU Member States, are highly valuable for intensifying the<br />
structure and state for the initial phase of ten years.<br />
ronment caused by human actions are escalating so every nation<br />
digital transition in a sparsely populated country like Mongolia.<br />
is required to make its own contribution in resolution of these<br />
These programmes are intensifying the economic growth and<br />
major challenges. In order to make Mongolia’s contribution to the<br />
common endeavour against desertification and climate change<br />
the President of Mongolia initiated the nation-wide campaign to<br />
plant and grow one billion trees until 2030. Encouraging Mongolia’s<br />
initiative against desertification and climate change, the EU<br />
decided to involve us in its Forest Partnership scheme. Taking<br />
this moment I express the gratitude to the EU for its remarkable<br />
gesture.<br />
Furthermore, Mongolia will host the 17th Conference of the<br />
Parties (COP17) of the United Nations Convention to Combat<br />
MONGOLIA’S ECONOMY IS HEAVILY RELIANT<br />
ON ITS MINING SECTOR, WHICH CONTRIBUTES<br />
SIGNIFICANTLY TO ITS GDP AND EXPORTS. AT<br />
THE SAME TIME, MONGOLIAN GOVERNMENT IS<br />
ACTIVELY WORKING TOWARDS DIVERSIFYING<br />
THE ECONOMY AND ATTRACTING INVESTMENTS<br />
IN OTHER SECTORS. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE<br />
PROMISING INDUSTRIES AND SECTORS THAT<br />
ARE OPEN FOR FOREIGN INVESTMENT?<br />
giving their results within short time: GDP has grown up by 7.4<br />
percent by the end of the second quarter of 2023. The <strong>World</strong><br />
Bank projects our economic growth to be 6.4 percent in 2024.<br />
We expect that thanks to the effective implementation of the<br />
Economic Recovery Policy GDP growth will remain steady at<br />
6 percent while per capita GDP will grow twofold. We accord<br />
much importance in collaboration with foreign partners and invite<br />
investors to co-work with us. We want to diversify our economy,<br />
reduce our dependency on the mining sector. In this regard, the<br />
Government is paying special attention to the development of<br />
50 51
BRIDGING HORIZONS<br />
A CULTURAL ODYSSEY<br />
FROM CENTRAL ASIA AND MONGOLIA<br />
TO THE EUROPEAN UNION<br />
On September 19, the European Parliament unveiled the exhibition<br />
“Bridging Horizons: A Cultural Odyssey from Central Asia &<br />
Mongolia to the EU”, showing unique elements of the traditional<br />
life and culture of the peoples of the region, as well as modern<br />
painting and images of natural beauty. Hosted by MEP Tomáš<br />
Zdechovský, Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for<br />
cooperation with Central Asia and Mongolia, the exhibition aimed<br />
to bolster EU-Central Asia-Mongolia relations through shared<br />
cultural heritage.<br />
From the times of the Greco-Bactrian and Kushan kingdoms, the<br />
Turkic Khaganate, Khorasan and Maverannakhr, the Gaznevid,<br />
Timurid and Baburid empires, Central Asia has been closely<br />
linked by reliable trade arteries with Europe and other regions,<br />
and served as a bridge between the Middle East, Europe and<br />
China, witnessing an infusion of ideas, art, and philosophies and<br />
fostering an active dialogue between civilizations.<br />
The contacts between peoples of the region paved way to a<br />
vibrant intellectual and spiritual progress. As a result, the world has<br />
gained such outstanding scholars and thinkers as Al-Khorezmi,<br />
Al-Fergani, Al-Farabi, Beruni, Avicenna and many others who<br />
predetermined the development of scientific and philosophical<br />
thought for several centuries to come. This exhibition provided<br />
a glimpse of that historic intertwining.<br />
“Today, as we stand beneath the dome of the European<br />
Parliament, we are reminded of the rich tapestry of history,<br />
culture, and shared human endeavours that have interwoven<br />
our destinies for millennia. This exhibition symbolizes not just<br />
an artistic endeavour but a profound message of unity, collaboration,<br />
and shared legacy”, said Turkmenistan’s Ambassador to<br />
Belgium and the EU, H.E. Sapar Palvanov.<br />
“However, the beauty of our shared heritage lies not just in the<br />
past, but in the promise it holds for our future. As the world<br />
grows increasingly interconnected, we recognize the imperative<br />
of mutual understanding. The motto of unity in diversity that the<br />
European Union upholds finds a parallel in Turkmenistan’s own<br />
values. We believe that it is through platforms like this exhibition<br />
that we can foster a stronger bond, mutual respect, and synergized<br />
cooperation, transcending beyond just trade and politics,<br />
touching the very soul of our nations”, he added.<br />
Ambassador of Uzbekistan Dilyor Khakimov noted the work being<br />
carried out nowadays to revive this significance of the Central<br />
Asian region and pointed to common efforts to strengthen relations<br />
of trust, good neighbourliness and partnership in the region,<br />
and between Central Asia and its international partners. As an<br />
example, the fifth consultative meeting of the Heads of State of<br />
Central Asia held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, is clear testament to<br />
the unity and dynamic development of the region. Thanks to<br />
joint efforts, in recent years Central Asian states have made<br />
serious progress in resolving vital issues and filled the regional<br />
cooperation with qualitatively new content. Political contacts<br />
and inter-parliamentary exchanges have become regular.<br />
Various Central Asian platforms for dialogue and cooperation<br />
have been launched. Stability and unity are strengthening in<br />
Central Asia. The region is becoming one of the important<br />
centres of economic growth and investment activity, once<br />
again regaining its historical role as a transport hub connecting<br />
West with East and North with South. At the regional level,<br />
Uzbekistan has put forward an initiative to establish the International<br />
Media Platform “History and Culture of Central Asia: One<br />
Past and Common Future” to create shared content to strengthen<br />
our regional identity. Uzbekistan also consider it essential<br />
to establish regional scientific and educational grants and<br />
scholarships for the talented youth of our countries in honour<br />
of great Central Asian thinkers, scientists, and philosophers<br />
52 53
as Al-Khwarizmi, Farabi, Jāmī, Magtymguly, Chingiz Aitmatov,<br />
among others.<br />
Summit next year in Uzbekistan. This will undoubtedly open a<br />
new historical page in the relations between the two regions.<br />
This exhibition is also reflective of the strengthened Central<br />
Asia-EU partnership. Central Asia sees the EU and its Member<br />
States as reliable and valuable partners in promoting regional<br />
unity, identity, and the cultural civilizational heritage of Central<br />
Asia in the world; and combining efforts in the areas of climate<br />
and ecology, science, education strengthening people-to-people<br />
connections.<br />
At the second meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and<br />
the EU, held in Kyrgyzstan in June 2023, leaders agreed to meet<br />
on a regular basis, aiming to hold their next meeting as a first<br />
Returning to the theme of unity, Ambassador of Turkmenistan<br />
Sapar Palvanov shared some beautiful regional sayings. A<br />
Turkmen proverb goes like this: “Those who lean on each other<br />
will not fall”. The Mongolians say: “Under together-held hands,<br />
water will not leak”; the Tajiks have a saying that goes like this:<br />
“Many twigs bundle to make a strong rope”. The Kazakhs say:<br />
“Unity is a treasure-chest without a key”; the Kyrgyz: “When<br />
hearts are united, mountains turn into plains”, and lastly, the<br />
Uzbeks: “One cannot clap with one hand”.<br />
Photos: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
54 55
H.E. RUA AL ZADJALI<br />
AMBASSADOR OF THE SULTANATE OF OMAN<br />
TO THE KINGDOM OF BELGIUM & HEAD<br />
OF MISSION TO THE EU<br />
The inclusion of women in diplomacy is not just a matter<br />
of equality but also a strategic imperative<br />
COULD YOU ELABORATE ON OMAN’S PLANS<br />
TO BECOME A MAJOR PLAYER IN THE GLOBAL<br />
GREEN HYDROGEN MARKET AND HOW IT WILL<br />
HELP OMAN ACHIEVE GOAL OF ZERO CARBON<br />
EMISSIONS BY THE MIDDLE OF THE CENTURY?<br />
IS THERE POTENTIAL OF TRANSPORTING GREEN<br />
HYDROGEN TO EUROPE BEING EXPLORED?<br />
producer and exporter of renewable hydrogen and ammonia,<br />
all while enhancing the proportion of renewables in its energy<br />
mix. The recently released International Energy Agency (IEA)<br />
report, the first of its kind to assess the potential of renewable<br />
hydrogen in a producer economy, highlights the manifold advantages<br />
this transition will bring, including increased investments,<br />
reduced reliance on natural gas, and significant reductions in<br />
The government has set objectives to manufacture a minimum of<br />
1 million tons (1 Mt) of renewable hydrogen by 2030, up to 3.75<br />
million tons (3.75 Mt) by 2040, and up to 8.5 million tons (8.5 Mt)<br />
Photo: Royale Palace<br />
Planning’s comprehensive transformation approach, aligning with<br />
Oman Vision 2040’s commitment to sustainable urban development.<br />
CO₂ emissions as Oman moves toward a net-zero economy.<br />
by 2050. Attaining these goals would transform renewable hydro-<br />
In 2022, Oman unveiled an ambitious goal to achieve net-zero<br />
gen into a substantial and valuable export commodity. Meeting<br />
Sultan Haitham City serves as a blueprint for future sustainable<br />
emissions by 2050, coupled with a commitment to significantly<br />
Oman’s hydrogen target for 2040 would equate to 80 percent<br />
cities, encapsulating modern living while resonating with the as-<br />
increase the domestic production of hydrogen using renewa-<br />
of the current LNG exports in terms of energy equivalence, and<br />
pirations of Oman’s youth. Spanning 14.8 million square meters,<br />
ble energy sources. The nation is well-suited for the generation<br />
achieving the 2050 target would nearly double these exports.<br />
the city embodies sound urban planning principles, emphasizing<br />
of substantial quantities of renewable hydrogen and hydro-<br />
2.9 million square meters of green spaces.<br />
gen-based fuels, such as ammonia, thanks to its abundant<br />
high-quality renewable energy resources. Moreover, Oman<br />
boasts ample land for large-scale project development and possesses<br />
existing fossil fuel infrastructure that can be repurposed<br />
or utilized for low-emission fuel production.<br />
Five green hydrogen projects have been signed recently with a<br />
total investment of USD 30 billion, producing 750,000 tons, with<br />
agreement duration of 47 years – 7 for development and 40 for<br />
operation. One of these projects is in Duqm, Oman, between OQ<br />
(Omani company) and DEME (Belgian company). Another strate-<br />
AS PART OF ITS TRANSITION INTO SUSTAINABLE<br />
URBAN DEVELOPMENT, OMAN HAS UNVEILED<br />
AMBITIOUS PLANS FOR A NEW SMART CITY –<br />
SULTAN HAITHAM CITY – OUTSIDE THE CAPITAL<br />
CITY, MUSCAT. COULD YOU TELL OUR READERS<br />
WHAT IS ITS MISSION AND VISION, AND HOW IT<br />
WILL INCORPORATE THE LATEST FEATURES ON<br />
SUSTAINABILITY, ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND<br />
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES?<br />
The city’s ambition extends to meeting 12 international standards<br />
of luxury, welfare, affordability, integrated utilities, and sustainability,<br />
all integral to its master plan. Its internal transport network<br />
ensures easy access to facilities, catering to both public and<br />
private vehicles.<br />
Recognizing the challenges of climate change and future<br />
growth, the city’s infrastructure is adaptable and cost-effective.<br />
It embraces cultural diversity, welcoming all social and<br />
cultural backgrounds, while offering easy access to social<br />
gic partnership is with Fluxys company, this partnership is solid-<br />
‘Sultan Haitham City’ emerges as a forward-looking urban<br />
and recreational facilities.<br />
ified by signing an MoU that explores cooperation with Oman’s<br />
masterpiece, envisioned as a precious legacy from His Majesty<br />
hydrogen and CO2 infrastructure development. By the end of<br />
to future generations and all segments of society. This ambi-<br />
Beyond a city, it represents a thriving ecosystem, an inclusive<br />
this decade, Oman has the potential to become a competitive<br />
tious project is the result of the Ministry of Housing and Urban<br />
community, and a united society, embodying the belief that true<br />
56 57
Aerial view of Sultan Haitham City<br />
Aerial view of Sultan Haitham City<br />
generosity toward the future starts with giving our best in the<br />
potential areas to explore in the future especially in trade and<br />
between the two nations. Initiatives such as student exchange<br />
table, which can greatly enhance the effectiveness of internation-<br />
present. Tomorrow belongs to those who prepare today.<br />
investment. This may involve identifying sectors with growth<br />
programs, cultural festivals, and language courses can promote<br />
al relations.<br />
potential in Oman, such as renewable energy, tourism, and<br />
people-to-people connections.<br />
OMAN AND BELGIUM ENJOY EXCELLENT<br />
RELATIONS AT ALL LEVELS. WHICH AREAS ARE<br />
YOU EXPLORING TO ELEVATE AND PUSH<br />
BILATERAL RELATIONS TO GREATER HEIGHTS?<br />
manufacturing, where Belgian companies could invest or provide<br />
expertise. Collaboration in the field of technology and innovation<br />
can lead to mutual benefits. This might include partnerships in<br />
research and development, technology transfer, and sharing best<br />
practices in digitalization and emerging technologies.<br />
Other sectors which are worth exploring as well is in Healthcare<br />
and Pharmaceuticals. Oman looks forward to build a strong<br />
relation between both countries in the healthcare sector. Both<br />
can mutually benefit in pharmaceutical research, healthcare<br />
infrastructure development, and the exchange of medical exper-<br />
First and foremost, diversity in diplomacy leads to more comprehensive<br />
decision-making. Women often approach problem-solving<br />
with a different lens, focusing on collaboration, empathy, and<br />
long-term sustainable solutions. These qualities are invaluable in<br />
addressing complex global challenges, from conflict resolution to<br />
climate change.<br />
It is important to recognize that the nature and extent of cooper-<br />
Oman and Belgium have so far successfully build up a solid<br />
tise, especially in light of the global health challenges after the<br />
ation will depend on the interests and priorities of both countries<br />
foundation in bilateral relations in field of Sustainable Develop-<br />
pandemic.<br />
The government policy for the role of women is to involve her in<br />
at any given time. <strong>Diplomatic</strong> channels and ongoing discussions<br />
ment signing multiple agreements on Green Hydrogen which we<br />
all aspects of life and work through empowerment, and enhanc-<br />
between the governments of Belgium and Oman will play a crucial<br />
role in identifying and pursuing these opportunities for future<br />
cooperation.<br />
I was officially appointed as the Ambassador to Belgium since<br />
February 2023, and remember my conversation with His Majesty<br />
the King who was happy about the development of the relations<br />
look forward to commence soon.<br />
This promising project will involve joint initiatives in renewable<br />
energy, and maybe waste management, and environmental<br />
protection. Hopefully with such collaboration we could explore<br />
further on in port development, airport management, and transportation<br />
networks as well.<br />
ON OCTOBER 17 WE CELEBRATE OMANI<br />
WOMEN’S DAY. AS AN ACCOMPLISHED FEMALE<br />
DIPLOMAT YOURSELF, COULD YOU GIVE US<br />
YOUR VISION ABOUT THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN<br />
DIPLOMACY?<br />
ing global cooperation, furthermore; when young girls see that<br />
they are growing up in a country that is supportive and empowers<br />
them to be leaders and see live examples through women<br />
in leadership roles in diplomacy, they are more likely to aspire to<br />
such careers themselves, thus contributing to a more diverse and<br />
inclusive diplomatic workforce in the future.<br />
between the two countries. Since then I have been exploring new<br />
The inclusion of women in diplomacy is not just a matter of<br />
Photos: Embasssy of Oman<br />
areas of cooperation to help strengthen ties between Sultanate<br />
Part of the government ambition is to promote Education and<br />
equality but also a strategic imperative. Women bring a unique<br />
of Oman and Kingdom of Belgium. While specific opportunities<br />
Cultural Exchange through expanding educational and cultur-<br />
set of skills, experiences, and perspectives to the diplomatic<br />
can evolve over time, the government still believe there are some<br />
al exchange programs that can foster better understanding<br />
58 59
H.E. BADR ABDELATTY<br />
AMBASSADOR OF EGYPT<br />
TO BELGIUM & LUXEMBOURG,<br />
HEAD OF MISSION TO THE EU & NATO<br />
It is high time for European companies to grasp<br />
the opportunity and invest in Egypt<br />
BILATERAL RELATIONS BETWEEN BELGIUM AND<br />
EGYPT ARE POSITIVE AND FRIENDLY, BUT AT<br />
THE SAME TIME THERE IS ROOM FOR FURTHER<br />
GROWTH AND EXPANSION. HOW CAN BOTH<br />
SIDES MAKE THE MOST OF THE POTENTIAL,<br />
ESPECIALLY IN THE ECONOMIC AND COMMER-<br />
CIAL SPHERE?<br />
an Sea in Egypt. The first phase of the project is planned to<br />
produce 800 megawatts (MW) of solar energy and 700 MW of<br />
wind energy. The first phase will set a carbon dioxide limit of<br />
600,000 tons. Additionally, the Belgian partnership intends to<br />
construct a 500 MW electrolysis equipment close to Gargoub<br />
Port in Marsa Matrouh, with the export of its output to Europe.<br />
organized the first post-Covid trade mission to Egypt. The trade<br />
Photo: Royale Palace<br />
In addition, diplomatic ties between Belgium and Egypt have<br />
Also, a Belgian Trade mission paid a visit to Egypt in October<br />
mission included Business to Business (B2B) and Business to<br />
extended beyond trade, economy, and culture. Both nations<br />
Relations between Belgium and Egypt stand out as a notable<br />
2022 to further advance business relationships and private<br />
Government (B2G) meetings, along with seminars to discover the<br />
collaborate on various international issues, including climate<br />
example of distinguished diplomatic ties and as a model for<br />
sector projects in Egypt. Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT),<br />
investment opportunities in Egypt.<br />
change, energy security, food security, and regional stability. Our<br />
effective bilateral cooperation. Belgium and Egypt’s diplomatic<br />
in partnership with Brussels Agency for Business Support (hub.<br />
diplomatic discussions contribute to global efforts to address<br />
history dates back to the early 20th century as the diplomatic re-<br />
brussels) and Wallonia Export-Investment Agency (AWEX),<br />
It is worth mentioning that Egypt has many advantages and ele-<br />
international challenges.<br />
lations were established in 1922. Thereafter, the relationship has<br />
ments in the field of infrastructure. Egypt has achieved historical<br />
progressively expanded to encompass a wide range of sectors,<br />
including, but not limited to, trade, investment, cultural exchanges,<br />
and political dialogue.<br />
and unprecedented achievements in the field of infrastructure<br />
projects, as these projects contribute to making Egypt one of the<br />
most important countries in the Middle East and Africa. So I do<br />
encourage Belgian companies to grasp the opportunity and in-<br />
WHAT ABOUT THE BILATERAL RELATIONS<br />
BETWEEN EGYPT AND LUXEMBOURG?<br />
Economic cooperation between Egypt and Belgium has strength-<br />
vest in Egypt, especially in the sectors of transportation, electrici-<br />
There is a current momentum in the bilateral cooperation be-<br />
ened over the years. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi met on the<br />
ty, renewable energy, green hydrogen, petroleum and natural gas.<br />
tween Egypt and Luxembourg on the political, economic, and<br />
sidelines of his participation in the European Union-African Union<br />
On the cultural side, Her Majesty Queen Mathilde and Crown<br />
cultural levels. The year 2022 witnessed numerous high-level<br />
Summit in February 2022 with a consortium of Belgian CEOs and<br />
Princess Elisabeth paid a visit to Egypt last March to follow the<br />
visits between Egypt and Luxembourg, which reflects the mutual<br />
company officials and discussed deepening cooperation with<br />
same itinerary as that followed by the late Queen Elisabeth and<br />
interest to continue strengthening bilateral cooperation.<br />
Egypt, especially in energy, infrastructure, and defence.<br />
the then Crown Prince Leopold a century ago, in 1923. The<br />
royal visit to Egypt was intended as a tribute to the late Queen<br />
The Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, participated in<br />
We also have the DEME Group, Fluxys, and Antwerp Port collab-<br />
Elisabeth, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the historic<br />
in COP 27 in Sharm El-Sheikh in November 2022.<br />
oration that established a feasibility study for the project of green<br />
visit of the great-grandmother Queen Elisabeth, wife of King<br />
hydrogen production and storage facility along the Mediterrane-<br />
Photo: Embassy of Egypt<br />
Albert I, to Egypt.<br />
60 61
In addition, Egypt’s Foreign Minister visited Luxembourg in<br />
June 2022 to participate in the Association Council between<br />
Egypt and the European Union. Minister Sameh Shoukry met<br />
with Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, as well as the Foreign<br />
Minister, Minister of Environment, and the President of the<br />
Luxembourg Parliament.<br />
WHEN COMPLETED, THE GRAND EGYPTIAN<br />
MUSEUM IN GIZA WILL BE THE NEW CROWN<br />
JEWEL OF EGYPT, AND ONE OF THE LARGEST<br />
MUSEUMS IN THE WORLD. WHAT CAN VISITORS<br />
EXPECT?<br />
The Grand Egyptian Museum, which lies on the Giza Plateau<br />
LAST YEAR, EGYPT HOSTED THE COP27 UN<br />
CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE, A WATERSHED<br />
MOMENT. WHAT ARE EGYPT’S EXPECTATIONS<br />
TOWARDS THIS YEAR’S COP TO BE HELD IN<br />
DUBAI? HOW CAN COP28 BUILD ON THE SUC-<br />
CESS ACHIEVED AND INITIATIVES LAUNCHED<br />
DURING THE COP27 IN SHARM EL SHEIKH?<br />
next to the Pyramids, will be one of the largest and most modern<br />
museums dedicated to one civilization in the entire world. One of<br />
the first artefacts to be transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum<br />
was the enormous 3,200 year old statue of Ramses II at the<br />
Grand Egyptian Museum’s main entrance.<br />
The Grand Egyptian Museum will host about 100,000 ancient<br />
artefacts, including the most precious 5,000 artefacts of the<br />
famous King Tutankhamun. The Grand Egyptian Museum is<br />
COP27 and COP 28 will embody the pioneering roles of Egypt<br />
expected to welcome around 15,000 visitors per day, roughly<br />
and UAE in driving the process of sustainable development and<br />
three times the number of people who visit the current museum<br />
climate action. Both countries support the international climate<br />
daily. That will amount to more than 5 million visitors per year. It<br />
action efforts, noting the significance of the hosting of COP27 in<br />
is expected that the inaugurating of the Grand Egyptian Museum<br />
Egypt and COP28 in the UAE.<br />
will take place earlier next year.<br />
COP27 achieved a breakthrough agreement to provide loss<br />
and damage funding for vulnerable countries hit hard by floods,<br />
droughts and other climate disasters. This was widely lauded<br />
as an historic decision because for the first time, countries<br />
recognized the need for finance to respond to loss and damage<br />
associated with the catastrophic effects of climate change, and<br />
agreed to the establishing of a fund and the necessary funding<br />
arrangements. Building on COP27, it is important to strike<br />
balance between the main issues pertaining climate change such<br />
as adaptation, mitigation and finance, noting that the issue of<br />
WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF ITS NEW ADMIN-<br />
ISTRATIVE CAPITAL (NAC), EGYPT JOINS THE<br />
GLOBAL SMART CITY REVOLUTION. WHERE DOES<br />
THE CITY STAND IN ITS DEVELOPMENT? WHAT<br />
KIND OF OPPORTUNITIES IS EGYPT OFFERING<br />
TO INTERNATIONAL INVESTORS AND COMPANIES<br />
THAT ARE INTERESTED IN CONTRIBUTING TO THE<br />
DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW CAPITAL?<br />
Photo: Embassy of Egypt<br />
finance is imperative to ensure just transition.<br />
The New Administrative Capital is a large-scale project of a new<br />
capital city that has been under development since 2015 on 700<br />
20 specialized international companies will get an opportunity to<br />
The depth of relations between Egypt and the European Union<br />
It is worth mentioning that COP27, held in November 2022, came<br />
square kilometres of land located approximately 45 km east of<br />
transfer their expertise to the local side.<br />
was also reflected in the current frequency of the high-level<br />
amidst many challenges, including the economic crisis and en-<br />
Egypt’s capital city, Cairo. Quite impressively, the New Adminis-<br />
bilateral visits between the two sides. The European Union High<br />
ergy and food shortages, which required further action to ensure<br />
that all parties meet their obligation pledges at COP26, most notably<br />
those related to ways of adapting to climate change. Egypt<br />
announced the theme of COP27 to be “Implementation Conference”,<br />
which focused on the actual implementation of policies<br />
for the planet’s interest and offering solutions to the challenges<br />
we face.<br />
trative Capital will be the largest urban community in the world.<br />
In the latest update, the Government District of the New Administrative<br />
Capital is almost complete. Furthermore, its implementation<br />
rate exceeds 98 percent as well as the third residential<br />
district (R3).<br />
The New Administrative Capital is a smart and green city. It has<br />
attracted a number of prestigious international universities, and<br />
EGYPT AND THE EUROPEAN UNION RELATIONS<br />
HAVE WITNESSED GREAT MOMENTUM OVER THE<br />
PAST FEW YEARS. HOW DO YOU SEE THE PROS-<br />
PECTS OF COOPERATION BETWEEN EGYPT AND<br />
THE EU IN LIGHT OF THE ONGOING BILATERAL<br />
PROJECTS BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES?<br />
Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-<br />
President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, visited<br />
Egypt in June 2023, and met with His Excellency, the President<br />
of the Arab Republic of Egypt.<br />
In addition, General Robert Brieger, the Chairman of the European<br />
Union Military Committee (EUMC), visited Egypt last June, in<br />
a first visit of its kind, as he met with the Minister of Defence and<br />
We value the partnership between Egypt and the UAE. I believe<br />
the Government has already moved to run from the new Capital.<br />
I do agree with what you mentioned regarding the current<br />
Military Production. The meeting tackled the latest developments<br />
that hosting COP27 in Egypt and COP28 in the UAE will enable<br />
The New Administrative Capital will become the new administra-<br />
momentum of the bilateral relations between Egypt and the<br />
at the regional and international levels, efforts aimed at ensuring<br />
the two countries, as part of the Arab Group, not only in terms of<br />
tive and financial capital of Egypt, housing the main government<br />
European Union, which is embodied in the EU-Egypt Association<br />
security and stability in the region as well as means of boosting<br />
negotiations or whatever concerns Arab and developing coun-<br />
departments and ministries, and foreign embassies. It will have a<br />
Agreement, in force since 2004. Egypt has successfully managed<br />
relations in the security and defence domains.<br />
tries but also in terms of creating new investment partnerships<br />
population of 6.5 million people and it is estimated that the figure<br />
to convene all the Agreement’s Sub-Committees, marking Egypt<br />
with the private sector. COP27 and COP28 will continue the<br />
could rise by half a million to 7 million.<br />
as the first EU Partner to finalize all Sub-Committees meetings,<br />
The cooperation between Egypt and the EU covers numer-<br />
pioneering role of Egypt and the UAE in driving the process of<br />
as well as the Association Committee, which preludes to holding<br />
ous domains including but limited to counter terrorism, illegal<br />
environmentally friendly sustainable development.<br />
The New Administrative Capital project will feature the implemen-<br />
the Association Council later this year.<br />
migration, energy security, and climate change. Egypt and the<br />
tation of a number of huge technology ventures. As a result, over<br />
European Union co-chair the Global Counterterrorism Forum<br />
62 63
INVESTMENT IS ONE OF THE MAIN DOMAINS<br />
OF COOPERATION BETWEEN EGYPT AND TH<br />
EUROPEAN UNION. COULD YOU ELABORATE<br />
SOME INSIGHTS ON THE PROSPECTS OF<br />
COOPERATION IN THIS REGARD?<br />
Indeed investment is one of the key issues of cooperation between<br />
Egypt and the EU. Egypt and the EU are currently collaborating<br />
to convene an Investment Forum in Egypt, with an aim to<br />
attract additional European investments in the Egyptian market,<br />
increase exports to Africa, and boost economic cooperation.<br />
The Investment Forum is expected to be held in the first semester<br />
of the next year. Egypt and the EU intend to endorse investment<br />
opportunities for European companies in Egypt, in addition<br />
to offering investment incentives to European investors. Through<br />
the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, Egypt has a capacity<br />
to become a centre for manufacturing European products<br />
and a channel to markets in Africa.<br />
Photo: Istock<br />
(GCTF), which underscores their collective commitment to continue<br />
fighting this global scourge. As Co-Chairs, Egypt and the<br />
EU recognize the importance of driving global counterterrorism<br />
efforts and preventing and countering violent extremism conducive<br />
to terrorism, including through addressing the root causes<br />
of terrorism and countering terrorist narratives and ideologies.<br />
Throughout our tenure, Africa will be a key priority. Egypt and the<br />
EU are determined, throughout their tenure, to focus our attention<br />
on new and emerging threats.<br />
In addition, Egypt has been among the first ten countries exporting<br />
LNG to Europe, by virtue of the trilateral agreement with<br />
the EU Commission and Israel to export gas to the EU, in June<br />
2022. Egypt has huge reserve of gas in East Mediterranean: two<br />
big LNG facilities for transferring gas into LNG. Egypt managed<br />
to triple its LNG exports to Europe last year. Also, one main pillar<br />
of cooperation with the EU is to export our electricity generated<br />
from renewable sources to Europe via two big cables, one to<br />
Greece and another one to Italy.<br />
In light of our determination to combat climate change and<br />
environmental degradation, Egypt and the European Union are<br />
engaging in establishing a long-term partnership on renewable<br />
hydrogen while fostering sustainable development, energy<br />
security and a balanced and just green transition. Egypt and the<br />
European Union signed a Memorandum of Understanding laying<br />
out the pillars of EU-Egypt cooperation on renewable hydrogen<br />
on the margins of COP27 in Sharm el Sheikh in November 2022,<br />
reinforcing the ongoing bilateral cooperation on green transition.<br />
As part of the ongoing reform program adopted by the Egyptian<br />
government to boost investments and economic growth in the<br />
country, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has issued a presidential<br />
decree to establish the Supreme Council for Investment, which<br />
will be presided over by the President of the Republic.<br />
The Supreme Council for Investment supervises the state’s<br />
investment policies in all sectors and provinces, with a view<br />
to achieve a real leap in efforts to encourage both domestic<br />
and foreign investment, and eliminate bureaucratic obstacles<br />
and various challenges facing efforts to increase private sector<br />
investment.<br />
Encouraging foreign investment has been prioritized on Egypt’s<br />
Government agenda. Egypt has implemented an ambitious<br />
economic reform program with a view to encouraging the foreign<br />
direct investments. Such programme aims to achieve rapid and<br />
sustainable growth rates, and inclusive development for Egypt.<br />
This programme has provided radical solutions to structural economic<br />
problems and included amending the legislations pertaining<br />
to investment.<br />
The implementation of this programme comes within the framework<br />
of Egypt Vision 2030, which reflects the State’s long-term<br />
strategic plan to achieve the principles and goals of sustainable<br />
development in all fields, and to embed them in the various<br />
Egyptian State bodies. Among the most notable investment opportunities<br />
in Egypt is the green corridor of the Suez Canal which<br />
aims to shift the Suez Canal into an eco-friendly corridor that<br />
relies on renewable energy. It is high time for European companies<br />
to grasp the opportunity and invest in Egypt.<br />
Photo: Embassy of Egypt<br />
Photo: Embassy of Egypt<br />
64 65
NATIONAL DAY CEREMONY<br />
OF THE ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT<br />
H.E. Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Ambassador of Egypt to Belgium<br />
Luxembourg, European Union and NATO hosted the National<br />
Day ceremony of the Arab Republic of Egypt on July 3, 2023<br />
commemorating the 71st anniversary of the 23rd July Revolution.<br />
The ceremony was held at the Royal Museum of Art and<br />
History in Brussels, with a wide participation of more than 700<br />
participants from the European Union, Belgium, Luxembourg,<br />
NATO, the diplomatic community and the Egyptian community in<br />
Brussels.<br />
In addition, Mr. Mohamed Abou El-Enein, Deputy Speaker of the<br />
House of Representatives of Egypt took part in the ceremony<br />
during his visit to Brussels. The audience also included a large<br />
number of Members of the European Parliament, Members of the<br />
Belgian Parliament, Officials of the European Union Commission,<br />
the European Council, the European External Action Service,<br />
the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NATO, in addition<br />
to numerous Ambassadors accredited to Brussels, and a large<br />
number of members of the Egyptian community.<br />
The Egyptian National Day ceremony was attended by senior<br />
officials that included, but not limited to, General Robert Brieger,<br />
Chairman of the European Union Military Committee; Admiral<br />
Rob Bauer, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee; Ambassador<br />
Hubert Cooreman, Director General of Middle East and<br />
North Africa Department, Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs;<br />
Mr. Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs,<br />
European Union External Action Service (EEAS); and Ms. Helene<br />
Le Gal, Managing Director of Middle East and North Africa at the<br />
EEAS.<br />
Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Ambassador of Egypt to Belgium, Luxembourg,<br />
European Union and NATO, delivered a speech at the ceremony,<br />
during which he demonstrated different aspects of development<br />
that Egypt has witnessed over the past few years in all domains:<br />
political, economic, developmental, social and cultural. The<br />
Egyptian Ambassador also stressed the current momentum of<br />
the bilateral relations with the European Union, Belgium, and<br />
Luxembourg in all aspects of cooperation in issues of common<br />
interests, most notably the cooperation in energy, including<br />
renewable energy and green hydrogen. In addition, the Egyp-<br />
66 67
tian Ambassador highlighted the successful visit of Her Majesty<br />
Queen Mathilde and Her Majesty Crown Princess Elisabeth of<br />
Belgium to Egypt in March 2023, commemorating the 100th<br />
anniversary of the historic visit of the great-grandmother Queen<br />
Elisabeth, the wife of King Albert I, to Egypt.<br />
Dr. Abdelatty also underscored the current frequency of the<br />
high-level bilateral visits with Egypt, which reflected the depth<br />
and distinction of relations with the European Union, Belgium,<br />
Luxembourg, and NATO. In this context, the Egyptian Ambassador<br />
shed light on the last visit of the European Union High<br />
Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-<br />
President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, to Egypt<br />
in June 2023, during which the HR/VP held high-level bilateral<br />
meetings, most notably with H.E. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President<br />
of the Arab Republic of Egypt.<br />
Dr. Abdelatty also highlighted the significance of the EU-Egypt<br />
Association Agreement, that has been in force since 2004. He<br />
stated the fact that all the Agreement’s Sub-Committees have<br />
been successfully convened, marking Egypt as the first EU<br />
Partner to finalize all Sub-Committees meetings, which preludes<br />
to holding the Association Council later this year. In addition, the<br />
Egyptian Ambassador highlighted the current work to finalize the<br />
Individually Tailored Partnership Program with NATO.<br />
In his speech, Mr. Mohamed Abou El-Enein, Deputy Speaker of<br />
the House of Representatives of Egypt, enumerated the achievements<br />
made in Egypt over the past few years at the political,<br />
economic, and social levels. He stressed the important role<br />
played by Egypt in the southern neighbourhood of the European<br />
Union, emphasizing the significance of strengthening economic<br />
cooperation between Egypt and the EU, with a view to attracting<br />
more European investments to the Egyptian market, including the<br />
Suez Canal corridor, in light of Egypt’s tremendous opportunities<br />
in trade and economic cooperation. From their parts, the Guests<br />
of Honour of the National Day ceremony gave short speeches<br />
in which they stressed the pivotal role that Egypt plays in the<br />
region, commended Egypt’s achievements in terms of counter<br />
terrorism and illegal migration, and expressed appreciation to the<br />
distinguished bilateral relations with Egypt.<br />
On the sidelines of the Egyptian National Day ceremony, the<br />
guests had the opportunity to visit the Exhibition “Expedition<br />
Egypt” that is currently hosted in the Royal Museum of Art and<br />
History in Brussels during the period from 31 March to 1 October<br />
2023. The Egyptian Exhibition brings together more than 200<br />
objects from Egyptian collections, including the sumptuously<br />
decorated coffins from the priestly cache of Deir el-Bahari,<br />
and the beautifully illustrated Book of the Dead of the dignitary<br />
Neferrenpet.<br />
The Egyptian National Day Celebration also witnessed two<br />
distinguished photo exhibitions of the renowned photographer<br />
Karoline Amaury, and the notable Egyptian artist Lutfi Abou<br />
Sariya. Ms. Amaury presented numerous photographs that portray<br />
remarkable Pharaonic monuments and journeys of excavation<br />
teams in Egyptian historic sites. In addition, Mr. Abou Sariya<br />
has displayed various authentic paintings made on traditional<br />
and natural mini papyrus that portray the Pharaonic and old<br />
Egyptian cultures. At the end of the National Day ceremony,<br />
Dr. Abdelatty, the Egyptian Ambassador, expressed gratitude to<br />
Mr. Bruno Verbergt, Director General of the Royal Museum of Art<br />
and History in Brussels, for hosting the National Day ceremony in<br />
the headquarters of the Royal Museum.<br />
68 69
70 71
H.E. NAWAF ALENEZI<br />
AMBASSADOR OF THE STATE OF KUWAIT<br />
TO THE KINGDOM OF BELGIUM<br />
AND GRAND DUCHY OF<br />
LUXEMBOURG & HEAD OF MISSION<br />
TO THE EUROPEAN UNION AND NATO<br />
Kuwait’s Vision 2035 is a long-term development plan aimed<br />
at transforming Kuwait into a financial,<br />
cultural, and institutional leader in the region<br />
Photo: Royal Palace<br />
KUWAIT IS IN THE MIDST OF AN AMBITIOUS<br />
TRANSFORMATION PROCESS UNDER THE<br />
UMBRELLA OF VISION 2035. WHAT ARE THE MAIN<br />
DIRECTIONS AND KEY PROJECTS AS PART OF<br />
THIS VISION TO TRANSFORM KUWAIT INTO A<br />
KNOWLEDGE-BASED, DIVERSIFIED ECONOMY?<br />
Kuwait’s Vision 2035 is a long-term development plan aimed at<br />
transforming Kuwait into a financial, cultural, and institutional<br />
leader in the region. The plan is multifaceted, in order to more<br />
effectively tackle an ever-changing world and adapt to new<br />
challenges. The seven main pillars of the Kuwait Vision 2035 are<br />
as follows:<br />
1. Global Position: Enhancing Kuwait’s regional and global<br />
presence in spheres such as diplomacy, trade, culture, and<br />
philanthropy.<br />
2. Human Capital: improving and upgrading the education<br />
system to better prepare youth to become competitive and<br />
productive members of the workforce.<br />
3. Healthcare: Improving service quality and developing national<br />
capabilities in the public healthcare system which is provided<br />
free of cost or minimum cost.<br />
4. Living Environment: Ensuring the availability of living accommodation<br />
through environmentally sound resources.<br />
5. Infrastructure: Developing and modernizing the national<br />
infrastructure to improve the quality of life for all those living in<br />
Kuwait.<br />
6. Economy: Developing a prosperous and diversified economy<br />
to gradually reduce the country’s dependency on oil export<br />
revenues.<br />
7. Public Administration: addressing bureaucratic practices to<br />
reinforce transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the<br />
government.<br />
Some of the highlights of the new development plan submitted<br />
recently by the Cabinet of the State of Kuwait to the National<br />
Assembly include strategic projects in tourism sector, transportation<br />
and logistics, Public Housing, Information Technology,<br />
financial services, Petrochemicals, and renewable energy.<br />
In the transportation and logistics sector, Kuwait is finalizing<br />
the construction of the new International Airport of Kuwait, also<br />
the Great Mubarak port located north of Kuwait, as well as the<br />
initiation of the GCC railroad project linking all GCC countries to<br />
improve trade and travel.<br />
Photo: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg<br />
<strong>72</strong> 73
Copyright: European Union<br />
Photo: Embassy Of Kuwait<br />
Copyright: European Union<br />
In the Financial Services aspect, Kuwait is considering launching<br />
a new domestic Sovereign Wealth Fund as a new investment<br />
and development tool to work with the private sector on Mega<br />
projects in Kuwait and to attract foreign direct investments to<br />
Kuwait.<br />
IN SEPTEMBER 2014, KUWAIT WAS NAMED BY<br />
FORMER SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNIT-<br />
ED NATIONS, H.E. BANK KI-MOON AS “HUMAN-<br />
ITARIAN CENTER”, TO REFLECT ITS ROLE AS A<br />
LEADING DONOR TO THOSE AFFECTED BY HU-<br />
MANITARIAN DISASTERS AROUND THE WORLD.<br />
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE NOBLE HUMANITARIAN<br />
INITIATIVES HAS UNDERTAKEN TO CONTRIBUTE<br />
TO PEACE, STABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE<br />
REGION AND BEYOND?<br />
The State of Kuwait has a long history of contributing to and<br />
playing a role in global humanitarian initiatives to promote peace,<br />
stability, security, and development in the region and beyond.<br />
When the State of Kuwait was named a “Humanitarian Center,”<br />
by the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, H.E. Ban<br />
Ki-moon, it was the recognition of the culmination of humanitarian<br />
initiatives spanning the entire history of the country. Notable<br />
initiatives of the State of Kuwait include:<br />
1. In light of his extensive efforts in championing Humanitarian<br />
assistance to those in need, the late Amir His Highness<br />
Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah was named a<br />
humanitarian Leader by the UNSG Ban Ki Moon.<br />
2. The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development: The Fund<br />
provides financial and technical assistance to more than 100<br />
developing countries, with a focus on infrastructure projects<br />
that contribute to economic development and poverty<br />
reduction.<br />
3. Humanitarian Relief: The State of Kuwait is extremely active<br />
in providing humanitarian aid during crises in the region,<br />
such as conflicts and natural disasters. The State of Kuwait<br />
has contributed to relief efforts for Syrian refugees and provided<br />
aid to victims of the earthquake that devastated parts<br />
of Turkey and Syria.<br />
4. International Donor Conferences: The State of Kuwait has<br />
hosted, co-hosted alongside the European Union and other<br />
partners, numerous international donor conferences aimed<br />
at raising funds for countries facing humanitarian countries.<br />
This has included hosting 3 donor conferences for Syria, and<br />
a conference for the reconstruction of Iraq in the aftermath<br />
of ISIS defeat in 2018, Yemen, and the Rohingya people to<br />
name a few.<br />
74 75
5. Kuwait Red Crescent Society: The Kuwait Red Crescent<br />
Society is the State of Kuwait’s main humanitarian organization<br />
that provides relief and aid in various crisis situations. It<br />
engages in projects related to healthcare, education, water,<br />
sanitation, and more both domestically and internationally.<br />
FOR COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD, ENERGY<br />
TRANSITION IS A TOP PRIORITY. HOW IS KUWAIT<br />
TRANSITIONING TO A MORE DIVERSIFIED ENER-<br />
GY MIX? WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS FOR CO-<br />
OPERATION ON RENEWABLE ENERGY WITH THE<br />
EUROPEAN UNION, FOR INSTANCE ON GREEN<br />
HYDROGEN?<br />
The State of Kuwait has been taking steps to transition to a<br />
more diversified energy mix by incorporating renewable energy<br />
source alongside its traditional reliance on oil and gas. The State<br />
of Kuwait has set ambitious renewable energy targets as part of<br />
its national development plan, including producing 15 percent of<br />
local electricity consumption from renewables by 2030.<br />
The State of Kuwait has initiated several renewable energy projects,<br />
such as utilizing solid waste to energy, as well as launching<br />
pilot project to bump oil from reservoirs through renewable<br />
energy. Furthermore, the State of Kuwait has been investing in<br />
research and development of renewable energy technologies<br />
and boosting cooperation with international partners, such as the<br />
European Union, to boost domestic capabilities and expertise in<br />
the field of renewables.<br />
The State of Kuwait is keen to work with its partners in the<br />
European Union in the renewable sector. The EU has a significant<br />
amount of experience and expertise in renewable energy<br />
technologies, policy frameworks, and regulatory mechanisms.<br />
Cooperation could involve knowledge sharing, technology transfer,<br />
and capacity building to help Kuwait accelerate its transition<br />
to renewables. There is room for collaboration on research and<br />
innovation projects as well as learning from the EU experiences<br />
in designing effective renewable energy policies and incentives to<br />
boost engagement from the private sector.<br />
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE UPCOMING 2023 UNIT-<br />
ED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE<br />
(COP28) TO BE HELD IN THE UAE, WHAT WILL BE<br />
KUWAIT’S PRIORITIES?<br />
Looking ahead to the upcoming 2023 United Nations Climate<br />
Change Conference (COP28) to be held in the United Arab<br />
Emirates, climate change and its effects are a priority of the State<br />
of Kuwait. Kuwait coordinates with Gulf Cooperation Council<br />
(GCC) countries in order to convey our ideas and initiatives as an<br />
oil & gas producing region in order to help mitigate the effects of<br />
climate change.<br />
As party to the 2015 Paris Agreement, the State of Kuwait is<br />
committed to working together through the global framework to<br />
limit global warming and strengthen countries’ ability to deal with<br />
the impacts of climate change.<br />
The State of Kuwait is keen to work with its international partners<br />
on new initiatives that ensure no country is left behind and effective<br />
technology is available to all.<br />
Photos: Embassy of Kuwait<br />
H.E. Nawaf Alenezi, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait, with Barbara Dietrich CEO <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong> and Alberto Turkstra, project manager <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
Night Time Above The Kuwait City Modern Architecture Skyline<br />
Photo: Istock<br />
76 77
DUSHANBE<br />
INVESTMENT FORUM<br />
On 29 September, Tajikistan’s capital city hosted the Dushanbe<br />
Investment Forum, with the participation of 800 investors from<br />
over 30 countries, aiming to attract investment, promote partnerships<br />
between domestic and foreign companies, and highlight<br />
opportunities in developing the digital economy as a way of<br />
achieving Tajikistan’s fourth strategic goal, the rapid industrialization<br />
of the country.<br />
On top of the agenda was the country’s energy sector, in particular<br />
advancement of public-private partnership opportunities<br />
to expand the country’s renewable energy sources. The country<br />
ranks among the top six worldwide in the generation of green<br />
energy, not only through hydropower plants (Tajikistan possesses<br />
60 percent of the water resources of the Central Asian region) but<br />
also wind and solar power stations (the country enjoys between<br />
2,000 to 3,000 sunny hours per year). Mining resources and<br />
extraction of minerals is also on the focus, with 600 deposits of<br />
precious stones and metals ready for extraction, but only a handful<br />
of those having been exploited so far.<br />
In a video message, President of the Republic of Tajikistan,<br />
H.E. Emomali Rahmon, elaborated on the core objectives of the<br />
National Development Strategy of the Republic of Tajikistan for<br />
the period up to 2030 in terms of mobilization of investments and<br />
improving the investment climate. Particular reference was made<br />
to the prioritization of accelerated industrialization, innovation,<br />
and digitalization, in line with the Action Plan dedicated to the<br />
“Years of industrial development 2022-2026”.<br />
Recent economic reforms have positioned Tajikistan as a reliable<br />
partner. The list of countries with free or simplified visa regime is<br />
increasing. There are Increased number of permits and licenses.<br />
Taxation reforms have brought down the number of taxes,<br />
introduced electronic tax declaration and reduced the number<br />
of inspections. Through the alignment of national legislation with<br />
international standards, the protection of the rights of investors is<br />
guaranteed.<br />
At the plenary of the Forum intervened Chairman of the National<br />
Assembly of Tajikistan and Mayor of Dushanbe, H.E. Rustam<br />
Emomali, who highlighted the importance of ensuring uninterrupted<br />
trade, free movement of goods, investments, services,<br />
and new technologies, as well as the development and promotion<br />
of the digital economy, green economy, a unified transportation<br />
system, the development of transportation corridors, and the<br />
efficient use of countries’ transit potential. “Today, in Tajikistan,<br />
economic reforms are successfully being implemented to create<br />
a favourable investment and business climate, expand the<br />
country’s export opportunities, and improve the labour market<br />
situation,” said Rustam Emomali.<br />
Following the plenary session, where also intervened the Deputy<br />
Prime Ministers of the Russian Federation, Uzbekistan and<br />
Kazakhstan, there was a visit to the Expo Center for an exhibition<br />
of a range of Tajik products, including the first made-in-Tajikistan<br />
electric buses. Tajikistan began producing electric buses and<br />
electric trolleybuses in 2021, at the Dushanbe-based Akia Avesto<br />
plant, and conducted tests in December. On the basis of the<br />
Program for the development of electric transport in the Republic<br />
of Tajikistan for the period 2023-2028, 300 such electric buses<br />
should be produced and offered for use in the city of Dushanbe<br />
up until 2026.<br />
INVESTMENT ACTIVITY IN TAJIKISTAN<br />
As a result of the measures taken by Government of Tajikistan,<br />
the dynamics of the inflow of investments – including foreign direct<br />
investment – into the economy of Tajikistan exhibit a positive<br />
tendency. To date, Tajikistan has implemented 82 public investment<br />
projects totalling more than USD 3 billion.<br />
The Republic of Tajikistan today is a country with significant<br />
investment advantages, just to name a few: strategic geographical<br />
location; political and economic stability; all-round support<br />
of private business and entrepreneurship; abundance of natural<br />
resources and rapidly developing infrastructure.<br />
For the purpose of forming a favourable investment and business<br />
environment, as well as attraction of foreign investments over the<br />
78 79
period of independence, more than 100 normative and legal acts,<br />
applying the legislation that was in effect at the time of registra-<br />
down to 14 percent starting from 2023 and from January 1, 2027,<br />
pose of provision of favourable conditions for attracting foreign<br />
regulating this sphere have been adopted, including the laws On<br />
tion of the enterprise. When carrying out reinvesting, the inves-<br />
the VAT rate will be 13 percent. Further improvements and the<br />
investments and support of the private sector, five free economic<br />
State Support of Entrepreneurship; On Investments, On Foreign<br />
tors fully make use of legal protection, guarantees and privileges<br />
digitalisation of tax services are envisaged to increase voluntary<br />
zones were created in Tajikistan:<br />
Economic Activity, On Free Economic Zones, On Public-Private<br />
established by the legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan.<br />
compliance and minimise corruption.<br />
Partnership and other regulatory acts.<br />
• Dangara FEZ, with a total area of 521 hectares (Khatlon<br />
These laws are aimed at legal protection of investments, providing<br />
investors with fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, ensuring<br />
DOING BUSINESS IN TAJIKISTAN<br />
In addition, the system of ‘Single Window’ operates in the country,<br />
for the registration of legal entities and individual entrepreneurs,<br />
with the introduction of which the amount of registration<br />
region);<br />
• Sugd FEZ, with a total area of 320 hectares (Sughd region);<br />
• Panj FEZ, with a total area of 401 hectares (Khatlon region);<br />
their participation in the privatization process and infrastructure<br />
Due to the timely support of the Government of Tajikistan and<br />
authorities was reduced to one and the time of registration was<br />
• Ishkoshim FEZ, with a total area of 200 hectares (GBAO);<br />
development. Legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan guarantees<br />
the ongoing reforms, the contribution of Small and Medium Sized<br />
reduced to 3 days. The amount of permit documents for con-<br />
• Kulob FEZ, with a total area of 309 hectares (Khatlon region).<br />
equal rights to both domestic and foreign investors, and protects<br />
Enterprises (SMEs) to the economy is steadily growing. Today<br />
ducting business activity was reduced from 605 to 74.<br />
their property from nationalization and requisition.<br />
the private sector accounts for 70 percent of the country’s GDP.<br />
Currently, more than 70 entities operate in free economic zones,<br />
In addition, 67 percent of the economically active population are<br />
Because of the above-mentioned reforms and initiatives, the<br />
which are exempted from all types of taxation, except for income<br />
Investors have open access to the real sectors of the economy,<br />
involved in the private sector.<br />
Republic of Tajikistan improved its positions in the <strong>World</strong> Bank’s<br />
and social taxes. During the activity of free economic zones, USD<br />
and also have the right to carry out exploration, processing and<br />
rating of Doing Business by 60 positions during the past 5 years.<br />
160 million worth of investments were attracted to the economy<br />
exploitation of the natural resources of the Republic of Tajikistan.<br />
To ease the burden on businesses, reduce informality and<br />
In 2020, the <strong>World</strong> Bank acknowledged Tajikistan as one of the<br />
of Tajikistan<br />
Moreover, investors are guaranteed the right to freely transfer<br />
support the country’s fiscal stance, a revised Tax Code was<br />
10 economies that improved the most on the ease of doing busi-<br />
abroad income and salaries in foreign currency, obtained legally<br />
from investment and production activities.<br />
In case that subsequent legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan<br />
will lead to an increase of the aggregate tax burden to the inves-<br />
adopted in 2021, whereby the number of taxes was decreased<br />
from ten to seven and tax rates were reduced across the board.<br />
For example, the rate of income tax has decreased from 13 to 12<br />
percent. The main tax rate – VAT, the share of which in the total<br />
volume of the tax revenues in the country’s budget is more than<br />
ness after implementing regulatory reforms.<br />
FREE ECONOMIC ZONES<br />
One of the effective incentives for the attraction of investments is<br />
PRIORITY SECTORS OF INVESTMENT<br />
1. HYDROPOWER INDUSTRY<br />
The Republic of Tajikistan has inexhaustible reserves of hydroe-<br />
tor’s activity, then within ten years they are given a guarantee of<br />
40 percent, decreased from 18 to 15 in January 1, 2022; further<br />
the creation and operation of free economic zones. For the pur-<br />
lectric resources. Tajikistan has the potential to produce<br />
80 81
527 billion kW/hr. of electricity per year, but today only 6 percent<br />
of this potential is being used. Over the years of independence,<br />
The total area suitable for agricultural activities is 7.2 million<br />
hectares, however most of it used as pastureland for livestock.<br />
4. MINING INDUSTRY<br />
Today, in the country’s territory, about 40 kinds of minerals are<br />
We are grateful to the State Committee on Investment and State<br />
Property Management of the Republic of Tajikistan for their con-<br />
the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan has been imple-<br />
The cultivated land for agricultural crops is total of 675,000<br />
mined. About 100 deposits are being exploited. More than 600<br />
tribution to this article.<br />
menting raft of measures on the way to achieving one of the<br />
hectares, of which only 470,000 hectares are irrigated. Another<br />
deposits of polychime, rare and precious metals have been<br />
strategic goals, which is energy independence.<br />
180,000 hectares of these areas are cultivated under gardens<br />
identified and explored, and are partially prepared for industrial<br />
Photos: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
and vineyards.<br />
development. The country’s soil is rich in zinc, lead, bismuth,<br />
In November 2018, the first power turbine of Rogun hydropower<br />
molybdenum, tungsten, copper, gold, silver, antimony, mercury,<br />
plant (HPP) was launched, marking another important milestone<br />
for the energy sector of Tajikistan. The Rogun HPP, being embedded<br />
into broader reforms and a sound macro-fiscal framework,<br />
3. TEXTILE INDUSTRY<br />
The volume of foreign investment in the textile industry of the<br />
fluorspar, tin, uranium, iron, manganese, table salt, magnesium<br />
and many other mineral resources with a high export potential.<br />
will create greater prosperity for the people of Tajikistan. The final<br />
project capacity will be 3,800 MW, thus becoming the biggest<br />
HPP in the region.<br />
Republic of Tajikistan has significantly increased in recent years.<br />
A remarkable example of this is the construction of the first stage<br />
of the Textile Complex of Juntai Dangara Sin Silu Textiles CJSC<br />
5. GOLD, SILVER AND PRECIOUS STONES<br />
The volume of the gold reserve of the Republic of Tajikistan<br />
in Dangara city. The capacity of this enterprise allows annually<br />
amounts to 400 tons. Annually, more than 10 tons of gold is ex-<br />
2. AGRICULTURE<br />
One of the main sectors in the economy of the Republic of<br />
to process 52,000 tons of cotton fibre and producing up to<br />
150 million square meters of cotton fabric.<br />
tracted in the country, but currently the prospect of a possible<br />
increase in production up to 20 tons per year is being considered.<br />
Tajikistan is famous for one of the world’s largest silver deposits.<br />
Tajikistan is agriculture, due to which currently the country pro-<br />
It should be noted that at present cotton fibre, fabric and cotton<br />
Bolshoi Konimansur (Big Konimasur) is the pride of northern<br />
vides about 23 percent of GDP, more than 70 percent of jobs,<br />
yarn, clothes and clothing with additional textile improvements<br />
Tajikistan, where more than 60,000 tons of silver are concen-<br />
25 percent of exports and 35 percent of tax revenues to the state<br />
are produced in the country. Currently, 107 cotton ginning<br />
trated. Another wealth of the republic are numerous deposits of<br />
budget. Despite the fact that the climatic conditions of Tajikistan<br />
factories operate across the country’s territory, which produce<br />
precious stones. Only in 2020, the total amount from the export<br />
are ideally suited for the cultivation of virtually all varieties of<br />
more than 120,000 tons of high-quality cotton fibre, of which<br />
of precious, semiprecious stones and metals amounted to about<br />
grain crops, the mountainous terrain narrows down the possibili-<br />
only 12,000 tons per year is processed by textile enterprises of<br />
USD 690 million, and the values of the export of non-precious<br />
ties of the population in agricultural production.<br />
Tajikistan, even though the capacity of spinning factories allows<br />
metals and their articles made therefrom amounted to USD<br />
processing more than 70,000 tons of cotton fibre per year<br />
187 million.<br />
82 83
DIPLOMATIC WORLD SIGNS MoU<br />
WITH THE COMMITTEE OF TOURISM<br />
DEVELOPMENT OF TAJIKISTAN<br />
During a visit to Dushanbe in September 2023, <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
and nature-based tourism; acknowledging the synergies between<br />
(represented by its CEO, Barbara Dietrich) and the Committee<br />
the mission, vision and activities of the Committee of Tourism<br />
of Tourism Development of Tajikistan (represented by its<br />
Development and <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong> and persuaded by the need<br />
The Committee on the Tourism Development under the Govern-<br />
With the implementation of the consistent open-door policy of<br />
Chairman, Kamoliddin Muminzod), convinced of the necessity<br />
to institutionalise cooperation, based on past fruitful cooperation<br />
ment of the Republic of Tajikistan is the central executive agency<br />
the leadership and the Government, Tajikistan became a full<br />
of promoting and reinforcing mutual cooperation; recognising<br />
and joint activities, signed a Memorandum of Understanding<br />
of the country responsible for the formulation of a consistent<br />
member of the <strong>World</strong> Tourism Organization in 2007 and a good<br />
the untapped tourism potential of Tajikistan, in particular cultural<br />
(MoU).<br />
national policy and a legal frame in the area of tourism. Accord-<br />
foundation has been laid for the integration of the country’s tour-<br />
ing to the Tourism Development Strategy in the Republic of<br />
ism industry into the world market. In this regard, the Republic<br />
Tajikistan for the period up to 2030, the contribution of tourism<br />
of Tajikistan has signed agreements on tourism cooperation with<br />
to gross domestic product will be significantly increased, and<br />
a number of countries. Tajikistan has also introduced electronic<br />
the sector will play an important role in creating jobs in cities and<br />
visa and unilateral visa-free regime with 52 countries, the imple-<br />
remote regions of the country.<br />
mentation of a simplified visa regime with 126 countries, as well<br />
as the abolition of internal registration of tourists.<br />
The tourism industry in today’s world is one of the profitable<br />
sectors of the economy and plays an important role in employ-<br />
The accession of Dushanbe to the <strong>World</strong> Federation of Tourist<br />
ment and improving the standards of living of the population.<br />
Cities; the declaration of Dushanbe as the tourist capital of the<br />
Therefore, the regulation of favourable conditions for the devel-<br />
Economic Cooperation Organization for 2020-2021; the inscrip-<br />
opment of the tourist industry and the improvement of the state<br />
tion of the Tajik National Park; the Tugay forests of the Tigrovaya<br />
policy on the management of the industry are considered as the<br />
Balka Nature Reserve; the historical site of Sarazm and the<br />
most important priorities of the social and economic develop-<br />
Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor in the UNESCO <strong>World</strong> Heritage<br />
ment policy of the Republic of Tajikistan.<br />
List; and the inclusion of Chakan embroidery art; the Navruz<br />
holiday; Oshi palov; music of Shashmaqom and falak (traditional<br />
In this strategy, the existence of a rich historical and cultural<br />
folklore music of the mountain people of Tajikistan) to the List of<br />
heritage of Tajikistan, its unique nature with lakes, rare flora<br />
Intangible Cultural Heritage, have facilitated the promotion of the<br />
and fauna, as well as high mountain peaks are recognized as<br />
tourism potentials and image of Tajikistan around the world.<br />
the main factors for the development of tourism of the country.<br />
For the development of this industry, the necessary regulatory<br />
Over 90 percent of the country is mountainous, giving Tajikistan<br />
and legal framework is being created and a number of incentive<br />
the title of “roof of the world”. The Pamir mountains of Tajikistan<br />
measures have been implemented in the country. In particular,<br />
are formed by the intersection of five mountain ranges – namely<br />
several international tourist zones have been created and pre-<br />
the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, Hindu Kush and the<br />
sented to the general public, hotels and shopping centres have<br />
Himalayas – thus earning it the title “Roof of the <strong>World</strong>.” This<br />
been built that meet modern requirements. The priority areas of<br />
fact of nature has given Tajikistan a precious advantage, namely<br />
the tourism industry for Tajikistan are ecological tourism, medical<br />
some of the most inspiring, high-altitude landscapes in the world.<br />
and health tourism, recreational, historical and cultural tourism,<br />
mountaineering and hunting.<br />
Photos: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
84 85
ASTANA INTERNATIONAL FORUM<br />
URGENCY OF GREEN TRANSITION<br />
IN THE SPOTLIGHT<br />
Alberto Turkstra, Project Manager, <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
On June 8 and 9, Kazakhstan’s capital assembled an impressive<br />
array of government and industry leaders; policymakers; CEOs<br />
of multinational organizations; representatives of International<br />
Financial Institutions (IFIs) and other experts for the first edition<br />
of the Astana International Forum, conceived by President<br />
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as a platform to resume political<br />
dialogue, drive positive change and shape the global agenda<br />
of cooperation and find ways to rebuild a common culture of<br />
multilateralism through actionable and lasting solutions.<br />
The topic of climate change and green transition featured<br />
prominently during the Forum’s various sessions and side events:<br />
discussions ranged from financing the green transition to the<br />
development of carbon markets; from the role of green hydrogen<br />
and nuclear in the energy transition to addressing the so-called<br />
energy trilemma – ensuring energy security, accessibility and<br />
affordability – on the road to net zero.<br />
For the better part of its three decades of independence,<br />
Kazakhstan’s energy market was characterized by a monopolistic<br />
structure and prevalence of fossil fuel subsidies. Such price<br />
distortions, not reflecting the real costs of environmental externalities,<br />
have made it difficult to diversify the types of energy<br />
used for the domestic market and promote energy efficiency,<br />
and have hindered the introduction of new technologies.<br />
Yet, in recent years, Kazakhstan has been a frontrunner in the<br />
region in announcing decarbonisation targets and adopting green<br />
economy strategies and programmes to reduce greenhouse gas<br />
emissions. The Concept on transition to a Green Economy<br />
was adopted in 2013 and laid the foundation for a completely<br />
The scale of the challenge, especially for the Central Asian<br />
region, is well known. President Tokayev, during his speech at<br />
the Forum’s plenary session, referred to climate change as the<br />
world’s most existential threat. And Central Asia is one of its<br />
frontlines. Even in the optimistic scenario that envisages a temperature<br />
rise limited to 1.5 degrees (and this is a big if), Central<br />
Asia is likely to experience temperature rises between 2-2.5<br />
degrees. This will lead to the desertification of large swathes of<br />
the region, potentially making them uninhabitable. The frequency<br />
and intensity of extreme weather events is on the rise, causing<br />
damages equivalent to 1.3 percent of GDP per annum. And it is<br />
expected that Central Asia’s two main rivers – the Syr Darya and<br />
the Amu Darya – will lose 15 percent of their volume by 2050.<br />
Decarbonisation and green transition efforts in Central Asia are<br />
still very much in their infancy, with coal remaining a primary<br />
source of energy. Kazakhstan, for example, generates approximately<br />
70 percent of its electricity from coal but aims for renewables<br />
to supply half its power by 2050. This shift is intended<br />
to help meet the government’s ambitious goals of reducing the<br />
country’s greenhouse gas emissions to 15 percent below their<br />
1990 levels by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2060.<br />
new development paradigm, whose urgency is now latent.<br />
Kazakhstan is working on updating this concept, with new goals<br />
and indicators. It was also in that year that Kazakhstan became<br />
the first country in the region to have an Emissions Trading<br />
System (ETS) in place. In 2021, a new Environmental Code was<br />
adopted promoting more efficient technologies, standards and<br />
norms. In 2018 it introduced a system of electronic auctions to<br />
attract investment in the renewable energy sector and help lower<br />
lower tariffs for new renewable and gas-fired electricity capacity.<br />
More recently, Kazakhstan has adopted a Low Emissions<br />
Development Strategy to reach net zero by 2060.<br />
Evidently, there is a long road ahead from policy planning and<br />
strategy towards implementation and enforcement. It calls for<br />
enormous financial and human resources. It requires leveraging<br />
the involvement of the private sector and IFIs, increasingly green<br />
conscious. For example, as announced by Aida Sitdikova from<br />
the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD),<br />
all of the bank’s projects as of January 2023 are aligned with<br />
the Paris climate agreement and it aims for green financing to<br />
account over 50 per cent of its annual business volume by 2025.<br />
Moreover, the transition will necessitate upskilling and reskilling,<br />
with structural changes in the labour market to prevent a skills<br />
mismatch. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)<br />
statistics, the transition to a green economy will add an estimated<br />
60 million new jobs to the market by 2030.<br />
At the Forum, from the Middle East was noticeable the presence<br />
of renewable companies. Indeed, some of the biggest projects<br />
in the field of renewables in Central Asia are funded by countries<br />
of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in particular the United<br />
Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, countries which like Kazakhstan<br />
are blessed with abundant natural resources. Over a decade<br />
ago, they saw the value in betting on renewables and investing<br />
abroad, thereby shaping the energy transformation in other regions.<br />
Middle East giants Masdar (UAE based) and Saudi ACWA<br />
Power have both started operations this year in Kazakhstan’s renewable<br />
energy market, the former having signed an agreement<br />
to develop a wind energy project with a generation capacity of up<br />
to 1 GW; and the latter having recently announced the development<br />
of a 1 GW wind energy and battery storage project with an<br />
initial investment of USD 1.5 billion.<br />
Apart from its well-known endowment of solar and wind,<br />
86 87
Kazakhstan is also betting on green hydrogen. Hydrogen will<br />
play a critical role in decarbonizing the most polluting sectors,<br />
such as mining, transportation, aviation, etc. Late last year, the<br />
Kazakh government signed a USD 50 billion deal with European<br />
renewables group Svevind to build one of the world’s five largest<br />
green hydrogen production facilities in the Mangystau Region,<br />
in the country’s west. It aims to start production by 2030 and<br />
produce two million tons annually from 2032, the equivalent of<br />
20 percent of the EU’s 2030 target for green hydrogen imports.<br />
And let’s not forget the Electric Vehicle (EV) revolution. Electric<br />
cars require six times the amount of minerals compared to<br />
regular cars. Global demand for critical raw materials is set to<br />
skyrocket over the next several decades, especially for minerals<br />
used in EV batteries. Specifically, demand for lithium is expected<br />
to be 12 times greater by 2030 and 21 times higher by 2050. Being<br />
richly endowed with critical raw materials, such as tungsten,<br />
lithium and rare earth elements, Kazakhstan has an additional<br />
important role to play in this aspect of the global green transition.<br />
While the decline of fossil fuels is inevitable, it is equally true that<br />
renewables are not a panacea, as many speakers pointed out at<br />
the Forum. CEO of TotalEnergies Patrick Pouyanné indicated that<br />
in order to meet the rapidly growing energy demand, one needs<br />
to work on two parallel tracks: to continue investing in oil and<br />
gas, which will continue to be with us for a few decades to come;<br />
and to finance green projects. To illustrate: on the sidelines of the<br />
Forum, TotalEnergies signed a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement<br />
(PPA) for a 1 GW onshore wind farm combined with a 600<br />
megawatt-hour (MWh) battery energy storage system, which is<br />
expected to provide electricity to one million people.<br />
To have a realistic option of achieving net zero, nuclear energy<br />
must also be considered. Just like in the EU, where despite the<br />
reluctance of various Member States, nuclear has been designated<br />
in the EU taxonomy as an environmentally sustainable<br />
and transitional energy sources to replace dirtier fossil fuels<br />
such as oil and coal. Kazakhstan is considering to construct its<br />
first commercial nuclear power plant, building on its role as the<br />
world’s largest producer of uranium. At the time of the Forum,<br />
Kazakhstan was considering a potential nuclear supplier from<br />
four foreign companies: the China National Nuclear Corporation;<br />
Russian State Corporation Rosatom; France’s EDF; and<br />
the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Company. However, in his<br />
state-of-the-nation address on September 1, President Tokayev<br />
announced that the country will hold a national referendum to<br />
determine whether to construct a nuclear power.<br />
Looking ahead, Kazakhstan should focus on furthering an<br />
enabling policy and business environment that supports the<br />
renewable uptake. The expansion in wind and solar needs to be<br />
accompanied by policies that support the ageing grid infrastructure.<br />
There is a need to invest in smarter grids that can handle<br />
the intermittency of supply of renewables, when the sun is not<br />
shining and the wind is not blowing. Kazakhstan should consider<br />
joining the Global Methane Pledge (methane makes up 15 percent<br />
of Kazakhstan’s total emissions). And there have been calls<br />
for Kazakhstan to consider increasing the scope of its Emissions<br />
Trading Scheme to cover more sectors.<br />
From the various discussion at the Astana International Forum,<br />
it is clear that Kazakhstan has a golden opportunity to lead the<br />
green transition in Central Asia. The challenges are high, but not<br />
insurmountable.<br />
Photos: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
88 89
ELVIRA AZIMOVA<br />
CHAIR OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF<br />
THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN<br />
The legal system of Kazakhstan is<br />
acquiring a people-oriented and democratic character<br />
as a result of the constitutional reform of last year<br />
HOW DO YOU ASSESS THE ACTIVITIES AND<br />
ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL<br />
COURT SINCE IT BEGAN ITS WORK IN JANUARY<br />
2023? HOW IS THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT<br />
MOVING TOWARDS ITS GOALS AND OBJECTIVES?<br />
Now, every citizen along with subjects of the state power, can<br />
address the Constitutional Court, and the Commissioner for<br />
Human Rights and the General Prosecutor can now apply to<br />
protect majority’s rights. The recreated Constitutional Court<br />
(previously it operated from 1992 to 1995) is designed to<br />
strengthen the human rights orientation of the state policy.<br />
The establishment of the Constitution Court of Kazakhstan is<br />
considered to be one of the results of the constitutional reform<br />
The Constitutional Court does not belong to any of the three<br />
of 2022, in favour of which more than 77 percent of citizens of<br />
branches of the government (legislative, executive and judicial),<br />
Kazakhstan voted in a national referendum. Each of the citizens<br />
while its activities enhance the system of checks and balances<br />
voted for a new and fair Kazakhstan with equal opportunities for<br />
in the system of government. This goal is achieved by checking<br />
Nine months of work have passed in an active mode. The<br />
The legal system of Kazakhstan is acquiring a people-oriented<br />
everyone, as well as the development of the country’s political<br />
laws and other regulatory legal acts for compliance with the<br />
resolution of administrative issues with regard to the launch of<br />
and democratic character, and its human rights potential has<br />
and economic potential.<br />
Constitution.<br />
the updated body of constitutional control took place simultane-<br />
been strengthened, as a result of the constitutional reform of<br />
ously with constitutional proceedings, because the judges of the<br />
last year.<br />
Constitutional Court began their work on January 1, 2023. 4,000<br />
appeals only from citizens were received.<br />
During the nine months of work, the Constitutional Court declared<br />
five out of 30 existing legal norms unconstitutional, and<br />
Unfortunately, the vast majority of appeals were returned back<br />
provided a new interpretation to eleven norms of normative legal<br />
to the citizens due to the fact that they raised issues out of the<br />
acts in accordance with the Constitution.<br />
Constitutional Court’s competence. For example, reviewing a<br />
sentence, a court decision, resolving social issues, cancelling<br />
As a result, changes were added to the Tax Code regarding<br />
decisions of an authority or an official body that does not have<br />
the amount of the state duty due to the fact that the previous<br />
normative legal characteristics. Despite this, citizens received<br />
existing amount prevented citizens from applying. The previously<br />
detailed legal explanations to their appeals.<br />
existing requirement to conduct a molecular-genetic examination<br />
as a condition to apply to the court has been cancelled.<br />
ARE THERE SPECIFIC AMENDMENTS OR<br />
CHANGES THAT WERE ADOPTED AS A RESULT<br />
OF RECOMMENDATIONS OR DECISIONS OF<br />
THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT?<br />
The contradictions that were identified limited the right of access<br />
to justice. Moreover, the case of the established requirement for<br />
application for abbreviated adoption contradicts the constitutional<br />
obligation of the state to protect the childhood, motherhood<br />
and paternity, as well as the international obligation to ensure the<br />
In the worldwide practice, constitutional control authorities are<br />
best interests of the child in accordance with the Convention on<br />
recognized as guardians of the legal sovereignty of the state.<br />
the Rights of the Child, which was ratified by Kazakhstan.<br />
They are called upon to embody in their decisions ideas of the<br />
state about law, justice and humanism, which are enshrined in<br />
The provisions of the Social Code have been revised, which<br />
the state’s constitution, by performing important mission to pro-<br />
in practice could lead to discrimination against certain social<br />
tect the constitutional order.<br />
groups of citizens with regard to benefits and allowances<br />
90 91
guaranteed by the state. Currently, the government is preparing a<br />
members of the Council of the Europe. The recommendations of<br />
number of other legislative amendments related to the recom-<br />
the Venice Commission, which includes experts from more than<br />
mendations of the Constitutional Court, and they are planned to<br />
60 countries as well as Kazakhstan since 2012, are about the<br />
be introduced to the Parliament by the end of this year.<br />
development of constitutional law as the basic way to democracy<br />
through the rule of law.<br />
According to the Constitutional Law “About the Constitutional<br />
Court”, in case the Constitutional Court has declared a norm of<br />
The Constitution and the Constitutional Law “About the Constitu-<br />
law or other normative legal act as an unconstitutional based<br />
tional Court” stipulate that Parliament annually hears a message<br />
on the results of a check for compliance with the Constitution,<br />
from the Constitutional Court about the constitutional legality in<br />
it may recommend that the Government or other authorities<br />
the country. In other words, constitutional control authority has<br />
eliminate the identified contradiction within six months and other<br />
a regular opportunity to formulate proposals to the Legislator in<br />
period. During this period, the identified unlawful norm ceased<br />
face of the Parliament, in order to consider it in the legislative<br />
to apply. The Constitutional Court can provide similar recom-<br />
process and in the formation of the parliamentary initiatives.<br />
mendations when it interprets a norm in an accordance with the<br />
meaning of the constitutional norm.<br />
IN YOUR RECENT SPEECH AT THE MEETING OF<br />
PARLIAMENT, YOU HAVE MENTIONED THAT ONLY<br />
26 PERCENT OF APPEALS FALL UNDER THE<br />
JURISDICTION OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT.<br />
WHAT STEPS IS THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT<br />
TAKING TO INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS AND<br />
UNDERSTANDING OF ITS ROLE AND FUNCTION IN<br />
SOCIETY?<br />
WHAT INDIVIDUALS AND LEGAL ENTITIES USUAL-<br />
LY APPLY AN APPEAL TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL<br />
COURT? ARE THEY CITIZENS, ORGANIZATIONS<br />
OR GOVERNMENT BODIES?<br />
Citizens, the President, the Chairman of the Senate and Mazhilis<br />
of Parliament, deputies of Parliament (at least one fifth of the total<br />
number of deputies), the Prime Minister, the courts, as well as<br />
the Commissioner for Human Rights and the General Prosecutor<br />
have the legal right to appeal to the Constitutional Court.<br />
About 8,000 mentions on social networks confirms the public in-<br />
Upon an appeal from the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan,<br />
terest in the work of the Constitutional Court. From the beginning<br />
the Chairman of Senate, the Chairman of the Mazhilis, at least<br />
of its functioning, the Constitutional Court has been carrying out<br />
one fifth of the total number of deputies of Parliament or the<br />
explanatory work among the population, lawyers, legal consult-<br />
Prime Minister, the Constitutional Court:<br />
ants, and universities.<br />
The Constitutional Court organized a webinar for more than<br />
1,300 lawyers and legal consultants, while more than 700 law<br />
students from leading universities in the country took part in<br />
open lectures taught by judges of the Constitutional Court.<br />
The Constitutional Court posted more than 170 information messages<br />
and interviews in the media and on the Internet resources.<br />
• In case of a dispute, resolves the issue of rightness of<br />
elections of the President of the Republic, deputies of<br />
Parliament and the holding of a republican referendum;<br />
• Reviews laws adopted by the Parliament before the signing by<br />
the President for its compliance with the Constitution;<br />
• Examines decisions adopted by the Parliament and its<br />
Chambers for compliance with the Constitution;<br />
• Examines international treaties of the Republic for compliance<br />
WHAT ARE THE MAIN TYPES OF APPEALS FALL-<br />
ING UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE CONSTI-<br />
TUTIONAL COURT? CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE NA-<br />
TURE OF THESE CASES? ARE THERE RECURRING<br />
THEMES OR SPECIFIC CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES<br />
THAT ARISE MOST OFTEN?<br />
er. Thus, just recently the issue of procedural guarantees for<br />
participants in criminal proceedings related to appealing against<br />
sentences was considered. This case was based on appeals of<br />
five citizens. If the case under consideration is complex, two or<br />
more judge-reporters may be appointed for one constitutional<br />
proceeding.<br />
with their Constitution before ratification;<br />
As I already noted, we received more than 4,000 requests from<br />
There is one important attribute in constitutional proceedings:<br />
The Constitutional Court has a right to invite specialists and ex-<br />
• Gives the official interpretation of the norms of the<br />
citizens over the 9 months of work. This figure confirms the high<br />
despite the requirement for a citizen’s appeal to describe a spe-<br />
perts represented by the scientific community and practitioners,<br />
Constitution;<br />
accessibility of the Constitutional Court to the citizens.<br />
cific situation in which he was faced with a violation of his consti-<br />
when considering appeals. They can give express suggestions<br />
• Gives opinions in case of directly provided for by the<br />
tutional right, the Constitutional Court is not allowed to evaluate<br />
and recommendations. In order to study the views of the scien-<br />
Constitution, including those related to amendments to the<br />
Regarding the nature of issues, citizens often apply because of<br />
the life situation described or review the court decision.<br />
tific and expert community, a scientific advisory body has been<br />
Constitution;<br />
the disagreement with court decisions (41 percent), issues of<br />
established, which includes more than 30 doctors in various<br />
social rights, pensions, access to information, access to justice,<br />
The Constitutional Court is independent and independent of cit-<br />
fields of the law.<br />
Upon requests from the General Prosecutor of the Republic, the<br />
and the right to work. Only 26 percent of citizens’ appeals con-<br />
izens, organizations, state bodies, officials in its activities, and is<br />
Constitutional Court considers issues of ratification of interna-<br />
tain questions about recognizing the legal acts or its individual<br />
guided by the Constitution and its Constitutional Law, as well as<br />
This approach corresponds to recommendations of the Venice<br />
tional treaties and gives and official interpretation of the norms of<br />
provisions as unconstitutional.<br />
refrains from establishing, researching and verifying other issues<br />
Commission of the Council of Europe, which has a status of<br />
the Constitution. Also, upon requests from the General Prosecu-<br />
in all cases when this is within the competence of courts or other<br />
consultative and advisory body uniting together experts repre-<br />
tor and the Commissioner. For Human Rights, it examines reg-<br />
Regarding recurring topics and questions in citizens’ appeals,<br />
government bodies.<br />
sented by the judiciary, and famous scientists from the coun-<br />
ulatory legal acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan for compliance<br />
the relevant constitutional law allows to combine such appeals<br />
tries of the Council of Europe and other countries that are not<br />
with the Constitution.<br />
into one constitutional proceeding and considered togeth-<br />
92 93
INAUGURATION OF ARKADAG<br />
TURKMENISTAN’S FIRST SMART CITY<br />
On June 29, <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong> attended the inauguration of<br />
Arkadag Smart City, culminating the first phase of its construction.<br />
The event was attended by the President of Turkmenistan<br />
Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the Cabinet of Ministers, thousands<br />
of public representatives, dignitaries and media representatives<br />
from countries in Central Asia and far beyond.<br />
The inauguration of smart and eco-friendly Arkadag Smart City is<br />
a momentous event that serves as a practical demonstration of<br />
Turkmenistan’s unwavering commitment to the 2030 Agenda for<br />
Sustainable Development, promoting the implementation of 17<br />
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), among which improving<br />
people’s lives, ensuring access to education, digitalization, green<br />
economy, creating jobs and favourable working conditions for<br />
people.<br />
During the opening of Arkadag City, a ceremony of presenting<br />
international certificates was held, confirming the achievements<br />
of the city of Arkadag in various fields, including a letter of appreciation<br />
from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme<br />
(UN-Habitat) issued to Arkadag city in acknowledgment and<br />
appreciation of the efforts made towards implementing the principles<br />
of inclusive, safe, resilient and smart sustainable neighbourhoods<br />
and communities, thereby contributing to localizing<br />
Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda in<br />
Turkmenistan.<br />
Arkadag City has also become the beneficiary of the extra-budgetary<br />
project “Development of cities with sustainable, green,<br />
climate-friendly and innovative solutions in the region of the<br />
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe”.<br />
94 95
OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid presented the relevant<br />
certificate in a meeting with the President of Turkmenistan,<br />
Serdar Berdimuhamedov, during her visit to the country in<br />
May 2023 to attend the opening ceremony of the new office of<br />
the OSCE Center in the Turkmen capital.<br />
a cleaner and healthier urban environment. In this regard, “smart”<br />
garbage bins have been installed in the centre of the region. Special<br />
sensors are installed on the lids of the garbage cans, with the<br />
help of which the percentage of garbage filling will be reported to<br />
the control centre.<br />
needs of every resident. From administrative divisions to medical<br />
and sports facilities, this city offers a comprehensive range of<br />
amenities necessary for a fulfilling life. Every house in Arkadag<br />
city is equipped with “smart” technologies to help create comfortable<br />
living conditions for residents and help save electricity.<br />
The city has been built from scratch in the foothills of the<br />
Kopetdag mountain range, 30 kilometres south-west of the<br />
capital Ashgabat, allowing for the seamless implementation of<br />
every aspect of a smart and eco-friendly city. The construction<br />
of Arkadag began in 2019, and it will serve as the new administrative<br />
centre of Ahal province.<br />
The city’s urban planning strategies have prioritized smart<br />
growth, compact design, and efficient land use. By promoting<br />
mixed-use developments, reducing urban sprawl, and encouraging<br />
public transportation, Arkadag City has successfully created<br />
a more sustainable and accessible urban fabric.<br />
Furthermore, the implementation of innovative infrastructure<br />
projects has played a crucial role in Arkadag City’s sustainable<br />
urbanization journey. The city has invested in renewable energy<br />
sources, such as solar and wind power, to reduce its carbon<br />
footprint and promote clean energy consumption. Also, establishing<br />
efficient waste management systems has contributed to<br />
This city embodies the concept of a “smart city” and adheres<br />
to an environmentally conscious approach at every stage, from<br />
the production of construction materials to the operation of its<br />
facilities.<br />
The integration of cutting-edge technologies such as “smart<br />
homes,” intelligent traffic systems, water and energy conservation<br />
measures, energy efficiency, green transportation options<br />
(electric buses and electric cars) and advanced video surveillance<br />
equipped with accident and emergency detection sensors<br />
truly sets this city apart. Moreover, these services and amenities<br />
are designed to be accessible to all members of the community,<br />
with special consideration for individuals with disabilities.<br />
Spanning an area of 1002 hectares, Arkadag city is designed to<br />
accommodate 70,000 residents. Currently, 368 residential buildings<br />
have been constructed in the first phase, with construction<br />
for the second phase already underway. In this completed first<br />
stage, essential buildings have been erected to cater to the<br />
One of the main conditions of a “smart city” is the presence of a<br />
high-speed communication network. Based on this, a total of 20<br />
3G communication networks and 20 4G (LTE) cellular communication<br />
networks will be built in the city.<br />
Additionally, the State Archive of the city, a television station, a<br />
newspaper and a football team have been established. It should<br />
be added that the “Arkadag” football team is performing successfully<br />
in the domestic football championship of Turkmenistan.<br />
It should be noted that only private construction enterprises of<br />
Turkmenistan and Turkmen architects participated in the construction<br />
of Arkadag city. The materials used in the construction<br />
of the city are ecologically clean and produced within the territory<br />
of Turkmenistan.<br />
One of the key highlights of Arkadag City’s sustainable urbanization<br />
efforts is its emphasis on green spaces and biodiversity<br />
conservation. The city has dedicated substantial areas for<br />
parks, gardens, and green corridors, providing residents with<br />
96 97
ecreational spaces and promoting a closer connection with<br />
nature. These green initiatives enhance the urban landscape and<br />
contribute to climate resilience and ecological preservation.<br />
Meanwhile, the second stage of the construction of the smart<br />
city is already on the way. The ceremony of laying the foundation<br />
of this next stage was held on June 16, 2023 in the presence<br />
of President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov.<br />
Within the framework of the two-stage construction of Arkadag<br />
city, it is planned to build 9 kindergartens of 320 beds, five secondary<br />
schools of <strong>72</strong>0 seats each, health centres, and fire safety<br />
buildings. Also, in this second stage, a railway station, a bus<br />
station, and dispatch points will be built.<br />
98 99
H.E. REYNALDO VELÁZQUEZ ZALDÍVAR<br />
DEPUTY MINISTER<br />
OF HIGHER EDUCATION OF CUBA<br />
In Cuba, higher education is considered<br />
a public good, a human right<br />
and a responsibility of the state<br />
The main strength of our country is the human capital that has<br />
been formed during the years since the Revolution, which has<br />
allowed us to advance both economically and socially. Just<br />
to mention two milestones in educational matters: the literacy<br />
campaign that we developed at the beginning of the Revolution<br />
enabled the cultural and educational development of our country<br />
to this day. And in the case of higher education, after the Revolution,<br />
more than one million professionals have been trained in<br />
our country.<br />
The Ministry of Higher Education was founded in 1976. Before<br />
the triumph of the Revolution, the University of Havana already<br />
existed, which has just turned 295 years old, making it one of the<br />
oldest in Latin America. We also have the Universidad de Oriente,<br />
which has turned 76 years old, and Universidad Central “Marta<br />
Abreu” de Las Villas, which has reached its 70th anniversary.<br />
The higher education system in Cuba is made up of 50 higher<br />
education institutions, of which 22 are attached to the Ministry of<br />
Higher Education, 16 to the Ministry of Public Health, one to the<br />
Ministry of Culture, one to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the<br />
rest are the military universities.<br />
In Cuba, higher education is considered a public good, a human<br />
right and a responsibility of the state. Hence the totally free nature<br />
of Cuban education at all levels. When we talk about public<br />
goods, we are not talking about the way in which the institution<br />
is managed, but rather meaning that it is considered to be a<br />
necessary good for all people. In other countries there are private<br />
and public institutions, in Cuba only public ones.<br />
Let me give a few words about the current context. From an<br />
international point of view, there are factors that affect all countries:<br />
global economic crisis, wars, epidemics, and all this has an<br />
impact on the activities carried out by universities. Additionally,<br />
young people nowadays are digital natives, they think and act in<br />
audiovisual terms and that also conditions the way we educate.<br />
New cultural values emerge in these times related to inclusion<br />
and environmental issues.<br />
These factors, when put in the context of an island of 11 million<br />
inhabitants, are joined by others, specific to us. The economic<br />
crisis in Cuba has a double impact, especially because we have<br />
a strict economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed<br />
by the United States government that makes the development of<br />
all processes difficult. And we also face a very strong cultural war<br />
waged against our young people by the United States, closely related<br />
to the expansion of the American way of life as a paradigm<br />
of social and individual well-being. In that sense, in this state of<br />
constant siege, it is more difficult for us to carry our work.<br />
But, Cuban higher education is optimistic and forward-looking.<br />
We have three essential ideological pillars:<br />
• Fidel Castro’s strategic thinking: the need to think about the<br />
future to act wisely in the present. The most significant<br />
H.E. Reynaldo Velázquez Zaldívar, Deputy Minister of Higher Education of Cuba<br />
example is when Fidel said in the 1960s that “Cuba’s future<br />
experts in order make the most appropriate decisions possible.<br />
must, by necessity, be a future of scientists”. And today, one of To mention one example: when the COVID-19 pandemic began,<br />
the main ways we have to face this serious economic situation the president gave the task to universities and research centers<br />
is the outcome of a strong focus on science.<br />
to create their own vaccines. At the University of Havana, the<br />
molecular synthesis of the enzyme that was going to be used<br />
• Ernesto Che Guevara’s ideas about the “new man”. A revolution<br />
of ideas could not bear fruit with the previous men. A “new centres achieved the creation of the vaccine. The rest of the uni-<br />
in the vaccine was carried out. With this result, BioCubaFarma<br />
man” had to emerge with new ideas, to be able to continue<br />
versities participated in the emergency clinical trial. In the end we<br />
developing the Revolution.<br />
had three vaccines of own and additionally one which is suitable<br />
for children aged two and above, unique in the world.<br />
• Our education is based on the thoughts of José Martí, our<br />
national hero. The objective of Cuban higher education is not We also have a national plan for economic and social development<br />
until 2030, in which a group of strategic sectors has been<br />
to create professionals, but professionals with values. José<br />
Martí said in the 19th century: “we are training engineers and defined, which we have to work on from the universities, and<br />
lawyers, but where are the men?”<br />
form the basis of the international collaboration that we are interested<br />
in developing.<br />
Today we are experiencing one of the most important moments<br />
in the development of Cuban higher education. In Cuba, a government<br />
management system based on science and innovation<br />
lion people who have to be fed in very adverse weather condi-<br />
- Food production, which is a national security problem: 11 mil-<br />
is being implemented. This implies an enhancement of the role<br />
tions, in a country where it rains little. Science and innovation<br />
of universities. Like never before, today government utilizes the<br />
are therefore key.<br />
expert knowledge of universities to make the country’s main<br />
strategic decisions. Our President, H.E. Miguel Díaz-Canel, and - Tourism, which is the most dynamic engine of our economy.<br />
the country’s leadership systematically meet with university<br />
However, everyone sees Cuba as exclusively a sun and beach<br />
100 101
destination. Through innovation we have to diversify and<br />
promote other forms of tourism: cultural, urban, events, health,<br />
rural, etc. If tourism develops, other sectors will follow. From<br />
universities we have the challenge of proposing the tools to<br />
achieve that.<br />
lum, especially in managing it to include inter-cultural dimensions<br />
in our study programs. The contact with international teachers<br />
and students is also significant. At the moment we host 578 international<br />
students, of which 257 in the undergraduate degrees<br />
and 321 in the postgraduate degrees, the majority of whom in the<br />
field of medicine. With COVID-19, that mobility came to a standstill<br />
- Biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry: one of the<br />
and we have had to resort to internationalization at home.<br />
most important exportable resources we have.<br />
On average, 3,500 students go abroad annually, and we have<br />
- Information and communications technologies (ICT)<br />
recovered pre-pandemic levels even though not all air routes to<br />
Cuba have resumed, which makes travel more costly. We are satisfied<br />
- Professional services. We have developed, for example, The<br />
“Yes, I Can” literacy program which is being actively implemented<br />
with the mobility of graduate students, but when it comes<br />
to undergraduate students, the numbers are still underwhelming.<br />
in countries across Africa, Latin America and Asia.<br />
On the topic of international agreements, let me point out that<br />
Cuba has also assimilated and is implementing the Sustainable<br />
Development Goals – the 2030 Agenda – and much of our<br />
collaboration has to do with how we can meet these goals. In<br />
2000, Cuba managed to meet the Millennium Goals. The UN<br />
believes that it will not be possible to meet the 2030 SDGs at a<br />
global level, but we still remain confident that we will be able to<br />
advance in all of them. There is no collaborative project that we<br />
initiate which does not contribute in one way or another to one or<br />
more of the SDGs.<br />
Cuban universities have more than 3,000 agreements with universities<br />
from different parts of the world. We take advantage of<br />
different ways to establish these agreements, such as visits by<br />
university delegations. We have important meeting points conducive<br />
to the signing of these agreements, such as the biennial<br />
University International Congress on Higher Education. Next year<br />
we will hold the 14th edition, from February 5-9. All 50 Cuban<br />
universities participate there as well as foreign delegates, usually<br />
exceeding 2,000. It will be a very important moment for signing<br />
agreements.<br />
We are evidently associated with Objective 4 (Ensuring inclusive<br />
and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning<br />
opportunities for all) but the contribution we make from science<br />
is for all objectives. SDG 17 is important too, which has to do<br />
Additionally, each of our universities develop international conferences,<br />
conventions, international events: these are all spaces<br />
conducive to signing agreements. The agreement is the legal<br />
Photo: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
with alliances and partnerships to achieve the challenge of the<br />
objectives.<br />
support for the entire collaboration. You can have a lot of agreements<br />
and not develop any collaborative actions. Therefore, a<br />
The internationalization process of our higher education system<br />
is a priority. This includes the internationalization of the curricu-<br />
priority of ours is that all these agreements become collaborative<br />
actions.<br />
Precisely this year we have begun to reactivate an important<br />
mechanism for collaboration, which are the rectors’ meetings.<br />
We recently held the meeting of rectors Cuba-Belarus, Cuba-<br />
Russian Federation, Cuba-Germany, Cuba-Hungary and Cuba-Mexico.<br />
Scholarships are another essential pillar of internationalization.<br />
We offer scholarships here for countries in Latin America, Asia<br />
and Africa, but we are actively looking for scholarships to support<br />
our teachers and students in countries that have areas of<br />
specialized knowledge. We prioritize scholarships in the natural,<br />
exact and technical sciences, although this does not mean that<br />
there are no scholarships in the social sciences and humanities,<br />
for the study of foreign languages in particular. There are also<br />
scholarships offered by international organizations, such as the<br />
Iberoamerican Association of Postgraduate Universities, which<br />
offers scholarships for mobility, completion of doctoral thesis,<br />
research stays, a.o.<br />
All of the above can give rise to ideas and possibilities for international<br />
collaboration projects. To illustrate in practical terms,<br />
let me mention three specific projects and the significant impact<br />
they have had on Cuba:<br />
- ACCESS Caribbean, an Erasmus + project coordinated by the<br />
University of Alicante (Spain) with participation of the University<br />
of Macedonia (Greece) and universities from the Dominican<br />
Republic, Costa Rica and Cuba. It arises with the purpose of<br />
promoting accessibility and access of people with disabilities<br />
to Higher Education. It has allowed us to acquire good practices<br />
from these European universities regarding the management<br />
of disabilities in university students, especially from a<br />
technological point of view.<br />
- Another projects I would like to mention took place in the<br />
framework of the Solidarity Fund for Innovative Projects (FSPI)<br />
through the French Embassy. Previously in Cuba we did not<br />
have short cycle higher education programmes. Through the<br />
collaboration with the Association of Directors of Technological<br />
Institutes of France we were able to create the first four<br />
programs in Cuba in 2018. Now we have 58. Normally, our<br />
degrees last four years, but Cuba needs the manpower to<br />
works towards the 2030 objectives. Training people for four<br />
years is not realistic for us. Furthermore, the demographic<br />
dynamics in our country are causing the population to age and<br />
we have fewer and fewer young people. These programs were<br />
designed so that in two years young people leave university<br />
with a qualification that allows them to work.<br />
- Cuba is one of the key partner countries of VLIR-UOS (Flemish<br />
Inter-university Council for University Development Cooperation),<br />
which supports partnerships between Flemish universities<br />
or universities of applied sciences and arts, in Flanders<br />
and partner countries, that are searching for answers to global<br />
and local challenges. This programme has strengthened<br />
digitalisation and boosted ICT capacities in universities across<br />
Cuba.<br />
Each of these examples has benefited us in some way: the social<br />
effects derived from the increased attention to students with<br />
disabilities; the educational impact of the creation of new, flexible<br />
programmes based on European models; and third, a project<br />
with significant technological impact.<br />
Photo: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
102 103
OFFICE OF THE HISTORIAN<br />
OF THE CITY OF HAVANA<br />
RESTORING OLD HAVANA<br />
TO ITS FORMER GLORY,<br />
ONE STEP AT THE TIME<br />
We are grateful to Belgium for actively collaborating<br />
with the rehabilitation of<br />
the historic centre of Havana<br />
During a working visit to Cuba, the <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong> team met<br />
with Patricia Rodríguez Alomá, Director of the Master Plan for the<br />
Comprehensive Revitalization of Old Havana; and Nelys García<br />
Blanco, Director of International Cooperation at the Office of the<br />
Historian of the City of Havana.<br />
The Master Plan is the organization that within the Office of<br />
the Historian of the City of Havana dictates the comprehensive<br />
development policies of the area prioritized for conservation. The<br />
Office of the Historian can be considered a specialized management<br />
unit to guarantee the comprehensive development of areas<br />
of high-value heritage of the city. The historian’s office was born<br />
in 1938, founded by a Cuban intellectual very interested in the<br />
preservation of the cultural heritage – not only of Havana but of<br />
the entire nation – Dr Emilio Roig de Leuchsenring. The man who<br />
later became Director of the Office, Dr Eusebio Leal Spengler,<br />
who unfortunately left us in 2020, referred to Emilio Roig as “my<br />
predecessor of happy memory.” He felt like a continuator of the<br />
work of Dr. Emilio Roig.<br />
In the 1960s, the office of the historian was recognized by the<br />
leaders of the Revolution. The Revolution evidently changed<br />
everything. Or almost everything, because one of the few institutions<br />
that remained in place was precisely the Office of the<br />
Historian, because it had already been developing avant-garde<br />
work closely related to the safeguarding of national identity and<br />
national autonomy. In other words, it had been carrying out a<br />
task that suited the purposes of the Revolution very well.<br />
In the 1970s, in 1976 to be precise, the process of institutionalization<br />
of the country began, with the creation of the Ministry<br />
of Culture, which then created the National Monuments Commission.<br />
The first towns founded by the Spanish, including Old<br />
Havana, were declared a National Monument in 1978.<br />
This declaration enabled rehabilitation works to be funded from<br />
the state budget. In 1981, the first five-year restoration plan was<br />
prepared. The state recognized and identified the historian’s<br />
office as the coordinator to implement this plan, starting from the<br />
rehabilitation of the Plaza de Armas (Square of Arms) – Havana’s<br />
oldest square.<br />
At that time, old Havana was extremely run-down, there was no<br />
clear awareness of the “value of the old”. The Old Town exercised<br />
two priority functions at that time: residential, with overcrowded<br />
and decaying buildings; and a large number of warehouses<br />
and workshops, closely linked to the port activity. There<br />
was even a small district which emerged at the beginning of the<br />
20th century that housed the headquarters of financial houses<br />
and banks, which was called “Little Wall Street.”<br />
Over the years, there have been substantial changes in terms<br />
of new building uses that have been incorporated, primarily of a<br />
cultural nature and the provision of primary services to the local<br />
community: schools, health centres and nursing homes for the<br />
elderly. This is because we are committed to a “living historic<br />
centre”, which is at the same time the greatest challenge.<br />
104 105
Square disturbed the activities of the school located there.<br />
equipment to the chocolate museum. And a third intervention, in<br />
Therefore, at the initiative of Eusebio Leal, it was decided to<br />
the early 2000s, within the framework of a Local Human Devel-<br />
enable a space in the museums of the neighbourhood to con-<br />
opment Programme with the Walloon region. The action involved<br />
tinue the school activities and educational processes there, in<br />
the restoration of a property of high-value heritage in the old<br />
conjunction with a heritage education programme. This led to the<br />
square, for the creation on the ground floor of a cultural space,<br />
In 1982, when we had already begun the implementation of the<br />
In 1993, a Decree was issued delegating powers and respon-<br />
creation of the first “aulas-museo” (classrooms in the museums).<br />
known since then as the ‘Vitrina de Valonia’ (Walloon Showcase),<br />
first five-year plan, Old Havana and its system of fortifications<br />
sibilities to the office of the historian. The Decree made the<br />
In this way, children get closer to the heritage and make it their<br />
which is also one of the epicentres of the annual Belgian Week<br />
were declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. From that<br />
historian, Dr Eusebio Leal, a member of the Council of State,<br />
own.<br />
in Havana. This intervention was made jointly with the Walloon<br />
moment, the commitment to its rehabilitation is not only national<br />
the most powerful government body in Cuba, giving his office<br />
Heritage Institute (recently absorbed into the Walloon Heritage<br />
but acquires an international character. As a consequence, state<br />
greater autonomy. This legal instrument reinforced the political<br />
Since the 1993 Decree, high-value heritage properties began to<br />
Agency). During the execution of the works, this project support-<br />
budget resources are increased to continue the restoration plan.<br />
will to continue the restoration process that had been developing<br />
be recovered for the provision of social and cultural services. And<br />
ed the training of young people in specialized restoration trades,<br />
but in a different way. From that moment on, the conditions are<br />
that is where we connect with the contributions of Belgian coop-<br />
and as a result of this collaboration and technical exchange,<br />
Then came the 1990s, the collapse of the Communist bloc.<br />
created for the culture to begin to produce wealth and sustain<br />
eration with three very important programs. Let me emphasise at<br />
work was carried out on the restoration of the property’s mural<br />
These were countries with which we had a very strong econom-<br />
the restoration process as much as possible. Until then, culture<br />
the outset how grateful we are to Belgium, because the country<br />
paintings, the carpentry, etc.<br />
ic relationship, and Cuba entered into a sudden and very deep<br />
and restoration had been seen as a sunk cost. From the 1990s,<br />
has actively collaborated with the rehabilitation of the historic<br />
economic crisis. This historical moment is known as the “special<br />
culture starts to be seen as an investment, which not only recov-<br />
centre of Havana.<br />
Belgium also facilitated the inclusion of Havana into the<br />
period”. As a result, the state greatly reduces the budget for<br />
ers economic investments but contributes to identity, a sense of<br />
European Art Nouveau network, within which there are exchang-<br />
restoration to almost zero and there is a significant contraction of<br />
belonging and a whole series of critical values.<br />
First, the restoration of seven deteriorated plots for social hous-<br />
es of exhibitions, publications and conferences.<br />
the rehabilitative process. But, as the Chinese say, “in moments<br />
ing, benefiting 90 families in the historic centre. Second, in the<br />
of crisis, the main opportunities arise”. One has to be creative,<br />
The late 1990s also saw the emergence of a very interesting<br />
ground floor one of those buildings the chocolate museum was<br />
All of this is based on the comprehensive development plan that<br />
or else one perishes. Fortunately, Cubans were creative at that<br />
initiative which prevails to this day. The noise and other incon-<br />
conceived through the collaboration with the Brussels chocolate<br />
is based on five pillars: institutional, cultural, social, economic<br />
time.<br />
veniences derived from the works being carried out in the Old<br />
museum, which trained Cuban master chocolatiers and donated<br />
and environmental sustainability. We direct projects and create<br />
106 107
the appropriate conditions based on that plan to achieve comprehensive<br />
and articulated development.<br />
imposed by the US government. What has been done is with our<br />
own resources and international cooperation.<br />
The Office of the Historian not only exists in Havana, but has ten<br />
other offices across Cuba, with an additional four in the process<br />
of being created. That is, all the cities that are catalogued as<br />
‘National Monuments’ either have an office or are in the process<br />
of having one. Working in the format of such ‘network of cities’<br />
allows best practices and experiences to be transmitted more<br />
quickly.<br />
At this moment we are immersed in a very important project,<br />
one of the last dreams of Eusebio Leal: the restoration of the old<br />
convent of Santa Clara to create an arts and crafts school to train<br />
young restorers from the Caribbean and the Americas. It is being<br />
implemented through UNESCO with funding from the European<br />
Union, and in parallel through the Italian-Latin American Institute<br />
with funds from the Italian government.<br />
Of course, an enormous effort has been made to carry out this<br />
comprehensive development, but there is still a long way to<br />
go. The resources have not been sufficient. It is no mystery to<br />
anyone that we hardly have access to loans or lines of credit<br />
that could have facilitated our development, due to the blockade<br />
The most serious problem we have is housing, and the poor<br />
technical conditions of many buildings that are inhabited, with<br />
the associated risks for the families living there. We have built<br />
around 2,000 homes to alleviate these problems, but much<br />
remains to be done.<br />
To conclude, let me speak about a new emerging force, the role<br />
of the private sector, which is actively contributing to the restoration<br />
process. One of the legal instruments enshrined in the 1993<br />
Decree mentioned above is the collection of a fee for rehabilitation<br />
from all revenue-generating activities that take place in the<br />
territory. All businesses contribute to this fee, which does not<br />
take away from their profit margins since the fee is included as<br />
an expense in their tax returns. The money collected goes into a<br />
maintenance account, which allows us to continue the recovery<br />
of the historic centre and more importantly the maintenance<br />
of schools, offices and health centres, in order to maintain a<br />
“living historic centre”.<br />
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108 109
H.E. THÉRENCE NTAHIRAJA<br />
AMBASSADOR OF THE REPUBLIC OF BURUNDI<br />
TO THE KINGDOM OF BELGIUM<br />
AND HEAD OF MISSION<br />
TO THE EUROPEAN UNION<br />
Building on its favourable geographical positioning,<br />
Burundi considers regional integration as a priority<br />
to diversify its economy<br />
BURUNDI IS IN THE MIDST OF A PROCESS OF<br />
NATIONAL RECONCILIATION FOLLOWING THE<br />
END OF THE CIVIL WAR. WHAT ROLE DOES THE<br />
TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION (TRC)<br />
PLAY IN TERMS OF BRINGING THE COUNTRY<br />
TOGETHER AND TURNING THE PAGE ON THE<br />
COUNTRY’S CHAPTER OF VIOLENCE AND<br />
INSTABILITY?<br />
In a country which has experienced serious violence, the TRC<br />
intervenes to unearth the truth about long-hidden human rights<br />
violations, to rehabilitate the victims and to address the wounded<br />
memories of the national community.<br />
Photo: Royal Palace<br />
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is a transitional<br />
justice mechanism to address Burundi’s tragic and violent past. It<br />
was agreed between political actors meeting in Arusha, Tanzania.<br />
It was in August 2000 that peace talks resulted in the Arusha<br />
Peace and Reconciliation Agreement.<br />
This mechanism came to support the other institutions responsible<br />
for managing the transition towards a state of law and justice,<br />
towards more democracy and national cohesion. The TRC is<br />
therefore a tool for promoting truth in the service of reconciliation.<br />
Its investigations and hearings give a voice to victims, witnesses<br />
to the serious violence that has devastated Burundi and all<br />
resourceful people who can enrich the work of this Commission.<br />
Photo: Royal Palace<br />
In Burundi, the TRC emphasizes the truth in the service of reconciliation<br />
and therefore community cohesion. By giving voice<br />
to the victims and the alleged perpetrators of the crimes, the<br />
TRC has finally inaugurated since 2015 the era of open debate<br />
on all taboos. The victims must be known and listed. So do the<br />
perpetrators of the crimes. The process does not forget those<br />
who protected others during the various crises that Burundi has<br />
experienced.<br />
The mission of the TRC includes the following activities:<br />
• Establish responsibilities to help the country emerge from<br />
community criminalization and community victimization;<br />
• List the victims by proposing to the public authorities programs<br />
for their rehabilitation and material reparations;<br />
• Propose programs of reconciliation and forgiveness supported<br />
by recognition of shared truth;<br />
• After more than 50 years of silence on crimes committed<br />
against generally innocent citizens, the time has come to<br />
confront our painful common past with courage and without<br />
evasion.<br />
IN ADDITION TO A PROCESS OF INTERNAL<br />
RECONCILIATION, BURUNDI IS ALSO MENDING<br />
TIES WITH NEIGHBOURS. WHAT IS THE CURRENT<br />
STATE OF AFFAIRS IN THE NORMALIZATION OF<br />
RELATIONS WITH NEIGHBOURING RWANDA?<br />
110 111
This stretched hand was accepted by the Burundian Head of<br />
State in these words: “We are ready,” replied President Évariste<br />
Ndayishimiye, “to open a new chapter between Burundi and<br />
Rwanda.”<br />
In short, with the coming to power of President Evariste<br />
Ndayishimiye at the end of 2020, a process of normalization of<br />
relations was launched. Efforts which pushed Rwanda to reopen<br />
its borders with Burundi on March 7, 2022 and official meetings<br />
between high authorities of these two countries have also multiplied<br />
in both capitals, Kigali and Gitega.<br />
NEW AVENUES FOR POLITICAL DIALOGUE BE-<br />
TWEEN BURUNDI AND THE EUROPEAN UNION<br />
HAVE EMERGED DURING THE PRESIDENCY OF<br />
EVARISTE NDAYISHIMIYE AND FOLLOWING THE<br />
EU’S LIFTING OF SANCTIONS IN 2022. WHAT ARE<br />
THE MAIN AREAS OF COOPERATION BETWEEN<br />
BOTH SIDES?<br />
Burundi and the EU enjoy excellent relations of friendship and<br />
cooperation. This cooperation, which is characterized by lon-<br />
H.E. Evariste-Ndayishimiye, President of Burundi<br />
Photo: Embassy of Burundi<br />
gevity, diversity and dynamism, dates from the eve of Burundi’s<br />
independence, given that Burundi was among the first countries<br />
to benefit from European support through European Develop-<br />
Through continuous dialogue with the Burundian authorities,<br />
Ntare-Rushatsi-House<br />
Photo: Embassy of Burundi<br />
ment Fund (EDF) commitments which covered the period from<br />
the EU promises actions which are intended to be viable and<br />
1959 to 1965.<br />
sustainable in the long term and which are part of a strategic<br />
vision shared with Burundi, and in essential sectors such as rural<br />
After years of tension, relations are warming between Burundi<br />
and Rwanda. The first contacts were triggered by an unexpected<br />
meeting, on October 20, 2021 at the Nemba border post<br />
African President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, but in particular<br />
the Prime Minister of Rwanda, Édouard Ngirente. It was the first<br />
visit by a Rwandan head of state or government to Burundi since<br />
POLITICAL RELATIONS<br />
development and nutrition, health, energy, environment, justice,<br />
education and good governance.<br />
between the two countries, between the two Foreign Ministers<br />
the deterioration of relations between the two neighbours in the<br />
As a partner of Burundi, the EU is fully committed to supporting<br />
This partnership between Burundi and the EU allows for contin-<br />
who held discussions behind closed doors. The goal was to<br />
mid-2010s.<br />
the country’s development. In collaboration with the Burundian<br />
uous exchanges on shared values including the preservation of<br />
normalize relations between these two neighbouring states, at<br />
authorities and following the country’s priorities, the EU is initi-<br />
political space, respect for human rights, but also protection of<br />
loggerheads for five years.<br />
The ceremony was an opportunity to express the desire for<br />
ating various actions linked to the axes of the National Develop-<br />
the environment.<br />
rapprochement between the two capitals. Here are the words of<br />
ment Plan (PND 2018-2027).<br />
In their brief speeches to the press, the two heads of diplomacy<br />
welcomed “the opening of a new chapter” and underlined their<br />
desire to resolve their many differences. “The fundamental issues<br />
the Rwandan Prime Minister: “It is for me, a great honour and<br />
pleasure to take part in this celebration of the 59th Anniversary<br />
of the independence of Burundi, representing His Excellency<br />
Since February 2022, the EU has officially ended the restrictive<br />
measures under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement and<br />
ECONOMIC RELATIONS<br />
have not been resolved, but there is a desire to find solutions,”<br />
Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda.” The visit<br />
normalized its relations with Burundi. This decision follows an<br />
Burundi’s economy is described as “resilient” by the International<br />
said the Burundian side.<br />
of Rwandan Prime Minister Édouard Ngirente was a notable<br />
intense political dialogue, initiated after the general elections of<br />
Monetary Fund (IMF). It has returned to growth several times af-<br />
event, after years of quarrel with the Burundian authorities, who<br />
May 2020, and the reforms initiated by the Burundian authorities<br />
ter depressions caused by strong instability (political problem of<br />
The fate of certain refugees remains a sticking point in diplomatic<br />
accused Kigali of welcoming the Burundian putschists.<br />
in terms of good governance.<br />
2015, subsequent decline in GDP), by the COVID-19 pandemic<br />
relations between Rwanda and Burundi, Gitega having asked<br />
and the war in Ukraine.<br />
Kigali to hand over all those he accuses of having participated,<br />
Invited to the podium, the Head of the Rwandan Government<br />
The EU attaches great importance to regional stability and sup-<br />
directly or indirectly, in an attempt of the failed putsch of 2015<br />
proposed to the Burundian President to renew the strategic part-<br />
ports Burundi in its role as a factor of stability in the Great Lakes<br />
Since 2022, Burundi has benefited from the positive effects of<br />
against the government of Pierre Nkurunziza. These are soldiers<br />
nership between the two countries in these terms: “The time has<br />
Region, through the EU Strategy for the Great Lakes Region,<br />
the re-establishment of dialogue with the international commu-<br />
and civilians under international arrest warrant as alleged coup<br />
come for Burundi and Rwanda to rely on the solid foundations of<br />
and within the framework of the East African Community (EAC).<br />
nity, including the resumption of economic cooperation with the<br />
plotters.<br />
our historical and cultural ties in order to achieve prosperity and<br />
Furthermore, the EU continues to support operations to maintain<br />
IMF, with which the Burundian Government is negotiating a new<br />
sustainable development. I am convinced that we are all ready to<br />
peace and stability in Somalia, through the African Union Mission<br />
credit program for an amount of USD 260 million.<br />
Burundi celebrated the 59th anniversary of its independence on<br />
work for the consolidation and promotion of existing relations of<br />
to Somalia (AMISOM), to which Burundi contributes with a mili-<br />
July 1, 2021. Among the distinguished guests were the Central<br />
friendship and cooperation for the benefit of our two peoples.”<br />
tary contingent.<br />
In July 2022, the EU established a road map towards the return<br />
112 113
to eligibility of budget support in Burundi. A series of actions<br />
resulted from this, some of which are already being implemented<br />
such as the PEFA (Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability)<br />
assessment in 2023, as well as support for specialized<br />
civil society organizations for greater participation. and citizen<br />
vigilance in economic affairs and transparency of public finances.<br />
An economic governance support program is being defined<br />
in support of public finance management reforms. It should be<br />
implemented from 2024.<br />
COMMERCIAL RELATIONS<br />
Building on its favourable geographical positioning, Burundi considers<br />
regional integration as a priority to diversify its economy.<br />
Burundi is a member of more than 50 subregional, regional and<br />
international organizations, including four regional economic<br />
organizations:<br />
• The Economic Community of the Countries of the Great Lakes<br />
(CEPGL) since 1976;<br />
• The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)<br />
since 1984;<br />
• The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa<br />
(COMESA) since 1994;<br />
• The East African Community (EAC).<br />
Burundi’s main trading partners on the African continent are as<br />
follows, in order of priority: EAC, COMESA and SADEC. The<br />
EU represents less than 10 percent of total trade. Agricultural<br />
products are the main Burundian products exported to the EU<br />
(86 percent of total exports to the EU), while chemicals (32.5<br />
percent), machinery and transport equipment (29.9 percent), represent<br />
the main imports. The EU finances trade integration programs<br />
with the EAC, ECCAS, COMESA and finally the progressive<br />
establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).<br />
DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION<br />
Between 2015 and 2021, Team Europe (EU and its Member<br />
States present in Burundi, namely Belgium, Germany, France<br />
and the Netherlands, in addition to Switzerland, as well as the<br />
European Investment Bank) has financed projects worth around<br />
USD 908.2 million, or more than 33 percent of the total financial<br />
support from development partners, making Europe the largest<br />
donor of public funds in Burundi.<br />
Several regional projects were also financed as part of the previous<br />
programmatic phase (2014-2020), with a financial envelope<br />
of EUR 73 million, the main ones being:<br />
• Electricity interconnection projects with neighbouring countries<br />
of Burundi (Rwanda and DRC);<br />
• Projects for the management and protection of water and<br />
fisheries resources in Lake Tanganyika;<br />
• Projects to strengthen trade and stability in the sub-region.<br />
For the first tranche of the current period, covering the years<br />
2021-2024, the EU has mobilized an envelope of EUR 194 million<br />
as part of its Multi-Annual Indicative Program (MIP). The EU MIP<br />
in Burundi targets 3 priority areas of intervention:<br />
• Inclusive, green, sustainable and job-creating growth which<br />
targets key sectors of development such as sustainable and<br />
equitable value chains in the agricultural sector and food security,<br />
renewable and clean energy, protection and management<br />
of natural resources and biodiversity, with a transversal dimension<br />
aimed at supporting the governance of these sectors;<br />
• Human development and basic services which covers priority<br />
sectors such as public health, drinking water, hygiene and sanitation<br />
services, basic education, socio-professional training,<br />
as well as the promotion of good governance in these sectors;<br />
• Good governance and the rule of law which contributes to the<br />
strengthening of democratic culture and reconciliation, human<br />
rights, justice, economic governance and the business climate.<br />
To further increase its means of action, beyond this national MIP<br />
envelope, the EU Delegation in Burundi managed to mobilize<br />
around EUR 83 million within the framework of regional projects<br />
targeting, in particular, Burundi to contribute to the protection<br />
of the biodiversity and natural resources of Lake Tanganyika<br />
and the Kibira-Nyungwe ecological corridor, to provide lasting<br />
solutions to Burundian refugees in the Great Lakes region, and<br />
to support the maintenance of peace and security in the Great<br />
Lakes region. The sectors supported by the EU in Burundi fit<br />
perfectly into the objectives and strategic orientations of the<br />
National Development Plan of Burundi (PND 2018-2027).<br />
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Development Fund) to Burundi focused on the following sectors,<br />
with a financial envelope of EUR 332 million: infrastructure and<br />
rural development, health, energy, good governance, facilitation<br />
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114 115
H.E. SOE LYNN HAN<br />
HEAD OF THE MISSION<br />
OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE UNION<br />
OF MYANMAR TO THE EUROPEAN UNION<br />
COULD YOU UPDATE OUR READERS ON THE<br />
CURRENT PEACE AND STABILITY RESTORATION<br />
ENDEAVOURS IN MYANMAR?<br />
5. Upon accomplishing the provisions of the state of emergency,<br />
free and fair multi-party democratic elections will be held in line<br />
with the 2008 Constitution; and further work will be undertaken<br />
to hand over State duties to the winning party in accordance<br />
As Myanmar is home to over 130 national races and has been<br />
with democratic standards.<br />
experiencing internal armed conflicts since its independence<br />
from British rule in 1948, national unity is the key to achieving our<br />
The SAC government also introduces practical and politically<br />
vision of a nation based on democratic and prosperous federal<br />
feasible measures in implementing the peace process. There are<br />
union.<br />
two basic factors for the continuation of implementing the peace<br />
That is the reason why successive governments have always<br />
process. These are to firmly stand for the Nationwide Ceasefire<br />
Agreement (NCA) and for the Constitution (2008).<br />
Photo: Royal Palace<br />
given peace, stability and national reconciliation a high priority.<br />
The State Administration Council (SAC) has also placed the<br />
In this connection, there might be a curious linkage between<br />
honestly for the interest of the State and Union, the nation will<br />
and that the process is inclusive. Hence, a solid foundation for a<br />
highest priority to strengthen ties among all our national races<br />
NCA and the Constitution (2008). Myanmar comprises eight<br />
inevitably develop in accord with the goal of “Keep Moving<br />
federal democratic union can be laid.<br />
to promote economic and social development in the regions<br />
major national races and over 130 ethnic nationals. All ethnic<br />
Forward to Achieve our Goal.”<br />
inhabited by them, forging a lasting peace for all our people.<br />
The peace process has been put as an utmost importance and<br />
undertaken in line with the Five-Points Roadmap for the ultimate<br />
goal of a federal democratic union.<br />
At this stage, I would like to clarify the Five-Points Road Map of<br />
the SAC:<br />
1. The Union Election Commission will be reconstituted and its<br />
nationals have equal rights. The existing Constitution (dating<br />
from 2008) mentions the rights of ethnic affairs. Thus, the SAC<br />
government will continue efforts for enabling ethnic nationals to<br />
have deserved rights and entitlements.<br />
Since 2022, Ethnic Armed Groups (EAOs) have been invited for<br />
88 rounds of peace talks to solicit the aspirations and views of all<br />
stakeholders towards the establishment of a federal democratic<br />
THE ELECTION<br />
The concept of federalism entails the sharing of power and authority<br />
with different regions, states, ethnicities and national races.<br />
Political parties including ethnic parties represent the people<br />
who support them. Efforts are being made to switch to a propor-<br />
SPEAKING OF PEACE AND STABILITY, WOULD<br />
YOU LIKE TO SHARE A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF<br />
THE DEVELOPMENTS IN IMPLEMENTING THE<br />
REPATRIATION OF DISPLACED PERSONS FROM<br />
THE RAKHINE STATE AND RECENT TALKS AND<br />
NEGOTIATIONS WITH BANGLADESH?<br />
mandated tasks, including the scrutiny of voter lists, shall be<br />
union.<br />
tional representation (PR) system in order to widely represent the<br />
Before I share the latest development in implementing of the<br />
implemented in accordance with the law;<br />
parties and ethnic nationalities in the legislature. The government<br />
repatriation process, it is essential to let you know briefly about<br />
2. Effective measures will be taken with added momentum to<br />
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has recently sent an invitation to<br />
has explained it to the leaders of EAOs at the peace talks.<br />
the historical background of Rakhine State. During the British<br />
prevent and manage the COVID-19 pandemic;<br />
all ethnic leaders to attend the ceremony to commemorate the 8th<br />
colonial rule over India and Burma, hundreds of thousands of<br />
3. Actions will be taken to ensure the speedy recovery of<br />
Anniversary of the Signing of NCA which will be held with essence<br />
Arrangements are being made to enumerate the nationwide cen-<br />
people were systematically transferred from the Bengal region of<br />
businesses from the impact of COVID-19;<br />
(At the time of publishing, the ceremony will be completed).<br />
sus from 1 to 15 October 2024 to hold the General Election at the<br />
British India into colonial Burma (present-day Myanmar). Most<br />
4. Emphasis will be placed on achieving enduring peace for<br />
soonest. The basic data of voter lists must be compiled correctly<br />
of those who came to Rakhine then were seasonal labours and<br />
the entire nation in line with the agreements set out in the<br />
Restoring peace and stability of the State is essential in exer-<br />
to enable all eligible voters to cast their votes in all parts of the<br />
never returned home.<br />
Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement;<br />
cising a democratic system. Thus, if all make efforts fairly and<br />
country to make sure no one in the electoral politics is left behind<br />
116 117
Thousands of displaced persons also sought refuge from then<br />
the repatriation process since 2018, ARSA terrorists in Cox’s<br />
East Pakistan into Rakhine State during Bangladesh’s war of in-<br />
Bazar are threatening the lives of the people in the camps who<br />
dependence in 1971 and the following years. Because of porous<br />
wish to voluntarily return to Myanmar.<br />
borders and weak border controls, there were no proper records<br />
of movement. Myanmar authorities became concerned about the<br />
At the same time, some NGOs and INGOs are also pressuring<br />
irregular immigration. In 1978, the then Government launched<br />
people not to go back. As a result, no one dares to return to<br />
the Naga-Min Campaign to identify such irregular immigrants.<br />
Myanmar through an official channel and repatriation could not<br />
This move led to the (mass) displacement of those people from<br />
take place until now.<br />
Myanmar to Bangladesh. Then, the first-ever repatriation process<br />
between two countries jumped in and most of these persons<br />
All these measures reflected Myanmar’s commitment and polit-<br />
later returned to Myanmar based on the agreement between the<br />
ical will to continue and hope to have sincere cooperation with<br />
two Governments.<br />
relevant stakeholders. We do believe that with a shared objective<br />
and balanced views from all stakeholders, we will be able<br />
In 1991-1992, there was a second wave of displacement from<br />
to build a peaceful, harmonious and developed community in<br />
Rakhine into Bangladesh. It was triggered by the action taken<br />
Rakhine State.<br />
by Myanmar’s Defence Services against the self-identified/selfstyled<br />
terrorist organisation Rohingya Solidarity Organisation<br />
(RSO). Again, the second repatriation process under the UN<br />
Refugee Agency (UNHCR) arrangement was conducted between<br />
the two countries.<br />
AS WE KNOW, THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF UPS<br />
AND DOWNS IN EU-MYANMAR RELATIONS<br />
RECENTLY. WHAT IS YOUR ASSESSMENT?<br />
On account of lessons learned from past events, a project was<br />
Due to the political developments of Myanmar after 2021, we<br />
introduced by the predecessor governments to collect the<br />
could say that currently Myanmar-EU relations are not at their<br />
bio-data, including photographs, and register the lists of family<br />
best, but we try to be positive and constructive.<br />
households in Rakhine State, taken door-to-door annually by the<br />
relevant authorities.<br />
The EU has been an active supporter of Myanmar’s democratic<br />
transition and economic reforms since the two agreed to open<br />
Panoramic view of Bagan<br />
However, unfortunate events happened after terrorist attacks<br />
a new chapter in the relations in 2013. The EU suspended the<br />
by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in Rakhine<br />
former sanctions in April 2012 and lifted them in April 2013.<br />
sanctions and removal of special trade privileges suggest that<br />
ocratic system we want is not based on an illusion or abstract<br />
State in 2016 and 2017. The provocative and premeditated<br />
Following recognition from the Conference of the International<br />
deeper economic sanctions could do irreversible damage to the<br />
terms but based on reality: the unshakable historical evidence<br />
armed attacks by ARSA terrorists on various security outposts<br />
Labour Organisation (ILO) of Myanmar’s progress, the preferential<br />
sector and put workers at further risk.<br />
that has taken place in our country for the last 70 years.<br />
in Northern Rakhine State were the undeniable causes to the<br />
access for Myanmar products to the EU market was re-estab-<br />
present humanitarian issues. While some international organi-<br />
lished in July 2013 and since then Myanmar has benefited from<br />
Attributable to this, a report of the United Nations Development<br />
It does not mean that we will achieve stability through force and<br />
sations have biasedly portrayed the Myanmar security forces as<br />
the Everything But Arms (EBA) initiative under the Generalised<br />
Program (UNDP) from September 2022 concluded that forcing<br />
suppression. That is why we are trying to organize ourselves, in<br />
perpetrators of mass atrocity crimes, nobody can ignore or<br />
Scheme of Preferences (GSP).<br />
Western investors to dis-invest and withdraw preferential trade<br />
a country of 55 million people, to pave the way for a democracy<br />
discount the well-documented atrocities committed by ARSA<br />
agreements is not the most appropriate policy response to the<br />
that reflects the will of people as well as the historical and polit-<br />
that resulted in the death of hundreds of innocent people in<br />
Myanmar’s garment sector grew rapidly and has been contribut-<br />
situation in Myanmar.<br />
ical environment of our country. With that in mind, the govern-<br />
Rakhine, including 100 Hindu villagers as well as security<br />
ing to the employment for low-skilled workers in the last decade.<br />
ment has put tremendous efforts to hold a nationwide census to<br />
personnel in these events during 2016 and 2017.<br />
The key to the upsurge in the country’s garment sector in the last<br />
In this context, I would like to underscore that on the ground,<br />
compile the accurate basic data of the voters list so that a free<br />
decade was the lifting of economic sanctions as well as resto-<br />
those suffering are the grass-roots workers who are struggling<br />
and fair General Elections will eventually be held.<br />
Again, both countries have conducted negotiations to repatriate<br />
ration of the EU’s GSP. After 2021, because of some political<br />
and coping with the consequences of significant income reduc-<br />
the displaced persons who crossed over Bangladesh after the<br />
incidents in Myanmar, the production and demand for garment<br />
tion and unemployment.<br />
If we wish to build a democratic society, decent living and human<br />
2016-17 incidents and three bilateral repatriation agreements<br />
manufacturing dropped and over 20 percent (200,000) jobs in the<br />
dignity of the workers cannot be ignored and in fact, I would like<br />
have been signed between two countries in 2017 and early 2018.<br />
industry were lost. Businesses that have worked with European<br />
In a statement of Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for For-<br />
to call for the EU citizens who are the source of policymaking in<br />
Since then, the Myanmar government is proceeding with the<br />
firms have seen signs of withdrawal.<br />
eign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European<br />
the EU to consider the destinies of many people who are living in<br />
implementing of the repatriation process in accordance with<br />
Commission, in January this year, he mentioned that EU will con-<br />
a state of constant concern to make ends meet on a daily basis.<br />
those bilateral instruments, based on which the Bangladesh gov-<br />
Since the current EU GSP/EBA scheme to Myanmar is ending<br />
tinue to provide humanitarian assistance in accordance with the<br />
ernment provided the completed verification forms of displaced<br />
in 2023, with automatic renewal for the next 10 years as a Least<br />
principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence<br />
Though we share a lot of democratic values, there is a visible gap<br />
persons from Rakhine State currently residing in Bangladesh.<br />
Developed Country (LDC), two opposite reactions have emerged.<br />
while condemning the human right violations and calling for all<br />
between Myanmar and EU on the same values. Despite that, we<br />
The Myanmar government has verified the list provided in con-<br />
On one hand, a few trade unions and exiled opposing groups are<br />
concerned parties to pave the way for a meaningful democratic<br />
are willing to cooperate with international actors for the sake of<br />
cordance with the officials registered data and records, updated<br />
lobbying the foreign garment corporations and governments to<br />
process that would truly reflect the will of the Myanmar people.<br />
the people of Myanmar.<br />
annually on the ground by the relevant authorities. While we have<br />
sever trade ties with this sector to put pressure on the current<br />
I would like to unequivocally state that we share the hope and<br />
opened the reception centres and transit camps to commence<br />
Myanmar government. On the other hand, critics of harsher<br />
vision of EU, to restore democracy in Myanmar. But the dem-<br />
118 119
Aerial view of Cocks Comb Island<br />
Panoramic view of Bagan<br />
AS COVID-19 RELATED RESTRICTIONS HAVE<br />
BEEN LIFTED, WHAT PLANS DOES MYANMAR<br />
HAVE TO PROMOTE ITS ECONOMY AND THE<br />
TOURISM SECTOR?<br />
In the realm of economic recovery following the devastation<br />
brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and as a nation faced<br />
with a blockade in hardware and software development assistance<br />
due to political reasons, Myanmar needs to set its priorities<br />
based on the characteristics of self-reliance.<br />
In economic sphere, the State Administration Council (SAC)<br />
government aims to attain prosperity for all and to ensure food<br />
sufficiency in spite of the unilateral sanctions imposed by the<br />
international financial institutions. Therefore, the government<br />
is currently promoting and encouraging the agriculture sector;<br />
Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) and the<br />
tourism sector at the national level.<br />
Since the agricultural sector represents 38 percent of the country’s<br />
GDP and employs 60 percent of its workforce, the agriculture<br />
sector continues to be an essential part of our economy.<br />
Therefore, the government has stressed the importance of striving<br />
for increased per acre yields of monsoon paddy, promoting<br />
value-added products in agricultural and livestock sectors,<br />
exporting double cropping, implementing breeding initiatives<br />
systematically.<br />
With a view to contributing to the development of state economy<br />
and socio-economic life of farmers, the government is disbursing<br />
loans from the national economic development funds for<br />
ensuring greater success in agriculture sector. The Myanmar<br />
Agriculture Development Bank (MADB) announced in June that<br />
it will offer loans of up to Myanmar Kyat 70 million (approx. EUR<br />
31,500) per farmer who require financial support for agricultural<br />
and rural development purposes.<br />
Andaman Sea beach<br />
At the regional level, Myanmar is one of the signatories in the<br />
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). This<br />
agreement is expected to eliminate 90 percent of tariffs on<br />
imports between the signatories within 20 years and establish<br />
common rules for e-commerce, trade, and intellectual property.<br />
Regarding investment opportunities in Myanmar, investors are<br />
most welcome in manufacturing value-added foodstuffs, agriculture<br />
and livestock farming such as seafood, fruits and vegetables<br />
and animal products. The Myanmar Investment Commission<br />
(MIC) is inviting potential investors for production of edible<br />
oilseeds, contract farming for edible oil crops and production of<br />
various types of edible oil. Additionally, manufacturing of “one<br />
region-one product” in different states has been encouraged<br />
for implementation. This policy encourages the production of<br />
distinct goods that are specific to each region, leveraging the<br />
diverse geographical and climatic conditions, as well as the<br />
abundance of raw materials available across the country.<br />
Myanmar is rich in ancient history and land of wondrous nature<br />
with splendid culture and traditions. Thus, promoting tourism is<br />
one of the national priorities. In order for tourism to flourish and<br />
help restore the national economy after the lifting of travel restriction,<br />
Myanmar reopened for tourism, including regular international<br />
flights, in May 2022.<br />
There are many tourist attractions in Myanmar including the<br />
ancient city of Bagan, which was selected by UNESCO as a<br />
<strong>World</strong> Heritage site in 2019. Tourists can make anew the ancient<br />
Myanmar history, beautiful and breath-taking beaches, lakes and<br />
significant religious sites.<br />
We are also introducing community-based tourism including<br />
skill-learning and witnessing traditional cooking skills of the local<br />
cuisines in the villages. Apart from that, certain regulations were<br />
amended to promote tourism, i.e., issuance of e-Visas again and<br />
offering of incentives like special discounts for tourists and tax<br />
refunds, as well as adopting an effective advertising system via<br />
online platforms and online marketing.<br />
Myanmar (known as the Golden Land) is a land chock-full of<br />
incredible pristine nature, scenery and also rich in culture and<br />
tradition. It is also a home to 135 ethnic minority groups/135<br />
ethnicities with the people offering hospitality and warmth with<br />
excellent native delicacies. Taking this opportunity, I wish to send<br />
a message to people all over Europe “you will find out the true<br />
beauty of Myanmar only when you travel there”.<br />
All photos courtesy of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism of<br />
120 121<br />
Myanmar
H.E. VALERIA VILASECA CHUMACERO<br />
AMBASSADOR OF BOLIVIA<br />
Remarks on occasion of the 198 th Anniversary of<br />
Independence of the Plurinational State of Bolivia<br />
It is an honour and a privilege for me to be here today with all<br />
of you, marking 198 years of Bolivia’s independence. A time to<br />
celebrate our triumphs, lessons, and to focus on the challenges<br />
as a Plurinational State.<br />
With the heart full of life and from my mestizo roots (mixed roots),<br />
I must begin these words of “remembrance” by saluting the<br />
memory of the precursors of freedom in my land.<br />
First, to those who defended the indigenous peoples, who<br />
defended our cultures and traditions for centuries in resistance.<br />
Those unknown faces, anonymous figures who preserved the<br />
wisdom with Mother Earth, whose names have been ignored by<br />
formal history, because it was not convenient to turn them into<br />
heroes.<br />
I also salute the memory of Alejo Calatayud, Tupac Katari,<br />
Kurusa Llawi, Gregoria Apaza, Bartolina Sisa, among other<br />
indigenous heroic rebels who united strength, spirit, and body<br />
to defeat colonial oppression, fought the battles shoulder-to-shoulder,<br />
sacrificing their lives along the way, so that<br />
our generations could walk one freely.<br />
In memory of Juana Azurduy de Padilla, Ignacio de Guarnes,<br />
Moto Méndez, and later Antonio José de Sucre, and of course,<br />
to the memory of the great liberator Simón Bolívar who finally,<br />
after years of battles, with temperance and wisdom in long<br />
deliberation in 1825, from Chuquisaca, Charcas (today Sucre),<br />
proclaimed Bolivia independent.<br />
Throughout the years, Bolivia has faced a series of challenges<br />
and transformations. Since the consolidation of our independence,<br />
Bolivia’s republican journey was an important school with<br />
colonial vestiges, guided by western canons, that taught us the<br />
difference from a dark perspective, difference as a symbol of<br />
division and discrimination. It left us a foreign system of governance<br />
far from our reality that could not solve the problems of<br />
Bolivians as a whole, it only worked for some, limited rights and<br />
measured opportunities.<br />
The indigenous peoples and their important knowledge, their<br />
culture, their rituals, their languages, and their surnames were<br />
marginalized from public life, the systemic imposition of social<br />
class categorization, value systems framed by capital and exploitation,<br />
the heteronormative colonization, and patriarchy kept<br />
Bolivian identities hiding.<br />
From 2006 to 2020, by direct vote, from new contexts but with<br />
the same rebellious spirit, we gave way to the Plurinational recognition,<br />
recovering the presence of our indigenous and mestizo<br />
roots, even living a constitutional break, we rescued the light of<br />
our identities, which leads to the unique but diverse identity of<br />
being Bolivian. Along with the great political awakening we lived<br />
122 123
The Plurinational State has reduced inequality gaps, being<br />
declared a country free of illiteracy in 2008, generating a single<br />
health system with free care for all Bolivians, lowering poverty<br />
rates and eradicating extreme poverty.<br />
We position ourselves as an agent of positive economic change<br />
in the region and a long-term strategic necessity at the global<br />
level.<br />
However, we are aware that we still face important challenges, a<br />
global economic crisis that affects all countries of the world, the<br />
climate crisis, the social crisis, gender violence and the challenge<br />
of multidimensional poverty are also of central concern to us.<br />
At this crucial moment in our history, we look to the future of a<br />
multipolar planet with optimism and determination. As we walk<br />
together toward the Bicentenary, we reaffirm our commitment to<br />
the values of freedom, equality, justice and rebellion against any<br />
imposition, the same principles that inspired our liberators. We<br />
will continue to work to build a more prosperous, inclusive and<br />
diverse country.<br />
I would like to end these words on this afternoon of celebration,<br />
reiterating that the diplomacy of the peoples is a fundamental<br />
pillar of the policy of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, and<br />
translates into the bridge of friendship and cooperation towards<br />
the international community and among all countries, regenerating<br />
life and recognizing the commitment to work together and<br />
complementarity to face the current challenges.<br />
On behalf of President Luis Arce Catacora and Vice-President<br />
David Choquehuanca, I thank you for your presence here today<br />
to celebrate with us this anniversary and the sovereignty of our<br />
peoples! Jallalla Bolivia!<br />
Photos: Embassy of Bolivia<br />
another step of independence, this time, with emancipation of<br />
thought and conscience.<br />
Reclaiming and retaking our ancestral knowledge, hand-in-hand<br />
with the recognition of our cultural history, for example with the<br />
revaluation of the coca leaf and its medicinal and traditional uses.<br />
Under the leadership of President Luis Arce Catacora, the<br />
Bolivian State has regained vitality thanks to the Social<br />
Communitarian Productive Economic Model implemented in<br />
Bolivia since 2006 which allows us to return to the path of economic<br />
growth with productive and social public investment.<br />
Bolivia is advancing hand in hand with industrialization; today we<br />
are implementing policies to replace imports, which is allowing<br />
us to grow in quality production, with an eye on food security<br />
with sovereignty and diversification of our economy.<br />
130 new industrial plants are being promoted for cereals, almonds,<br />
fruits, potatoes, vegetable oils, dairy products, agro-inputs,<br />
fertilizers, camelids, meat products, fish wealth; in addition<br />
to industrial plants for lithium, urea, zinc, basic chemicals for<br />
medicines, the Mutun steel plant, ecological biofuel, glass,<br />
among others. This will give us back USD 530 million in annual<br />
import savings.<br />
Today, the Bolivian people have the ownership of many natural<br />
resources, including the largest lithium reserves in the world, with<br />
23 million tons quantified, in addition to possessing concentrations<br />
of strategic critical materials, rare earths and other resources,<br />
indispensable for the change of the energy matrix worldwide.<br />
As a State, this leads us to work in common efforts to face any<br />
conflict with a sense of unity, placing the common good and the<br />
legitimacy of the people as the vertex. Despite an inflationary<br />
context and great international economic uncertainty, Bolivia as<br />
of June of this year has an inflation rate of 0.8 percent, the lowest<br />
in South America and the fourth lowest in the world.<br />
I began this speech with the word “remembrance”, which means<br />
to gather all the members or all the parts, in order to understand<br />
the whole. In order to understand the now.<br />
Today, when we look at ‘all the parts’ in our journey, we can<br />
clearly see how much we have grown as a country: We are<br />
building community, a more inclusive society, where rights and<br />
opportunities are accessible to all. We are not homogeneous and<br />
that is where our strength lies. Bolivia is diverse, with energetic<br />
nodes in the difference of thoughts and cultures, in diversity as a<br />
vehicle to move forward.<br />
124 125
2023 BLED STRATEGIC FORUM<br />
SOLIDARITY FOR GLOBAL SECURITY<br />
The 18th edition of the Bled Strategic Forum took place on 28-29<br />
August under the theme of “Solidarity of Global Security”. This<br />
year, 32 discussions over two days brought together nearly 3,000<br />
participants, 188 speakers and over 100 representatives of<br />
Slovenian and foreign media, solidifying Bled’s position as a<br />
global platform for generating ideas and exchanging views on<br />
contemporary society and its future.<br />
The Bled Strategic Forum opened with speeches by Prime<br />
Minister Robert Golob, President of the European Council<br />
Charles Michel, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of<br />
Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon, with all the leaders<br />
of the Western Balkans in attendance.<br />
How do we ensure security in these times? How do we ensure<br />
safe access to food and energy, not just in Europe but in the<br />
entire world, especially in the developing and least developed<br />
regions? How do we address factors that present themselves as<br />
obstacles to food and energy, in particular climate change and<br />
conflicts with climate-induced economic motivations? These are<br />
some of the big questions that speakers tried to grapple with,<br />
which are also reflective the priorities of Slovenia as a non-permanent<br />
member of the UN Security Council, to which Slovenia<br />
was recently elected for the period 2024-2025.<br />
The major crises of recent times – from the war in Ukraine,<br />
armed conflicts around the world, disruptions in energy and food<br />
supplies and the COVID-19 pandemic – have demonstrated that<br />
global challenges cannot be tackled in isolation. As Minister Tanja<br />
Fajon stressed in her address: “If we do not start solving problems<br />
urgently, our generation and generations to come will collectively<br />
pay a huge price. This world will change dramatically in<br />
an uncontrolled fashion, probably also through natural disasters<br />
and armed conflicts. It is our duty to ensure such scenarios are<br />
avoided. Therefore, the least we can do to ensure stability and<br />
solidarity is to forge a strong international coalition to support<br />
international organisations and institutions”, said Minister Fajon,<br />
adding that despite some deficiencies in the existing multilateral<br />
system, there is simply no alternative to multilateralism.<br />
The chosen theme for this year’s forum – Solidarity – acquired<br />
added relevance in the context of the devastating floods that ravaged<br />
Slovenia and other neighbouring countries in early August.<br />
Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Robert Golob, expressed<br />
his gratitude for all the international aid that Slovenia has<br />
received in the immediate aftermath of the devastating floods,<br />
and thanked all those who will continue to help. “By showing<br />
this solidarity, we show that cooperation at international level is<br />
what really makes the world a better place,” the Prime Minister<br />
added. Most of the time, Europeans live under the impression<br />
that bad things happen far away. The extreme weather we are<br />
experiencing may be a local phenomenon, but it is the result of<br />
global events. The impact of climate change can be felt virtually<br />
every year, so we need to face up to its consequences. “It is<br />
not enough to make energy sources cleaner. It is not enough to<br />
start using only electric cars. And it is not enough to reduce the<br />
consumption of meat or give it up altogether. We will have to<br />
change our consumption patterns and habits. This is what we<br />
owe our children,” stressed the Prime Minister. At international<br />
level, mechanisms need to be put in place to deal with the<br />
consequences of such disasters: “No nation, especially small<br />
ones, can face this alone. In fact, neither can the great nations,”<br />
Mr Golob pointed out. He added that Slovenia wanted to make<br />
climate change a top priority during its membership of the UN<br />
Security Council.<br />
As is traditionally the case, the Western Balkans formed the core<br />
of the discussions at the Forum. As for Slovenia’s role in the<br />
process, Foreign Minister Fajon said her country is among the<br />
biggest advocates of enlargement and “will definitely be among<br />
the front-runners in working with like-minded countries in efforts<br />
to accelerate enlargement to the Western Balkans and not waste<br />
the opportunity... If we miss the train this year, I’m afraid we<br />
might leave these countries behind for many years”.<br />
This year’s edition of the Bled Strategic Forum will be remembered<br />
by the announcement (which became to be known informally<br />
as the “Bled pledge”) from the President of the European<br />
Council Charles Michel that the EU must be ready to enlarge<br />
by 2030. To give the necessary context, parts of his speech are<br />
reproduced below: “To be stronger and safer, the EU needs to<br />
reinforce our bonds and become more powerful. That’s why it is<br />
now time to tackle the challenge of enlargement. Both for us in<br />
the EU and for our future member states.<br />
126 127
The road to the EU for the Western Balkans began more than<br />
One way could be to add a so-called ‘confidence clause’ in the<br />
20 years ago. A region at the heart of Europe, surrounded by the<br />
accession treaties to ensure that countries that have just joined<br />
EU. It was also a region emerging from conflict after the break-up<br />
cannot block the accession of future member states.<br />
of Yugoslavia. The Thessaloniki Summit, in 2003, confirmed the<br />
European perspective of the Western Balkans. But the slow pace<br />
To address all these challenges, the EU is strengthening our sup-<br />
of this EU journey has disappointed many, both in the region and<br />
port for you. But we need to do more to close the development<br />
in the EU.<br />
gap.<br />
To be credible, I believe we must talk about timing and home-<br />
First, through gradual and progressive integration into EU<br />
work. And I have a proposal. As we prepare the EU’s next stra-<br />
policies, so the benefits can be felt more quickly — even before<br />
tegic agenda, we must set ourselves a clear goal. I believe we<br />
membership. I put forward this idea last year and the European<br />
must be ready – on both sides – by 2030 to enlarge. This means<br />
Council supported it.<br />
that the EU’s next long-term budget will need to include our<br />
common goals. This is ambitious, but necessary. It shows that<br />
The Commission’s enlargement package – expected in October<br />
we are serious. It will build momentum. It will give a transform-<br />
– is an opportunity to outline the concrete details of this progres-<br />
ative boost to reforms and it will generate interest, investments<br />
sive integration. This could take place in different areas – the<br />
and better understanding, and encourage us all to work together.<br />
single market, for example.<br />
The window of opportunity is open. We need to act on it. That is<br />
why EU leaders will discuss enlargement at our next European<br />
We have ambitious frameworks in place that support the align-<br />
Council meetings. So what will it take?<br />
ment of future member states with the EU acquis. They can take<br />
advantage of existing options, such as the energy and transport<br />
Values and the rule of law. Our Union is founded on the fun-<br />
communities. I propose that we use these frameworks to phase<br />
damental values of human rights and dignity, democracy, and<br />
solidarity. The rule of law ensures that we can live, work, create<br />
in future member states and to integrate them into specific EU<br />
policy areas once membership conditions are fulfilled.<br />
Photo: Bled Strategic Forum<br />
and trade fairly in one big area of liberties. In full respect of our<br />
diversity.<br />
For instance, a country could participate in the correspond-<br />
for all. The GDP of the future member states is about 50-70<br />
The hearts of the people may be our biggest challenge. This<br />
ing Council formation once they complete negotiations in the<br />
percent of the smallest EU economy. This means they will be<br />
involves explaining the EU and highlighting its benefits. It’s a<br />
Enlargement is and will remain a merit-based process. Mem-<br />
given policy chapter. In the same spirit, we have established the<br />
net recipients, while several current net recipients will become<br />
societal choice. It also means moving beyond the language of<br />
bership of the Union brings both responsibilities and benefits.<br />
principle of yearly EU-Western Balkans summits. I will convene<br />
net contributors. So we need to work out how to manage this<br />
the past to focus on the future. With real political will, we can<br />
In order to take on the responsibilities and reap the benefits in a<br />
our next EU-WB summit in December, back-to-back with our<br />
complex transition.<br />
make both the EU and the future member states ready. Now is<br />
highly competitive environment, one needs to be ready.<br />
European Council meeting.<br />
the time to be bold. Now is the time to build our larger European<br />
The EU’s decision-making process has made a quantum leap in<br />
future together”.<br />
This means making sure the judiciary plays an independent role.<br />
Another area for gradual integration could be security and<br />
recent years. Yet we can do more to speed up our decision-<br />
And fighting corruption and organised crime. It also means being<br />
defence. We could invite interested future member states to<br />
making. More members will mean more diversity. We will have<br />
Not all Western Balkan leaders reacted with equal enthusiasm.<br />
ready economically – in particular by adopting the EU acquis.<br />
more actively participate in some policies or instruments, such<br />
to adapt our institutional framework and procedures so that an<br />
Criteria are constantly changing, it was voiced. Prime Minister<br />
And standing with us in foreign policy – more important today<br />
as CSDP missions, our Defence Fund, or the European Peace<br />
enlarged EU is able to make efficient and timely decisions. And<br />
Edi Rama of Albania explained that the process is not as simple<br />
than ever.<br />
Facility.<br />
on the sensitive and difficult issue of unanimity, I believe that<br />
as the EU simply moving the goalposts, and he called for reform.<br />
completely scrapping unanimity could be throwing the baby<br />
“There should not only be reforms and criticism that are neces-<br />
Resolving bilateral conflicts from the past may be more painful<br />
The EU also needs to get ready for enlargement. I fully agree<br />
out with the bath water.<br />
sary, but also the most consistent support, and I’m not talking<br />
than reforms. But it is necessary. You are walking the same path<br />
with President Macron: not reforming on our side before the next<br />
only from the financial point of view, but also the market access<br />
as the founding members of our Union. There is no cooperation<br />
enlargement would be a fundamental mistake. Let’s be honest —<br />
Because unity is at the core of the EU’s strength. Unity is the<br />
of our enterprises,” he said. Rama added that while the EU has<br />
without reconciliation.<br />
we have sometimes used the lack of progress of future member<br />
best way to make sure decisions are uniformly implemented.<br />
been discussing infrastructure for many years through the Berlin<br />
states to avoid facing our own preparedness. We must now take<br />
There are various ways to become united. When we decided to<br />
Process, the tangible investment in the region has come from<br />
Your people, especially the young, want to be inspired by a<br />
a serious look at the EU’s capacity to absorb new members.<br />
activate the Peace Facility to finance arms delivery to Ukraine,<br />
China, Middle East and the United States. We have another 20<br />
brighter, fairer and more prosperous future. Joining our Union<br />
constructive abstention was used to not impede unanimity. And<br />
years of Euro-optimism, and I hope that by then you have fulfilled<br />
would be splendid proof of a collective success. Ideally, you<br />
Integrating new members into our Union won’t be easy. It will<br />
there are different ways to adapt the qualified majority voting —<br />
your promise”, said Rama. Montenegrin counterpart Dritan<br />
would all join together.<br />
affect our policies, our programmes, and their budgets. It will<br />
whether in numbers or how and when we apply it. This will be a<br />
Abazović emphasised that, if the EU wishes to pursue enlarge-<br />
require political reforms and political courage. The EU’s territory<br />
hard nut to crack. But there is no way to avoid this debate now.<br />
ment, a mutually beneficial path must be forged. He commented,<br />
Yet future member states are at different stages on their journey<br />
and demography will get bigger.<br />
Let me share with you my personal conviction. The heart of<br />
“Continuing to postpone enlargement could pave the way for<br />
to the EU. But we need to make sure that past conflicts are not<br />
enlargement is not about processes, assessments, screenings,<br />
euroskepticism and the influence of third parties interested in the<br />
imported into the EU and used to block the accession of their<br />
Yet its relative prosperity will not immediately follow – signifi-<br />
negotiations and treaties. The heart of enlargement is about the<br />
Western Balkans. Nations in this region might lose enthusiasm<br />
neighbours and other future member states.<br />
cant funds will be needed to help countries catch up. We need<br />
people, about the future of our children and the fate of Europe.<br />
for joining the EU if the process is delayed further”. “2030 is too<br />
to make sure that the EU budget brings European added value<br />
So we need to make sure we have their hearts with us.<br />
far for us,” Abazović concluded.<br />
128 129
MYLENE CAPONGCOL<br />
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF ENERGY<br />
OF THE PHILIPPINES<br />
We expect more EU Member States to invest in the Philippines’<br />
Renewable Energy industry to achieve the target<br />
of at least 50 percent RE share in the power generation mix by 2040<br />
58 percent of the gross power generation in 2022. Renewable<br />
energy comprised 29 percent (8,264 MW) and 22 percent (24,684<br />
GWh) of the installed and gross power generation, respectively.<br />
Hydro and geothermal comprised the largest share, followed by<br />
solar, wind, and biomass.<br />
On 22 December 2020, the “Advisory on the Moratorium of Endorsements<br />
for Greenfield Coal-fired Power Projects in line with<br />
Improving the Sustainability of the Philippines’ Electric Power<br />
Industry” was issued by the Department of Energy (DOE), which<br />
was retroactively effective on 27 October 2020.<br />
Under this moratorium, no new coal-fired power plant applications<br />
shall be processed and approved by the DOE, except<br />
those already existing and operational and those already in the<br />
advanced stage of development at the time of the advisory’s<br />
effectivity.<br />
The National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) 2020-2040,<br />
issued in July 2022, serves as the country’s long-term program<br />
to accelerate the development and utilization of renewables<br />
towards achieving energy security, sustainable development,<br />
and climate change mitigation, which are embodied in the<br />
Philippines RE Act of 2008.<br />
It targets at least 35 percent RE share in the power generation<br />
mix by 2030 and more than 50 percent by 2040. It also provides<br />
the policies and programs to support the goal’s attainment.<br />
COULD YOU GIVE OUR READERS AN IDEA<br />
OF THE CURRENT ENERGY MIX OF THE<br />
PHILIPPINES? LOOKING AHEAD AT THE SHORT<br />
AND MEDIUM-TERM, WHAT SPECIFIC TARGETS<br />
DOES THE PHILIPPINES HAVE TO PHASE OUT<br />
FOSSIL FUELS AND INCREASE THE SHARE OF<br />
RENEWABLES, IN ORDER TO DECARBONISE THE<br />
GRID AND REDUCE EMISSIONS AS OUTLINED IN<br />
ITS NATIONALLY DETERMINED CONTRIBUTION<br />
(NDC) AND NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY<br />
PROGRAM (NREP) 2020-2040?<br />
In 2022, the Philippines’ total primary energy supply (TPES)<br />
reached 61.6 million tonnes of oil equivalent (MTOE). As presented<br />
in the below figure, the country continues to utilize a significant<br />
amount of fossil fuels, particularly oil and coal, accounting<br />
for 63.2 percent (38.9 MTOE) of the TPES. These fuels are<br />
primarily used in transport and power generation. Meanwhile,<br />
natural gas, mainly used for electricity production, accounts for<br />
4.2 percent (2.6 MTOE). The country has a domestic source of<br />
natural gas from the Malampaya Gas Field located offshore of<br />
Northwest Palawan.<br />
Meanwhile, the aggregate share of renewables accounts for 32.6<br />
percent (20 MTOE) of the TPES. This came from geothermal at<br />
14.6 percent (8.9 MTOE), hydro at 4.1 percent (2.5 MTOE), and<br />
other renewable energy (RE) resources (i.e., biomass, biofuels,<br />
wind, and solar) with a combined share of 13.9 percent (8.6<br />
MTOE).<br />
Coal-fired power plants also remain the country’s primary source<br />
of electricity, comprising 44 percent of the installed capacity and<br />
130 131
IN RECENT YEARS, WE HAVE SEEN A FLURRY OF<br />
LEGISLATIVE REFORMS TO FACILITATE INVEST-<br />
MENT INTO THE RENEWABLES SECTOR. WHAT IS<br />
THE ESTIMATED CAPACITY OF THE SECTOR AND<br />
WHAT KIND OF INCENTIVES AND SUPPORTIVE<br />
POLICIES HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE TO FACILI-<br />
TATE THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR<br />
AND FOREIGN INVESTORS?<br />
• Corporate tax rate of 10 percent on net taxable income after<br />
seven years of ITH;<br />
• Accelerated depreciation of plant, machinery, and equipment if<br />
the project fails to receive an ITH before full operation;<br />
• Zero percent value-added tax (VAT) rate on the sale of fuel or<br />
power generated from RE sources and zero-rated VAT for the<br />
purchase of local supply of goods, properties, and services<br />
needed for the development, construction, and installation of<br />
2024-2026. A total of 11,600 capacity target was offered under<br />
GEA-2. Meanwhile, the GEA-3 is underway and intended to<br />
cover eligible RE technologies not covered by the feed-in tariff,<br />
namely geothermal, impounding, and pumped-storage hydro.<br />
It is targeted to be conducted in the fourth quarter of 2023.<br />
• Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) – the overarching program<br />
that requires all load-serving industry players to source<br />
or produce a minimum portion of their electricity requirements<br />
the RE facility;<br />
from RE.<br />
To meet the future electricity demand and RE target mentioned<br />
• Cash incentives of RE developers for missionary electrification;<br />
In September 2022, increased the minimum RPS annual per-<br />
above, the NREP suggests that new-build capacities from RE,<br />
• Tax exemption on carbon credits; and<br />
centage increment requirement from 1 to 2.52 percent starting<br />
with a total of 52,826 MW, must be added on top of existing and<br />
• Tax credit on domestic capital equipment and services.<br />
in 2023 for grid-connected areas. The RPS mandate was<br />
committed power plants in the country. This will primarily com-<br />
expanded to achieve the country’s RE target under the NREP.<br />
prise solar at 27,162 MW, wind at 16,650 MW, hydro at 6,150<br />
MW, geothermal at 2,500 MW, and biomass at 364 MW.<br />
INCENTIVES AND SUPPORT POLICIES FOR RE<br />
MAJOR RE INVESTMENT POLICIES AND<br />
PROGRAMS<br />
• Allowing 100 Percent Foreign Ownership in RE. This policy<br />
removed the foreign ownership restrictions on businesses en-<br />
• Executive Order (EO) and Policies for Offshore Wind (OSW) –<br />
Executive Order No. 21, signed by the President on 19 April<br />
2023, directed the establishment of the first policy and administrative<br />
framework for OSW development in the country.<br />
• Open and Competitive Selection Process (OCSP) – The OCSP<br />
is an investment promotion mechanism where potential areas<br />
Chapter VII of the Philippines’ RE Act provides the below fiscal<br />
gaged in the exploration, development, and utilization of solar,<br />
for RE development will be offered to private developers<br />
incentives to support the development and investments in RE:<br />
wind, hydropower, and ocean energy, thereby allowing entry of<br />
through a competitive bidding process. The DOE selected 20<br />
100 percent foreign capital into the country’s RE industry.<br />
PDAs for geothermal, hydro, and wind for bidding under the<br />
• Income Tax Holiday (ITH) for the first seven years of commer-<br />
• Green Energy Auction Program (GEAP) – encourages greater<br />
4th OCSP round.<br />
cial operation;<br />
RE investments by facilitating a centralized, transparent, and<br />
• Duty-free importation of RE machinery, equipment, and materials,<br />
including control and communication equipment, for the<br />
first ten years;<br />
• Special realty tax rates on equipment and machinery not<br />
exceeding 1.5 percent of the original cost less accumulated<br />
normal depreciation or net book value;<br />
• Net operating loss during the first three years of commercial<br />
operation which had not been previously deducted from gross<br />
income shall be carried over as a deduction from gross income<br />
for the next seven consecutive taxable years immediately<br />
competitive selection of RE Projects through an electronic bidding<br />
process. The power generated by GEAP winning bidders/<br />
facilities shall be eligible for RE Certificates, which can be used<br />
to comply with the Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS).<br />
On 17 June 2022, the first Green Energy Auction (GEA-1)<br />
round was successfully conducted, which bid out 2,000 MW<br />
RE capacities. At the end of the GEA-1, the DOE issued 18<br />
Certificates of Award covering 1,866.13 MW of RE capacity<br />
which are committed to be operational from 2023-2025.<br />
The GEA-2 conducted on 3 July 2023 generated 3,440.756<br />
HOW ARE THE PHILIPPINES AND THE EUROPEAN<br />
UNION COOPERATING TO EXPEDITE RENEWABLE<br />
ENERGY GROWTH, ENHANCE ENERGY SECURITY,<br />
AND CONTRIBUTE TO GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE<br />
MITIGATION?<br />
Following the liberalization of foreign ownership for RE projects<br />
in the Philippines, Denmark’s Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners<br />
(CIP) has signed Offshore Wind Service Contracts with the DOE<br />
Photo: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
EU SUPPORT FOR CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION<br />
AND RE<br />
following the year of such loss;<br />
MW of RE capacities committed to delivering energy from<br />
for its three OSW projects, with a total potential capacity of 2<br />
The EU and its Member States continuously provide funding<br />
GW.<br />
support, technical assistance, and policy advisory services to the<br />
DOE to accelerate the energy transition and RE development.<br />
These CIP Service Contracts were the first 100 percent for-<br />
This includes the EU’s Access to Sustainable Energy Programme<br />
eign-owned RE Service Contracts entered into by the Philippine<br />
(ASEP), which aims to support the government’s rural electrifica-<br />
government. There are also foreign investors that have entered<br />
tion targets through greater utilization of sustainable and renewa-<br />
into joint venture with our local RE Developers.<br />
ble energy, promote energy efficiency, and provide energy access<br />
for the poor through affordable, disaster-resilient energy systems.<br />
The DOE expects more European Union (EU) countries to invest<br />
The ASEP is nearing its completion to date.<br />
in the Philippines’ RE industry to achieve the target of at least 35<br />
percent RE share in the power generation mix by 2030 and 50<br />
Germany’s development agency GIZ also has the ongoing Clean,<br />
percent by 2040.<br />
Affordable, and Secure Energy (CASE) for Southeast Asia project.<br />
It seeks to support a narrative change in the power sector toward<br />
During the last 2023 EU Investment Mission held in UK, Belgium,<br />
an evidence-based energy transition in Southeast Asia through<br />
The Netherlands and Berlin, we met with various potential inves-<br />
technical assistance and support for energy policy formulation.<br />
tors in RE development including service providers such as port<br />
developers and EPC contractors.<br />
We hope to continue receiving technical assistance and support<br />
from EU and its Member States as the Philippines continues to<br />
embark on its energy transition goals.<br />
132 133
A CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE<br />
FOR CENTRAL ASIA<br />
Building New Partnerships to Deliver<br />
the Energy Transition in a Rapidly Growing Region<br />
On 4 July 2023, the Brussels Press Club hosted a first-ever<br />
conference on energy security and sustainability in Brussels<br />
addressing the entire Central Asian region, organised by the<br />
Brussels Energy Club (BEC). The full-day event illustrated how<br />
the region is embarking along the road of alternative ways of<br />
developing its energy economies, to make them more green,<br />
more sustainable and more attractive to the international investment<br />
community.<br />
The conference discussed the many opportunities, but equally<br />
the many challenges, that confront the development of Central<br />
Asia’s energy markets. “Many of us in Europe have long tended<br />
to associate Central Asia as a region deeply endowed with conventional<br />
energy resources, and a possible alternative source of<br />
the energy supply to European and international markets.<br />
We have also looked at the region through the prism of connectivity<br />
and transportation. But just like the world has changed (in<br />
terms of its energy landscape), so too is Central Asia changing”<br />
said Marat Terterov, Principal Representative of the Brussels<br />
Energy Club, at the opening of the conference.<br />
<strong>Diplomatic</strong> representatives from the five Central Asian Embassies<br />
intervened, and there were some common threads in their<br />
addresses. There was unanimous consensus that ensuring<br />
universal access to reliable and clean energy sources is one of<br />
the most important goals on the path to achieving sustainable<br />
development, energy security, economic growth, mitigating the<br />
adverse challenges of climate change and achieve their commitments<br />
under international treaties like the Paris Agreement.<br />
Each is ready to develop mutually beneficial, long-term and<br />
multifaceted partnerships in the field of green energy with all<br />
countries, international organisations and external stakeholders,<br />
particularly with the European Union and its Member States.<br />
Programmes like the EU-funded project “Sustainable Energy<br />
Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA)” for 2022-2026 were mentioned<br />
in particular. This project aims at providing a more inclusive<br />
policy, regulatory and institutional framework for the regional<br />
transition to a sustainable energy system, and will help European<br />
companies entering the region in clean energy transition and<br />
decarbonisation projects.<br />
Ambassadors of all five Central Asian countries took to the floor<br />
to outline the state of play in the development of clean energy in<br />
their respective countries, including targets, projects and specific<br />
opportunities for foreign investors.<br />
Kazakhstan adopted its Strategy for achieving carbon neutrality<br />
by 2060, with a specific focus on decarbonizing the energy<br />
sector as a top priority.<br />
Today, the energy sector is responsible for nearly 78 percent of<br />
greenhouse gas emissions in Kazakhstan, primarily due to heavy<br />
dependence on coal for electricity generation (69 percent) and<br />
heating purposes (99 percent). To achieve carbon neutrality,<br />
Kazakhstan recognizes the crucial role of transitioning gradually<br />
from fossil fuels to low-carbon and renewable energy sources.<br />
The green transformation of Kazakhstan will require significant<br />
investments in low-carbon technologies, estimated at USD 610<br />
billion before 2060, including new investments worth USD 224<br />
billion. Therefore, access to global climate finance and active<br />
support from international financial and development organizations<br />
will play a vital role in this regard.<br />
H.E. Margulan Baimukhan, Ambassador of Kazakhstan, referred<br />
to his country’s heavy reliance on natural resources for its<br />
economic development, while at the same time recognising its<br />
shared responsibility for achieving the goals set forth in the Paris<br />
Agreement for tackling climate change. In fact, earlier this year,<br />
Furthermore, establishing an uninterrupted and safe global supply<br />
chain of critical raw materials, especially rare earth metals, is<br />
vital for the development of green technologies. In this context,<br />
Kazakhstan is the first country in the region to sign a Strategic<br />
Partnership agreement with the EU on critical raw materials,<br />
134 135
atteries, and green hydrogen. The REPowerEU Plan envisions<br />
Tenders are organized with the support of international organiza-<br />
import of up to 10 million tons of hydrogen by 2030. In this<br />
tions. For the accelerated development of RES, it is planned to<br />
context, Ambassador Baimukhan mentioned the green hydrogen<br />
widely use public-private partnerships (PPPs). The International<br />
mega-project being implemented by the Svevind Energy Group<br />
Finance Corporation, part of the <strong>World</strong> Bank Group, is helping<br />
in the western part of Kazakhstan, near the Caspian Sea.<br />
Uzbekistan structure PPP projects in the field of renewable<br />
energy.<br />
For his part, Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic, H.E. Aidit Erkin,<br />
emphasized the region and his country’s hydropower potential.<br />
In 2019, Uzbekistan became the first country outside of Africa to<br />
The region is home to numerous rivers, including the Amu Darya<br />
join the <strong>World</strong> Bank Group’s Scaling Solar Program. The currently<br />
and Syr Darya, which provide ample opportunities for hydroe-<br />
operational Navoi 100 MW Scaling Solar 1 power plant became<br />
lectric power generation. Constructing dams and hydroelectric<br />
the first large-scale, competitively procured, and privately devel-<br />
power plants can create reservoirs for water storage, generate<br />
oped and operated renewable energy facility in the country. The<br />
electricity, and regulate water flow for irrigation and agricultural<br />
new Scaling Solar 2 Project is a major scale-up of solar energy<br />
purposes. Hydropower offers a stable and reliable energy source,<br />
generation with an additional 440MW of capacity in two regions<br />
contributing to energy security and mitigating greenhouse gas<br />
of Uzbekistan, building on the success of the Navoi Scaling Solar<br />
emissions.<br />
1 Project.<br />
The total hydropower potential of the Kyrgyz Republic is 142.5<br />
Today, large-scale projects in the field of solar energy attract in-<br />
billion kWh but currently, only 10 percent of this potential is being<br />
ternational private investors to Uzbekistan. The Tutly solar station<br />
utilized. The construction of dozens of small and medium-sized<br />
near Samarkand, developed by the French company Total Eren,<br />
hydropower plants is underway in Kyrgyzstan. Recently, there<br />
was launched in July 2022. The total amount of foreign invest-<br />
was an agreement reached on the construction of the Kam-<br />
ment in the project is about EUR 100 million.<br />
bar-Ata hydropower plant with a capacity of 1860 MW. The<br />
implementation of this major energy project will contribute to<br />
In May 2021, Uzbekistan announced the winning bidder of the<br />
ensuring energy stability in the region.<br />
PPPs for two separate solar power plants, each with a capacity<br />
of 220 MW in Kattakurgan district of Samarkand region<br />
Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to the EU, H.E. Dilyor Khakimov,<br />
and Gallaorol district of Jizzakh region. Masdar, a United Arab<br />
referred to the adoption in 2020 of the Concept for Supply of<br />
Emirates-based renewable energy company, submitted bids<br />
electric power in Uzbekistan until 2030. Its strategic goal is to<br />
representing the lowest electricity tariffs in the country and the<br />
provide the population and the country’s economy with electricity<br />
broader Central Asian region. These PPP projects, supported by<br />
at competitive prices, as well as the development of a balanced<br />
the IFC advisory services, will benefit from <strong>World</strong> Bank payment<br />
energy sector. The concept provides for modernization and<br />
guarantees totalling up to USD 12 million under the WBG Scaling<br />
intensity of its products. According to expert estimates, econom-<br />
renewable energy, the Law of Turkmenistan on Renewable<br />
construction of power plants using energy efficient technologies<br />
Solar Program.<br />
ic growth until 2030 will be accompanied by a decrease in energy<br />
Energy was enacted in 2021. This legislation regulates legal<br />
and renewable energy sources (RES), especially solar energy.<br />
consumption per unit of GDP. The National Strategy of Turkmeni-<br />
relations throughout the entire process, from the production of<br />
Uzbekistan has about 330 sunny days a year, and the potential<br />
The solar power plants in Samarkand and Jizzakh regions<br />
stan on Climate Change includes directives to develop measures<br />
renewable energy to attracting foreign investors. Furthermore,<br />
for solar energy is huge.<br />
supported by the <strong>World</strong> Bank payment guarantees will generate<br />
for reducing methane emissions from the production, transpor-<br />
the National Strategy for the Development of renewable Energy<br />
1.1 Terawatt-hour (TWh) of renewable electricity per year. They<br />
tation, and distribution of natural gas. Turkmenistan plans to<br />
of Turkmenistan until 2030 encourages relevant government<br />
By 2030, it is planned to increase the renewable energy genera-<br />
will avoid CO2 emissions of around 110,000 metric tons per year<br />
achieve zero growth in greenhouse gas emissions in the medium<br />
institutions to promote an agenda on renewable energy.<br />
tion capacity to 25,000 megawatts, increasing its share from the<br />
on average, or a total of about 3.4 million metric tons over their<br />
term, starting from 2030, and to substantially reduce emissions<br />
current 14 to 40 percent.<br />
lifetime.<br />
on an annual basis in the long term.<br />
Currently, within the practical implementation of these strategies,<br />
the construction of a combined solar and wind power plant in<br />
With the dynamic growth of the population and the economy in<br />
Ambassador of Turkmenistan, H.E. Sapar Palvanov, referred to<br />
Ambassador Palvanov emphasized the importance of develop-<br />
Turkmenistan with a total capacity of 10 MW is underway. Also,<br />
Uzbekistan, by 2030 the demand for electricity will reach 120<br />
Turkmenistan as “an energy powerhouse” which does not step<br />
ing hydrogen energy. Turkmenistan’s roadmap for developing<br />
the Turkmenenergo Energy Corporation has planned to build<br />
billion kWh (kilowatt hours). Experts believe that if this demand<br />
away from the issue of mitigating the negative impact on climate<br />
international cooperation in the field of hydrogen energy for<br />
solar power plants with a capacity of over 6 MW in remote settle-<br />
is met by the traditional way of burning natural gas and coal, an<br />
caused by the production, transportation, and utilization of ener-<br />
2022-2023 envisages a number of comprehensive measures<br />
ments across the country. This initiative will not only contribute to<br />
additional 13.7 billion cubic meters of gas will be required by<br />
gy resources. The development of green energy, the implementa-<br />
and practical steps to attract foreign investment in this process.<br />
the production of clean energy but also create opportunities for<br />
this time. However, the transition to green electricity supply will<br />
tion of new eco-friendly technologies, and the pursuit of innova-<br />
These measures are aimed at creating and developing infrastruc-<br />
economic development in these areas.<br />
save use of additional volumes of gas and prevent the growth of<br />
tive solutions in this field are crucial aspects of Turkmenistan’s<br />
ture for the production, storage, and transportation of hydrogen<br />
emissions of 37.4 million tons of CO2.<br />
state policy. These priorities are reflected in national programs<br />
energy. The Hydrogen Energy Center has been established in<br />
Furthermore, Turkmenistan is home to the Karakum, one of the<br />
and international commitments to achieve the Sustainable Devel-<br />
Turkmenistan to achieve the goal of developing this area, and it<br />
largest sandy deserts in the world. This desert contains silicon,<br />
The reforms in Uzbekistan have opened the way for internation-<br />
opment Goals, including its climate-related components.<br />
has now entered its active phase.<br />
a common semiconductor material that can absorb sunlight<br />
al private investment in renewable energy projects. The state<br />
and convert it into electrical energy. The availability of silicon in<br />
gives long-term guarantees for the purchase of green electricity.<br />
In recent years, Turkmenistan has steadily reduced the carbon<br />
In order to reinforce the activities carried out in developing<br />
Turkmenistan positions the country favourably for the production<br />
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of solar panels, making it an ideal location for advancing solar<br />
photovoltaics.<br />
The environmental advantages of solar photovoltaics are significant<br />
when compared to other alternative methods of obtaining<br />
electrical energy. The production of modern solar panels primarily<br />
requires silicon, which Turkmenistan possesses in abundance.<br />
Silicon oxides, i.e. quartz sands, are concentrated in two deposits<br />
of Turkmenistan, where the balance reserve is estimated at<br />
almost 83 million tons. With significant deposits of quartz sands,<br />
Turkmenistan has the potential to contribute to the global adoption<br />
of solar energy.<br />
In addition to solar energy, Turkmenistan recognizes the importance<br />
of hydrogen energy in addressing global ecological and<br />
climate challenges. As the fourth-largest holder of natural gas<br />
reserves, Turkmenistan is strategically positioned to develop<br />
hydrogen energy. More than 68 percent of hydrogen production<br />
comes from natural gas, making it the most cost-effective<br />
method.<br />
To fully embrace the potential of hydrogen energy, Turkmenistan<br />
aims to establish an industry infrastructure, including the organization<br />
of industrial production, storage, and transportation<br />
networks. An inter-agency working group will be formed to make<br />
decisions and coordinate efforts in this area, seeking consultations<br />
with global leaders in hydrogen energy, concluded the<br />
Turkmen Ambassador.<br />
Chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of Tajikistan, Firdavs Usmonov,<br />
highlighted the role of the European Union in the construction<br />
and reconstruction of hydropower plants in Tajikistan, including<br />
Rogun HPP, Norak HPP, Sebzor and Kairokum HPPs, which are<br />
directed not only to develop this industry in Tajikistan, but contribute<br />
in regional and interregional electricity market development<br />
as well. In Central Asia, a vivid evidence of regional cooperation<br />
is the joint construction of the Yavan HPP with Uzbekistan.<br />
Hydropower is the backbone of low-carbon electricity generation,<br />
providing nearly half of the world’s electricity production<br />
today. Hydropower’s contribution to the green economy is known<br />
to be 55 percent higher than nuclear and more than all other<br />
renewables combined, including wind, photovoltaic solar, bioenergy<br />
and geothermal, highlighted Mr Usmonov.<br />
Along with hydropower, Tajikistan plans to increase electricity<br />
generation through the introduction of other renewable energy<br />
sources, and by 2030, the installed capacity of electricity generation<br />
from solar and wind energy may reach at least 700 MW.<br />
Combining hydro and other Renewable Energy sources will give<br />
Tajikistan a more balanced functioning energy system, especially<br />
during peak loads, which occur mainly in the autumn-winter<br />
period, often accompanied by a very low level of water inflow at<br />
hydroelectric power plants.<br />
Despite achievements in generating clean energy, Tajikistan is<br />
one of the top five most vulnerable countries to the impact of<br />
climate change. The mountainous country is home to some of<br />
the largest glaciers in the world, which are now melting at an<br />
alarming rate. According to experts, the glaciers have lost 30<br />
percent of their volume in the past decades. In order to draw the<br />
attention of the international community to this point, Tajikistan<br />
initiated the UN resolution to declare 2025 the International Year<br />
of Glacier Preservation.<br />
Photos: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
138 139
NAVIGATING THE EU BUSINESS LANDSCAPE<br />
CCCEU’S STRATEGIC VISION<br />
FOR CHINESE ENTERPRISES<br />
XU CHEN, CHAIRMAN OF THE CHINA<br />
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TO THE EU (CCCEU)<br />
In commemorating the 20th anniversary of the China-EU<br />
Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, I am honoured to contribute<br />
to this edition of <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong>. Economic ties have consistently<br />
played a key role in international relations throughout<br />
diplomatic history, often evolving through business relationships.<br />
CCCEU’S GENESIS<br />
Allow me to commence with a brief introduction of the CCCEU.<br />
In August 2018, three prominent Chinese corporations – Bank<br />
of China (Luxembourg), later rebranded as “Bank of China<br />
(Europe),” China Three Gorges (Europe), and COSCO Shipping<br />
(Europe) – came together to establish the entity we now recognise<br />
as the chamber.<br />
This initiative was conceived as a platform bridging China and<br />
the EU, with a dedicated mission to advance the interests of<br />
businesses investing in the EU. The chamber’s remit encompasses<br />
representing the perspectives, recommendations, and<br />
concerns of Chinese companies to European institutions and<br />
Member States. All the while, it aspires to elevate the standing<br />
of Chinese enterprises within the diverse and multicultural<br />
European landscape.<br />
On April 8, 2019, then Chinese Premier Li Keqiang inaugurated<br />
the chamber, articulating a vision for the CCCEU to serve as<br />
a “golden name card” for Chinese enterprises in the EU. He<br />
envisioned it as a bridge of communication, lending an ear to the<br />
voices of both Chinese and European stakeholders and contributing<br />
to the positive image of Chinese businesses.<br />
In my role as the Chairman of the China Chamber of Commerce<br />
to the EU, we take immense pride in being the singular pan-<br />
European China chamber of commerce. Our unwavering commitment<br />
revolves around advancing the interests of Chinese enterprises<br />
within the EU and nurturing robust Sino-EU investments,<br />
business partnerships, and commercial relations.<br />
CCCEU’S STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND<br />
EVOLUTION<br />
CCCEU orchestrates a multitude of networking events, business<br />
forums, and trade missions, serving as catalysts for connections<br />
between Chinese companies and their European counterparts.<br />
These endeavours facilitate the cultivation of relationships with<br />
both Chinese and EU stakeholders. Furthermore, the chamber<br />
conducts comprehensive research and analysis, equipping<br />
Chinese enterprises with crucial insights into the European<br />
market. By sharing market trends and regulatory information,<br />
CCCEU empowers Chinese enterprises with the knowledge required<br />
to make informed decisions when entering the EU market.<br />
Beyond serving as a hub for Chinese companies in the EU,<br />
CCCEU represents a platform of opportunity for them. Currently,<br />
CCCEU boasts nearly 90 members, collectively representing over<br />
1,000 Chinese companies across the EU, spanning across all the<br />
major EU member states.<br />
Since its inception, CCCEU has consistently released annual<br />
flagship reports detailing the development of Chinese companies<br />
in the EU. These reports have attracted significant attention<br />
from governments, enterprises, think tanks, and media outlets in<br />
both Sino-EU sides. Notably, on January 27, 2023, Mr. Frédéric<br />
Bernard, Head of Cabinet of President of the European Council<br />
Charles Michel, expressed gratitude to the CCCEU for sending<br />
the flagship report for the year 2022 to President Michel. This<br />
recognition underscores the chamber’s contributions to the advancement<br />
of Sino-European economic and trade relations.<br />
CCCEU’S POLICY ENGAGEMENT<br />
The Chamber actively engages in EU legislation, advocating<br />
for the protection of Chinese enterprises’ rights & interests, the<br />
optimisation of Sino-European government-enterprise communication<br />
channels, and the fulfilment of the needs of Chinese<br />
enterprises.<br />
To date, the chamber has expressed the position of Chinese<br />
companies in the EU on various issues, including the EU foreign<br />
subsidies regulations, the EU foreign investment screening<br />
mechanism, the 5G security toolbox, Carbon Border Adjustment<br />
Mechanism (CBAM), supply chain due diligence, banking<br />
regulations, and more. At the same time, in order to better serve<br />
Chinese companies in the EU from different industries, the<br />
CCCEU has established working groups on the digital economy,<br />
green economy, and finance, aiming to consolidate consensus<br />
and generate collective efforts through policy research, strategic<br />
discussions, and forum exchanges.<br />
The chamber actively collaborates with policy-makers and regulators<br />
in China and the EU, aiming to promote policies favouring<br />
the interests of Chinese businesses. This includes advocating for<br />
fair trade practices, the reduction of trade barriers, and the protection<br />
of intellectual property rights. With regard to investment<br />
facilitation, the chamber provides support to Chinese enterprises<br />
seeking investment opportunities in the EU. This includes training<br />
or guidance through regulatory processes and invaluable assistance<br />
in access to the EU markets, fostering deeper economic<br />
cooperation between the two regions.<br />
The chamber also engages in ongoing dialogues with both<br />
Chinese and European institutions and organisations to address<br />
trade-related challenges and opportunities. By facilitating open<br />
Xu Chen, Chairman of the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU<br />
communication, the CCCEU aids in building mutual trust and<br />
understanding between China and the EU.<br />
CCCEU’S COMMITMENT TO FAIRNESS AND<br />
COMPLIANCE<br />
CCCEU is unwavering in its commitment to ensuring fair<br />
competition for Chinese companies in the European market.<br />
This includes advocating for non-discriminatory policies and<br />
challenging any instances of unfair trade practices. Additionally,<br />
the chamber encourages Chinese enterprises to adhere to EU<br />
regulations and standards, cultivating trust among European<br />
consumers and regulators. This dedication to quality and compliance<br />
enhances the reputation of Chinese products and services<br />
in the EU market.<br />
CCCEU’S ROLE IN SINO-EUROPEAN ECONOMIC<br />
RELATIONS<br />
In a time when Sino-European economic and trade relations are<br />
at a critical juncture, the CCCEU actively promotes cooperation<br />
and dialogue. For instance, since last year, the chamber has<br />
organised approximately 30 events, including the first China-<br />
Europe Fintech Summit (December 2022), the Seminar<br />
140 141
“Navigating the New Era: The Evolving Landscape of China-<br />
EU Economic and Trade Relations” (May 2023), and the 2023<br />
CCCEU Europe-China Business Summit (June 2023), significantly<br />
contributing to Sino-European economic and trade exchanges.<br />
The chamber serves as a unifying force for Chinese and<br />
European companies, fostering collaboration and partnership.<br />
For instance, on January 13 2023, CCCEU and its counterpart<br />
in China, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China<br />
(EUCCC), jointly organised a high-level “China-Europe Business<br />
Leaders Roundtable Dialogue” in Brussels, Belgium. This marked<br />
the first such high-level event since the establishment of both<br />
chambers, representing the strong desire and aspiration of the<br />
Chinese and European business communities to promote cooperation.<br />
CHINA’S EXPANDING EMBRACE OF EUROPE<br />
The growth trajectory of CCCEU is intrinsically linked to the<br />
deepening trade and business connections between China and<br />
the EU. In recent years, the 27-member EU has increasingly<br />
served as a pivotal market and investment destination for<br />
Chinese enterprises.<br />
Notably, last year, China and the EU emerged as each other’s<br />
second-largest trading partners. This partnership showcased<br />
remarkable achievements across sectors such as new energy,<br />
automobiles, machinery, green finance, and more. Statistics revealed<br />
that average trade between the two sides exceeded USD<br />
1.6 million per minute, with bilateral investment stock surpassing<br />
USD 230 billion by year-end.<br />
Bolstered by high-level summits, dialogues, and active communication,<br />
China and the EU continue to reinforce the confidence<br />
of bilateral enterprises, paving the way for further exploration of<br />
each other’s markets.<br />
CHARTING THE PATH FOR CHINESE COMPANIES<br />
IN THE EU<br />
The shared goals of green and digital transformations are central<br />
to both the EU and China, offering substantial and yet untapped<br />
opportunities for collaboration.<br />
Chinese companies in the EU advocate for the EU to uphold<br />
market rules and international economic and trade regulations.<br />
They call for a reduction in unnecessary trade barriers, increased<br />
transparency, and fairness in economic and trade policies.<br />
Moreover, they recognise that the continuous enhancement of<br />
the business environment will contribute to the development of<br />
a more resilient and dynamic EU market. Consequently, they<br />
emphasise the need to join forces to unlock the vast potential for<br />
collaboration.<br />
THE PATH AHEAD<br />
Looking ahead, CCCEU is poised to enhance its internal and<br />
external collaborations. Internally, the chamber aims to share<br />
resources with Chinese chambers of commerce in the EU member<br />
countries, creating a network of chamber resources that will<br />
meet the needs of the expansion of Chinese companies in the<br />
EU. Externally, CCCEU seeks to strengthen its cooperation with<br />
third-country chambers of commerce in the EU. These efforts will<br />
yield tangible results, particularly in monitoring EU policies, expressing<br />
concerns and feedback, and fostering communication<br />
within the same industry.<br />
In closing, the CCCEU and Chinese companies operating within<br />
the EU remain steadfast in their commitment to focusing on business<br />
rather than allowing economic and trade matters to become<br />
politicised, instrumentalized, or weaponized. Their unwavering<br />
focus remains on fostering mutually beneficial commercial<br />
relationships, promoting trade partnerships, and nurturing an<br />
environment conducive to economic growth.<br />
CCCEU stands as a critical facilitator in strengthening economic<br />
and trade relations between China and the EU. Through its mission<br />
and vision, CCCEU not only assists Chinese enterprises in<br />
gaining a foothold in the European market but also contributes to<br />
the dynamism of China-EU economic and trade relations.<br />
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However, recent years have also witnessed certain EU economic<br />
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for Chinese companies operating in the EU. CCCEU’s annual<br />
flagship report (2022) revealed that the overall rating of Chinese<br />
companies in the EU regarding the business environment of host<br />
countries has declined for three consecutive years.<br />
Furthermore, its advocacy work aims to ensure a level playing<br />
field for Chinese businesses in Europe and promote fairness,<br />
equity, and sustainability in the dynamic global trade landscape.<br />
As China and the EU continue to deepen their economic ties, the<br />
role of CCCEU remains pivotal in fostering mutual growth and<br />
cooperation.<br />
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142 143
THE BRUSSELS MORNING MARKET<br />
TURNS 50 YEARS OLD<br />
More than 5,000 people present<br />
throughout the night<br />
On Friday, September 29, the Brussels Morning Market (MABRU)<br />
had the pleasure of celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. To celebrate<br />
this important event, the general director, Laurent Nys,<br />
also chose to honour a country: Poland.<br />
In addition to the 140 companies present on the site, no less<br />
than 45 Polish traders made the trip to the Quai des Usines to<br />
introduce Belgian companies to Polish gastronomy but also to<br />
the folklore and culture of this country.<br />
Benefiting from the support of numerous sponsors, including<br />
the City of Brussels, but also the Polish Investment & Trade<br />
144 145
Agency and the Agency for the Promotion of Tourism, the nonprofit<br />
organization Mabru was able to offer a range of cultural<br />
activities throughout the night.<br />
Many personalities wanted to join the market to share this<br />
moment of joy and emotion. In addition to HRH Prince Laurent;<br />
Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region Rudy Vervoort;<br />
the Mayor of the City of Brussels Philippe Close; Minister Karine<br />
Lalieux; Alderman Fabian Maingain and the Polish Ambassador<br />
to Belgium, H.E. Rafał Siemianowski, were there to cut the ribbon<br />
in the colours of Poland.<br />
On the gastronomic side, the Market was also full of important<br />
people. The Master Chefs of Belgium were in number, alongside<br />
Lionel Rigolet of “Comme chez soi” (administrator of Mabru) and<br />
David Martin, the two-star chef of the Brasserie de la Paix.<br />
Many personalities from the world’s markets also made the trip.<br />
The French Markets Federation, the Polish Markets Federation<br />
and also the <strong>World</strong> Union of Wholesale Markets expressed their<br />
best wishes for this fiftieth anniversary.<br />
Stéphane Layani, President of Rungis International Market and<br />
President of the <strong>World</strong> Union of Wholesale Markets, also specified<br />
that “he had to be present to pay tribute to the exceptional<br />
work of Laurent Nys, the director of Mabru. Like Rungis, he has<br />
made Mabru a magical and warm place where the offer of fresh<br />
products from all over the world is ever greater. He participates in<br />
local development and is a model for having equipped itself with<br />
a spectacular photovoltaic roof of more than 26,000 panels to<br />
reduce its environmental footprint and its dependence on fossil<br />
fuels”<br />
Mabru can pride itself on welcoming more than 25,000 visitors<br />
per month with an exchange of 15,000 tonnes of goods each<br />
week for an annual turnover of EUR 500 million.<br />
Mabru’s next projects will be the creation of a live cooking and<br />
training space as well as a reception room in the market galleries.<br />
The creation of a 3,000 square metres building dedicated<br />
to ethnic products is also planned, work on which will begin in<br />
November.<br />
Photos: MaBru<br />
146 147
148 149
150 151
SIX REASONS TO VISIT RIYADH<br />
Mauricio Ruiz, Buscardini Communications<br />
The Bujairi Terrace project has more than 20 world-class restaurants<br />
that offer visitors exquisite international cuisine as well as a<br />
wide variety of traditional local dishes in a beautiful setting.<br />
3. KING ABDULLAH’S FINANCIAL DISTRICT AND<br />
AL-FAISALIAH TOWER<br />
On 16 March 2023, TV5 Monde premiered a new episode of the<br />
though it missed its target, the tip got lodged into the door of the<br />
Riyadh has undergone a meteoric transformation in just a few<br />
Embarquement TV series showcasing the historical beauty and<br />
palace, where it still remains today as a memento of the battle.<br />
years. The small village, surrounded by the desert, has become a<br />
cultural wonders of Saudi Arabia’s capital. Nestled in the Nejd<br />
modern and cosmopolitan capital, home to several skyscrapers<br />
region, Riyadh is a city where history and tradition are still alive.<br />
Once Abdulaziz retook the city, he started the unification of the<br />
and business centres. The King Abdullah Financial District first<br />
A true 21st century metropolis, the Saudi capital is home to the<br />
various tribes, sheikhdoms, city-states, emirates and kingdoms<br />
started construction in 2006, a master plan designed by Larsen<br />
Kingdom’s historical roots. “The documentary invites you to<br />
of most of the central Arabian Peninsula. The process was<br />
Diriyah and Al-Bujairi © Luc Embise<br />
Architects. It consists of 83 buildings, some high rise towers, and<br />
embark on a journey to discover a city that blends the past with<br />
completed in 1932, with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under King<br />
some skyscrapers. It was designed by several international archi-<br />
the future”, says António Buscardini, Director the Embarquement<br />
Riyadh episode.<br />
Abdulaziz Al-Saud being established on 23 September, marking<br />
the Third Saudi State.<br />
2. DIRIYAH AND AL-BUJAIRI<br />
tects. It’s a city within the city. It creates a huge contrast between<br />
the Saudi architectural identity and the modern architecture.<br />
Located about 20 minutes from downtown Riyadh, Diriyah is a<br />
Al-Faisaliah Tower is one of the most popular skyscrapers in<br />
must-see attraction. Founded in 1446, and overlooking the Wadi<br />
Riyadh. It is 267 meters high with 55 floors. It is famous for being<br />
Hanifa Valley (Ouadi Hanifa), Diriyah encompasses impressive<br />
the first skyscraper built in Saudi Arabia. The tower is notable for<br />
sites such as the historic quarters of Al-Turaif, the seat of govern-<br />
the huge glass globe located near the top. The globe measures<br />
ment at the time, and a UNESCO <strong>World</strong> Heritage Site since 2010.<br />
24 meters in diameter and is composed of 655 glass panels.<br />
The originality of Al-Bujairi is its mosques, its small houses scat-<br />
The globe is the golden sphere placed at the top of Al-Faisaliah<br />
tered throughout the neighborhood and which testify to the so-<br />
Tower. The globe has three floors with a lounge and a restaurant,<br />
cial life and architecture of that time. Today Al-Bujairi has a lively<br />
perfect for a romantic dinner. There’s a terrace where visitors can<br />
and dynamic atmosphere with many attractions for visitors. It is<br />
discover the city of Riyadh through a 360 degree panoramic view.<br />
also the new high-end gastronomic destination for gourmands.<br />
António Buscardini wearing a “Shemagh” @ Luc Embise<br />
Interview at Al-Masmak Fort © Buscardini Communications<br />
1. AL-MASMAK FORT<br />
In 1995, the palace was turned into a museum dedicated to<br />
the history and unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The<br />
fortress stands as symbol of regaining power and the rule of the<br />
A citadel made of clay bricks and dried mud, the Al-Masmak Fort<br />
country, displaying along its corridors the features of that era and<br />
was built in 1895 in the old city. It has been a silent witness to<br />
its leaders through audio-visual exhibitions, works of art, relics<br />
the major events related to the founding of the Kingdom of Saudi<br />
and photographs dating back to the early 20th century.<br />
Arabia. Construction of Al-Masmak Fortress started in 1865,<br />
during the reign of Imam Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki Al-Saud.<br />
Al-Masmak is one of the most prominent national monuments<br />
It was completed in 1895, but by that time, the Second Saudi<br />
still standing today in Riyadh. It is one of the few still remaining<br />
State, under the House of Al-Saud, had collapsed. In 1881, the<br />
older constructions in the city, the old town standing out from<br />
Al-Rasheed family took control over the fortress and with it over<br />
between the surrounding modern buildings and tall glass sky-<br />
the city of Riyadh, driving the Al-Sauds into exile in Kuwait.<br />
scrapers.<br />
On 15 January 1902, Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al-Saud re-<br />
The fortress is built out of clay and mudbricks, its name, Mas-<br />
turned to the city to reclaim his family’s place on the throne. With<br />
mak, meaning a tall, strong building with thick walls. It is divided<br />
only 63 men, 23 of whom were told to wait at the border in case<br />
in six main parts: the gate on the western side, the mosque to<br />
the mission failed, he managed to retake the fortress. During the<br />
the left of the entrance, the majlis facing the entrance, the well on<br />
fight, Fahad bin Jalawi bin Turki, cousin of Abdulaziz, threw a<br />
the north-eastern side, the towers in each of its four corners and<br />
spear at the Rasheedi governor Ajlan with such force that, even<br />
the courtyard.<br />
View of The Globe © Luc Embise<br />
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5. CAMEL CLUB<br />
Today, the link between Saudis and their camels remains strong.<br />
For some years, the “Camel Club” of Riyadh has been defending<br />
the tradition of the camel as an intangible heritage, as well as<br />
promoting the indigenous breeds.<br />
The “Camel Club” organizes several beauty contests, something<br />
that camel lovers know how to appreciate. The contests are<br />
different according to the colours. There are categories for white,<br />
red and black camels. Each contest is separated from the other.<br />
Crew at the Riyadh’s desert © Buscardini Communications<br />
4. AL-THUMAMA DESERT AND CAMEL BREEDING<br />
The competitions often see a display of very expensive camels<br />
who compete against one another. Camels reach very high prices<br />
in the whole Gulf region, some of them being valued at up to<br />
USD 6 million.<br />
Saudi Arabia has one of the largest sand deserts in the world and<br />
offers many activities and excursions for history buffs and adrenaline<br />
junkies. The red sand dunes of the Al-Thumama Desert,<br />
located north of Riyadh, are perfect for outdoor adventures. The<br />
trip is often organized in groups of ten “buggies”, one of the best<br />
ways to experience the desert and feel the power of the dunes.<br />
Another particularity of the desert is the breeding of dromedaries<br />
also called Arabian camels. Their population is estimated at<br />
about 1.6 million in the Arabian Peninsula, 53 percent of which<br />
are found in Saudi Arabia. It is Saudi Arabia’s national animal.<br />
For centuries, the camel was the most important logistic element<br />
for the forefathers of current Saudis. They travelled, they drank<br />
the animal’s milk, they ate its meat. The camel is part of the local<br />
culture.<br />
6. THE SHEMAGH AND JABAL FAHREN<br />
The camel is not the only popular element of the Saudi tradition.<br />
The scarf called “Shemagh” is the most distinctive accessory<br />
of Saudis. There are mainly two types: red is definitely the most<br />
famous one; white is normally used for special occasions like<br />
weddings.<br />
Commonly known as the “Edge of the <strong>World</strong>”, Jabal Fahren is<br />
located at the end of the Tuwaiq Mountains, north-west of<br />
Riyadh. It is one of the preferred getaways of city dwellers,<br />
perfect for weekends. At the top of the mountain it’s possible<br />
to see the sunset with a feeling of infinity that may not be seen<br />
anywhere else. Almost as if standing at the edge of the world.<br />
Man wearing a “Shemagh” at the Edge of the <strong>World</strong> © Luc Embise<br />
154 155
H.E. AMBASSADOR HAIFA AL JEDEA<br />
HEAD OF THE MISSION OF THE KINGDOM<br />
OF SAUDI ARABIA TO THE EU<br />
CELEBRATION OF THE<br />
INTERNATIONAL DAY<br />
OF WOMEN IN DIPLOMACY<br />
24 JUNE 2023<br />
156 157
Permanent Observer of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation<br />
to the European Union, H.E. Ismat Jahan, delivered a keynote<br />
speech during the celebrations of the first anniversary of the<br />
“International Day of Women in Diplomacy” held in Brussels on<br />
24 June upon the initiative of the Head of Saudi Arabia’s Mission<br />
to the European Union H.E. Haifa Al-Jedea. Her remarks are<br />
reproduced below.<br />
Women throughout history have played and are still playing a<br />
critical role in diplomacy, yet their contributions have often been<br />
ignored or not properly recognized. The time is now long overdue<br />
for celebrating the ways in which women are breaking barriers<br />
and making a difference in the field of diplomacy. Women are<br />
admittedly still grossly under-represented. Gender bias and stereotypes<br />
are seen as obstacles to women from joining the foreign<br />
service. Often they face difficulty in combining family life with a<br />
demanding career.<br />
The annual commemoration of this International Day provides<br />
us an opportunity to reflect on the many and varied challenges<br />
being faced by women diplomats. While we advocate for<br />
increased representation of women in multilateral decision-making,<br />
we must endeavour for urgent actions to achieve the goal<br />
of women’s full, equal, effective and meaningful participation in<br />
diplomacy. First and foremost there is a need for raising public<br />
awareness and support to this effect. This calls for collective<br />
endeavours involving governments, academic institutions, CSOs<br />
and association of women diplomats, where they exist.<br />
In mainstreaming gender and women’s perspectives in our Foreign<br />
Offices it is important to network individually or collectively<br />
with other women diplomats. Such networking surely provides<br />
a platform for women diplomats for exchanging good practices<br />
and lessons learned. Through such solidarity we can promote<br />
gender equality in diplomacy. At least I believe so. I recognise the<br />
good work of Ambassador Saja Majali of the Hashemite Kingdom<br />
of Jordan who is currently coordinating the Women Ambassadors<br />
Networking Group in Brussels.<br />
The cause of women in general, and the cause of women in<br />
decision-making including in diplomacy, have universal appeal<br />
irrespective of where we come from or which government or<br />
organisation we represent. For example, the promotion of women’s<br />
rights and their empowerment remains high on the agenda<br />
of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a 57 member<br />
inter-governmental body headquartered in Jeddah, which I have<br />
the honour to represent in Brussels.<br />
H.E. ISMAT JAHAN<br />
PERMANENT OBSERVER OF THE ORGANISATION OF<br />
ISLAMIC COOPERATION TO THE EUROPEAN UNION<br />
The OIC Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women (OPAAW)<br />
2015-2025 constitutes a comprehensive strategy prioritizing<br />
participation of women in decision making, providing them equal<br />
opportunities and access to education and health care, economic<br />
empowerment, protecting them from all forms of violence, and<br />
specific focus on situation of women in crises including climate<br />
change and natural disasters, as well as women in armed conflicts<br />
and under foreign occupation (e.g. Palestinian women). The<br />
OIC has consistently and strongly upheld the rights of Afghan<br />
women’s full access to education, work and public life.<br />
The OIC Women’s Development Organisation (WDO) based in<br />
Cairo is geared towards the development and advancement of<br />
women and for building their capacities and skills in the member<br />
states. The OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission<br />
(IPHRC) in Jeddah is also mandated to promote the rights<br />
of women within the OIC member states. Both these bodies are<br />
currently headed by distinguished ladies from the Kingdom of<br />
Saudi Arabia.<br />
Furthermore, both in the general secretariat of OIC as well as in<br />
its offices abroad a growing number of women are occupying<br />
various important positions. The Missions in Brussels and Geneva<br />
are both headed by women. I am happy to see that there are<br />
quite a number of women heads of Mission and diplomats from<br />
the OIC member states who are serving in Brussels.<br />
Referring to international covenants, Article 8 of the Convention<br />
on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women<br />
(CEDAW) obliges State parties to ensure participation of women<br />
at all levels and in all areas of international affairs, without discrimination.<br />
The UN Security Resolution 1325 also provides a<br />
comprehensive framework for intensifying the role of women in<br />
peace-building and conflict resolution.<br />
Many of the OIC member countries have made significant strides<br />
in addressing gender disparities in numerous sectors. Yet, there<br />
are still many areas of concern, gaps and challenges that remain<br />
to be addressed. We do recognize that national-level efforts for<br />
improving women’s rights and empowerment can be buttressed<br />
by further intra-OIC cooperation as well as in coordination with<br />
international and regional organizations and institutions, particularly<br />
through exchange of best practices, ideas and institutional<br />
support, as necessary.<br />
This would be crucial both in designing and implementing<br />
policies on women’s empowerment, their participation in politics<br />
and public life, including diplomacy, promoting their access to<br />
education, elimination of discrimination and violence against<br />
women, upholding women, peace and security agenda, gender<br />
dimension of climate change, to give some examples. Only a few<br />
weeks ago, the 6th OIC-EU Senior Officials Meeting in Brussels<br />
discussed possible cooperation in this area. Last December, the<br />
two sides had co-hosted a virtual technical workshop on “Gender<br />
Based Violence” which was successful.<br />
The Secretary General of the OIC, H.E. Mr. Hissein Brahim Taha,<br />
has consistently affirmed that Islam has always recognized the<br />
role of women in shaping development in societies and upheld<br />
the dignity and rights of women to participate in all spheres of life<br />
including their full rights for education, work and social participation.<br />
The OIC has welcomed the offer of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia<br />
to host an international Conference on Women in Islam, in coordination<br />
with the OIC General Secretariat. The Conference aims<br />
at clarifying women’s rights and responsibilities, especially the<br />
right to education and work, as prescribed by the teachings of<br />
Islam, with a wide participation of scholars from the Islamic<br />
Ummah. One of the focuses of this conference will be on the<br />
recent situation of women in Afghanistan.<br />
All photos: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
158 159
CULTURAL TREASURES<br />
OF TURKMENISTAN<br />
On 31 August, the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Brussels, in<br />
partnership with <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong>, hosted an exhibition and<br />
networking reception evening entitled “Cultural Treasures of<br />
Turkmenistan”, to mark 30 years of diplomatic relations between<br />
Turkmenistan and the Kingdom of Belgium and the upcoming<br />
32nd anniversary of Turkmenistan’s independence.<br />
The splendour of the event was evident from the list of honoured<br />
guests, which included representatives from EU institutions –<br />
among whom Special Representative of the European Union<br />
for Central Asia, Terhi Hakala –, members of the European<br />
Parliament and various diplomatic missions in Brussels.<br />
One of the highlights of the exhibition was the presentation of ancient<br />
Turkmen jewellery from the private collection of the Belgian<br />
historian, professor at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and regular<br />
contributor to <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong>, Prof. Dr. Jan de Maere. These<br />
items, which Dr de Maere acquired in the early 1970s when he<br />
travelled in the region, sparkled with history and craftsmanship.<br />
The exhibition was not just about decorations. It was a panorama<br />
of Turkmenistan’s rich culture, from colourful Turkmen carpets to<br />
traditional musical instruments like the dutar, gyjak, and deprek,<br />
to national costumes that tell the stories of the nation’s past. Various<br />
works of art depicted among others Akhal-Teke horses and<br />
Alabai shepherd dogs, symbols of national Turkmen pride.<br />
One of the memorable moments of the event was the touching<br />
reading of a poem by the Belgian high school student Iustin<br />
Lazer. He chose a poem by the famous 18th century Turkmen<br />
poet-philosopher Magtymguly titled “Imagine”. The depth of the<br />
poem, combined with Iustin’s sincere explanation of his choice,<br />
deeply moved the audience. Justin’s fascination with the culture<br />
and literature of Turkmenistan was evident, and his speech was a<br />
testament to the universal appeal of Turkmenistan’s heritage.<br />
The atmosphere was further enhanced by the magnificent spread<br />
of Turkmenistan’s national cuisine. The guests enjoyed a wide<br />
variety of dishes, including Turkmen pilaf, samsa, and pishme.<br />
The exhibition “Cultural Treasures of Turkmenistan” was a bridge<br />
that linked cultures, histories, and people. It was a reminder of<br />
the beauty and richness of Turkmenistan’s historical and cultural<br />
heritage.<br />
Through initiatives like these, <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong> is committed<br />
to enhancing the visibility of the rich cultural heritage of<br />
Turkmenistan and Central Asian countries to the diverse<br />
Brussels audience.<br />
Photos: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
160 161
162 163
BENELUX<br />
EUROPE PRIZE 2023<br />
AWARDED TO<br />
THE NATIONAL OMBUDSMAN<br />
OF THE NETHERLANDS<br />
REINIER VAN ZUTPHEN<br />
On 10 June, the Netherlands’ National Ombudsman Reinier van<br />
Zutphen received the BeNeLux Europe Prize for his “special<br />
achievements in the field of citizens, government and justice”.<br />
This was announced by the BeNeLux University Center (BUC),<br />
which is active in the fields of education, science, culture and<br />
humanity and aims to contribute to raising the quality of European<br />
society.<br />
fact that I can now receive the BeNeLux prize as an extra incentive<br />
to continue with that.”<br />
The award ceremony took place in the KBC Auditorium in<br />
Leuven. Van Zutphen received the prize from the chairman of<br />
the BUC Prof. Anton van der Geld and Counselor Prince Charles<br />
Louis de Merode.<br />
The BeNeLux Europe Prize has been awarded since 1999 to individuals<br />
or institutions that have made exceptional achievements<br />
in strengthening cooperation and friendship in the Benelux. It<br />
has previously been awarded to former Dutch Prime Minister Jan<br />
Peter Balkenende; former European Commissioner for Competition<br />
and the Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes; former President of the<br />
European Council Herman van Rompuy; Executive Vice President<br />
of the European Commission for the European Green Deal<br />
Frans Timmermans and Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier<br />
Bettel, among others.<br />
Photos: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
In addition to Van Zutphen, this year’s prize was also awarded to<br />
Prof. Koenraad Baron Lenaerts, who has presided the Court of<br />
Justice of the European Union since 2015.<br />
HUMANITY AND JUSTICE<br />
The year 2023 has been declared by the Board and Advisory<br />
Board of the BUC as the year of ‘Humanity and Justice’. In that<br />
perspective, they see the “numerous, tireless efforts for society<br />
of Reinier van Zutphen in the Netherlands since 2015”.<br />
Van Zutphen: “It is an honour to receive the BeNeLux Europe<br />
Prize. As the National Ombudsman, I work with more than 200<br />
colleagues every day on a better relationship between citizens<br />
and government. I think it is very important to also build a bridge<br />
to other ombudsmen in Europe and the Caribbean part of our<br />
Kingdom. To learn from each other and share insights. I see the<br />
164 165
THE ALBANIAN DIASPORA<br />
ENVOYS OF ECONOMIC INCLUSION,<br />
FORGING DIPLOMATIC BRIDGES<br />
AND CATALYSING<br />
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT<br />
Gjergji Kajana – Ermelinda Hajdari<br />
Nestled in the Western Balkans with a rich history influenced<br />
by foreign empires, Albania embarked on a quest for European<br />
Union accession in 2022. Amidst this transformation, the country<br />
has assumed an increasingly prominent role on the international<br />
stage, leading regional initiatives and making its mark at the<br />
United Nations.<br />
However, Albania’s story is not confined to its political endeavours;<br />
it is intertwined with the resilience of its diaspora and their<br />
contributions to their homeland’s growth and development. The<br />
evolving narrative of Albania faced with the challenges during its<br />
transition and the dynamic role played by its diaspora sheds light<br />
on the initiatives and partnerships that hold the promise of<br />
a brighter future for the country.<br />
ALBANIA’S EVOLVING GLOBAL ROLE<br />
Albania’s history bears the imprint of foreign empires, most<br />
notably the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans, until it ultimately<br />
gained independence in 1912. More recently, starting in 2022,<br />
Albania has taken proactive steps in the pursuit of EU membership<br />
through active negotiations.<br />
The country’s presence on the international stage has been<br />
steadily growing. It has become a member of NATO and actively<br />
participates in regional cooperation initiatives across Southeast<br />
Europe, including the Central European Initiative (CEI), Central<br />
European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), South-East European<br />
Cooperation Process (SEECP) and the Berlin Process.<br />
Notably, Albania chaired the OSCE in 2020 and held a nonpermanent<br />
seat on the United Nations Security Council from<br />
2022 to 2023. Additionally, it hosted the EU-Western Balkans<br />
Summit in December 2022, is preparing to host the Berlin<br />
Process summit in October 2023, an is poised to lead the<br />
SEECP from July 1, 2024.<br />
Photo: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
At the recent Bled Strategic Forum, European Council President<br />
Charles Michel suggested that the EU should be prepared to admit<br />
candidate countries by 2030, a notion welcomed by Albanian<br />
Prime Minister Edi Rama. Rama emphasized the significance<br />
of allowing aspiring EU. Member States like Albania to actively<br />
participate in projects that help them align with EU standards<br />
as they fulfil their obligations. He also underscored the urgency<br />
for the EU to move beyond planning connectivity projects in<br />
the Western Balkans and initiate their implementation, given the<br />
growing influence of non-European powers in the region.<br />
THE IMPACT OF EMIGRATION ON ALBANIA’S<br />
DEMOGRAPHICS AND ECONOMY<br />
The Albanian Diaspora<br />
Following its alignment with the communist bloc during the Cold<br />
War, Albania embarked on a challenging transition in the early<br />
1990s, transitioning to a free-market economy and establishing<br />
Photo: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
166 167
These institutions include a minister of state with a dedicated<br />
cabinet, legislative enhancements, strategies, and action plans.<br />
This development led to the creation of a national agency, a development<br />
fund, a business chamber, a new press agency, and<br />
the placement of coordinating officers in foreign missions in Italy<br />
and Greece. Albania also increased cooperation with specialized<br />
international institutions, such as IOM, and partner countries like<br />
the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the<br />
Italian Cooperation Agency for Development (AICS).<br />
the rule of law. However, this journey came with significant challenges,<br />
including the destruction of economic infrastructure,<br />
civil conflicts, and political disputes. During this period of economic<br />
hardship and institutional crises, a substantial number<br />
of Albanians emigrated to other European countries, primarily<br />
neighbouring Italy and Greece, as well as North America. This<br />
emigration had a profound impact, leading to a decline in<br />
Albania’s human capital and population.<br />
The global Albanian diaspora comprises an estimated 1.25<br />
million people. Their financial remittances, often sent informally,<br />
constitute nearly 10 percent of Albania’s GDP. Official data<br />
from the Italian Ministry of the Interior in January 2022 indicated<br />
396,918 regular Albanian residents in Italy, with 36,342 individual<br />
enterprises owned by Albanians. In March 2023, the Greek Ministry<br />
of Emigration and Asylum reported 281,000 regular Albanian<br />
residents in Greece, including approximately 15,000 Albanian<br />
owners of small and medium-sized enterprises. The integration<br />
of Albanian immigrants in their host countries involves acquiring<br />
citizenship, mixed marriages, and engaging in independent<br />
economic activities.<br />
In recent years, a notable trend has emerged, with increased<br />
emigration of Albanians from both Albania and its diaspora to<br />
Northern Europe, particularly Germany and Great Britain. Prime<br />
Minister Edi Rama described emigration as “a journey to explore<br />
different experiences and cultures” in a May 14, 2023 interview<br />
with Corriere della Sera.<br />
DIASPORA ENGAGEMENT AND INITIATIVES FOR<br />
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT<br />
Immigration is a universal phenomenon driven by collective<br />
needs and legitimate aspirations for development, often unattainable<br />
in immigrants’ home countries. Development, as recognized<br />
by the UN in a 1986 declaration, is an inclusive concept of<br />
progress and an “inalienable human right.”<br />
Photo: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
Diasporas play a vital role in transnational activities, such as<br />
sending remittances, making investments, promoting cultural and<br />
economic diplomacy, contributing to humanitarian efforts, engaging<br />
in trade and business, and transferring human and social<br />
capital. This involvement makes them instrumental agents of development.<br />
Until 2017, the Albanian diaspora primarily engaged<br />
with their homeland on an individual basis, without institutional<br />
support. However, in that year, Albania began to establish state<br />
Between 2018 and 2021, IOM Albania implemented the program<br />
“Engagement of the Albanian Diaspora in the Social and Economic<br />
Development of Albania.” This program focused on Italy,<br />
France, and Belgium and aimed to map and profile diasporic<br />
communities, promote economic ties with Albania, and assist<br />
Albanian embassies and consulates in Rome, Milan, and Bari by<br />
enhancing their capabilities. The program included the Diaspora<br />
Business Chamber (DHBD), a non-profit and independent business<br />
advocacy organization founded by Albanian businesspeople<br />
residing in Albania and abroad. DHBD played a crucial role<br />
in implementing a knowledge transfer program in agriculture in<br />
Albania and managing the Connect Albania investment platform.<br />
The Chamber’s long-term objectives include the integration<br />
of Albanian businesses in their host countries, establishing<br />
partnerships to attract foreign direct investments through the<br />
diaspora’s network of entrepreneurs, and promoting joint projects<br />
for local development. DHBD, in collaboration with <strong>Diplomatic</strong><br />
<strong>World</strong> Institute (DWI) and Finnova Foundation, plans to develop<br />
a training program for women-led startups. This program aims<br />
to equip them with the skills needed to access EU funds and<br />
enhance their digital recognition. This initiative was announced<br />
during the fourth summit of women in the Albanian diaspora,<br />
held in Tirana on September 14-15. DWI participated alongside<br />
Albanian government and parliamentary representatives and<br />
professionals from the Albanian community living abroad. This<br />
project aligns with Albania’s efforts to strengthen its digital capabilities,<br />
as evidenced by the approval of a law on startups in 2022<br />
and the implementation of programs within the Western Balkans<br />
Investment Framework (WBIF), an initiative between the EU and<br />
financial institutions aimed at increasing investments in Balkan<br />
countries aspiring to EU membership by 2030.<br />
Albania’s economic prospects are positive, marked by an increase<br />
in the number of tourists, sustainable economic growth<br />
forecasts, and a <strong>72</strong> percent increase in exports from 2018 to<br />
2022, particularly with regional partners in the CEFTA free trade<br />
area. Albanian communities, well-integrated in countries where<br />
Albanian emigration is rooted, can serve as ambassadors to<br />
strengthen their homeland’s capacities. They can achieve this<br />
through institutional cultural centres of the diaspora, which<br />
can act as agents of economic diplomacy in coordination with<br />
Albania’s diplomatic missions. As Albania continues its journey<br />
toward EU accession and economic growth, engaging with its<br />
diaspora and leveraging their expertise and resources will be<br />
essential in achieving its goals on the global stage.<br />
Photo: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
institutions dedicated to diaspora engagement. Photo: Bled Strategic Forum Photo: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
168 169
My name is Martin Algrain and I am 27. I am a second-year<br />
master’s student at the Université de Mons (UMONS) Faculty<br />
of Translation and Interpretation (FTI-EII), where I am studying<br />
translation in an intercultural context, from Spanish and Russian<br />
into French.<br />
This summer I spent a month in Uzbekistan. I was hosted by the<br />
National University of Uzbekistan, where I did a summer internship<br />
in the international relations department and took part in the<br />
summer school they organize.<br />
I ended up there by chance. I wanted to go to a Russian-speaking<br />
country so that I could practise my Russian in a real-life<br />
situation. Therefore, I spoke to one of my Russian teachers<br />
who asked me if I had a preference between Kazakhstan and<br />
Uzbekistan. As I am already going to Kazakhstan next February<br />
for my professional integration internship, I decided to visit<br />
Uzbekistan to take my first steps in Central Asia.<br />
The FTI-EII has had Erasmus exchange agreements with the<br />
National University of Uzbekistan for several years now, which<br />
made it easier to organize my trip.<br />
TESTIMONY<br />
OF A BELGIAN STUDENT<br />
IN UZBEKISTAN<br />
I travelled from Tashkent to Bukhara, then onwards to Khiva,<br />
before heading back to Tashkent. The first two journeys took<br />
about seven hours each, and the last about 14 hours. That may<br />
sound like a long time to us little Belgians, but in this part of the<br />
world it is normal to take several hours by train to get from one<br />
city to another.<br />
This trip to Uzbekistan was an extraordinary experience that<br />
transported me into a fascinating world where history, culture<br />
and natural beauty were intertwined in a captivating way.<br />
Uzbekistan is a country in Central Asia that is often overlooked<br />
by travellers, but, in my opinion, that is precisely what makes it<br />
such a special destination.<br />
However, it was by travelling through the ancient cities of<br />
Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva that I really immersed myself in<br />
the history of Uzbekistan. These cities are full of splendid monuments,<br />
madrasas, mosques and mausoleums, that are testament<br />
to the importance of the Silk Road in the history of trade and<br />
culture. The breathtaking architecture and artistic detail of these<br />
sites left me speechless, and I felt like I was travelling back in<br />
time. Another memorable aspect of my trip was the Uzbek cuisine.<br />
Dishes such as plov, manti and delicious pastries gave me<br />
a taste of a cuisine rich in flavours.<br />
Meeting the local people also enriched my trip. The Uzbeks are<br />
incredibly warm, hospitable and welcoming people, and I had the<br />
opportunity to learn more about their way of life, traditions, and<br />
history through enriching exchanges. They were thrilled to know<br />
that I enjoyed learning languages and took pleasure in teaching<br />
me a few words and expressions in Uzbek.<br />
Uzbekistan is not a country you immediately think of when looking<br />
for a travel destination, yet it is full of riches. What you see in<br />
photos is nothing compared to what you feel when you see the<br />
great historical buildings. I highly recommend this destination to<br />
all travellers looking for an authentic and enriching experience.<br />
Uzbekistan has captured my heart, and I am already dreaming<br />
of coming back to explore more of this wonderful country and to<br />
see my friends again.<br />
During my internship, I worked on writing a guide for international<br />
students wishing to study at the University. The guide provides<br />
information on the administrative procedures to be followed and<br />
gives advice on how to get off to a good start in Uzbekistan.<br />
I also accompanied the Vice-Rector, Shirinova Raima Khakimovna,<br />
to meetings with various delegations, including <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong>.<br />
I also took part in the summer school organized by the National<br />
University of Uzbekistan, on the theme of the Silk Road. Students<br />
from all over the world took part in this summer school.<br />
There were students from China, South Korea, Russia, and<br />
Azerbaijan, as well as from Europe (Hungary, Poland, France and<br />
Belgium). It was a very interesting and enriching mix of cultures.<br />
During the week, we took courses on Uzbek culture, literature,<br />
and cuisine; we visited many museums, and the country’s cultural<br />
capital: Samarkand. We also went to a dacha in the mountains,<br />
where we made our own plov (an Uzbek national dish).<br />
The week after the summer school, I asked for a few days off<br />
so that I could travel around Uzbekistan. I travelled by night in<br />
sleeper trains, and visited historic cities during the day.<br />
170 171
i-d-s.com<br />
THE DIPLOMATIC<br />
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IDS supplies beverages and grocery products exclusively to Embassies, consulates, NGO’s and<br />
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INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC SUPPLIES | Trusted to Serve Diplomats <strong>World</strong>wide<br />
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1<strong>72</strong> 173
THROUGH IDS, YOUR CHOICES CAN POSITIVELY<br />
IMPACT THE LIVES OF CHILDREN AND STUDENTS IN<br />
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The values that drive our mission to<br />
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citizens of the countries where we operate.<br />
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One of the first causes that came to our attention was<br />
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collection of ‘spare change’ through our Round-Up campaign<br />
via IDS website transactions, we’ve been able to support the<br />
installation of hand pumps for clean water and facilitate loans<br />
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Not long after this, we discovered the work that Shamida<br />
Ethiopia is doing to provide a better life for abandoned children.<br />
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”<br />
IDS have partnered with Shamida<br />
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KAREN KENDALL<br />
Shamida, Etihopia<br />
for nursing students, so they can improve<br />
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Please note terms and conditions apply:<br />
• Be eligible for this offer when you purchase and redeem your cashback<br />
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• Cashback is earned after a minimum spend of €60 and redemption<br />
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• Cashback is automatically applied in your next SPIRITS transaction<br />
For more details, please visit i-d-s.com/brussels<br />
IDS stocks a selection of beverages priced<br />
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INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC SUPPLIES | Trusted to Serve Diplomats <strong>World</strong>wide<br />
INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC SUPPLIES | Trusted to Serve Diplomats <strong>World</strong>wide<br />
174 175
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176 177
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Vehicle shown is (23)MY Range Rover with optional features. Specifications, options and availability may vary between markets and should be verified with your local<br />
Retailer. Official Fuel Consumption Figures (excluding PHEV) in mpg (I/100km): Combined 36.8 (7.4-12.0). CO2 Emissions 196-271 g/km. PHEV in mpg (I/100km):<br />
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178 179
INTRODUCTION<br />
Brussels, being an international hub in diplomacy, hosts numerous<br />
international organisations. These international organisations<br />
tend to have a Seat Agreement with the Belgian hosting State<br />
that offers them immunity from jurisdiction before Belgian Courts.<br />
It is settled doctrine and case law, both in Belgium and internationally,<br />
that international organisations that enjoy immunity from<br />
jurisdiction cannot, a priori, be sued before the courts of a state. 2<br />
Belgian Courts, however, tend to apply particular conditions<br />
to grant jurisdictional immunities, that may go beyond what is<br />
required from a Human Rights perspective.<br />
This article will explain the Belgian stance on the immunity from<br />
jurisdiction for International Organisations.<br />
THE IMMUNITY OF JURISDICTION OF AN INTER-<br />
NATIONAL ORGANISATION HAS AN “ABSOLUTE”<br />
CHARACTER.<br />
The jurisdictional immunity of international organisations in<br />
Belgium has an absolute character 3 , and is therefore not to be<br />
confused with the jurisdictional immunity of States. 4 The latter<br />
immunity only applies to acts falling within a State’s imperium<br />
(iure imperii acts).<br />
Illustrative Example: Conflicts relating to the administration of<br />
staff in an international organisation can benefit from jurisdictional<br />
immunity whereas conflicts relating to the administration<br />
of staff in a State may not be regarded as iure imperii acts (and<br />
rather as iure gestionis acts) and would then not benefit from<br />
immunity from jurisdiction. 5<br />
Avenue Louise 146 | Brussels | +(32) 2 643 33 01 | info@billiet-co.be<br />
THE BELGIAN STANCE<br />
ON IMMUNITY FROM JURISDICTION<br />
FOR INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS<br />
JUSTIFICATION OF JURISDICTIONAL IMMUNITY<br />
FOR INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS<br />
The principle of jurisdictional immunity of international organisations<br />
is justified by the necessary independence that must be<br />
granted to international organisations in the execution of their<br />
mission. 6<br />
The immunity essentially aims to prohibit interference by national<br />
governments, and in particular the government of the country<br />
where the organisation has its headquarters, through the<br />
application of their domestic law. 7 The aim is also to preserve<br />
the effectiveness of the organisation’s actions and to maintain<br />
equality between its members. 8 The immunity further enables to<br />
strengthen international collaboration.<br />
CONDITIONS APPLICABLE TO THE JURISDICTION-<br />
AL IMMUNITY OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANISA-<br />
TIONS:<br />
THE IMMUNITY MUST BE RATIFIED IN<br />
BELGIAN LAW<br />
The Belgian Supreme Court clarified that, contrary to the immunity<br />
of States, there is no general principle of public international<br />
law that establishes immunity from jurisdiction for international<br />
organisations. 9 Consequently, the jurisdictional immunity of<br />
international organisations can therefore only be derived from a<br />
conventional basis.<br />
As a consequence, the Belgian State must only grant immunity<br />
to an international organisation when it had agreed to do so. 10<br />
Such Agreement can be derived from provisions of the Seat<br />
Agreement (when the international organisation is hosted in<br />
KEY CONTACTS<br />
Johan Billiet<br />
johan.billiet@billiet-co.be<br />
Dr. Konstantinos Adamantopoulos<br />
konstantinos.adamantopoulos@billiet-co.be<br />
Philippe Billiet<br />
philippe.billiet@billiet-co.be<br />
Vladimir Lincautan<br />
vladimir.lincautan@billiet-co.be<br />
Belgium), an international convention (when the Belgian State<br />
entered into a relevant treaty), or from the act that incorporates<br />
the international organisation (when the Belgian State is Member<br />
of the international organisation). 11<br />
In addition, that relevant basis must also have been ratified<br />
internally within the Belgian state for it to form part of the Belgian<br />
legal order. 12<br />
AD-BillietCo.indd 2 28/07/2020 15:16<br />
GRANTING OF THE IMMUNITY MUST NOT VIOLATE<br />
ARTICLE 6(1) OF THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION<br />
ON HUMAN RIGHTS<br />
The coexistence of jurisdictional immunities and article 6(1) of the<br />
European Convention on Human Rights which requires that every<br />
person is entitled to have access to Justice, raises questions<br />
about the relationship between such immunities and this fundamental<br />
right.<br />
The European Court of Human Rights and the Belgian Supreme<br />
Court have both acknowledged that the right of access to Justice<br />
is not absolute and that it can be subject to limitations in so<br />
far as those limitations would not affect the very substance of<br />
this fundamental right. 13 In addition, such limitations must pursue<br />
a legitimate aim and must be proportionate. 14<br />
The European Court of Human Rights has held that the granting<br />
of immunity from jurisdiction to international organisations pursues<br />
a legitimate aim which constitutes an indispensable way for<br />
the proper functioning of the latter, without unilateral interference<br />
by any government. 15<br />
The European Court of Human Rights has also held that, to<br />
determine whether the immunity from jurisdiction is proportionate<br />
to the pursued aim, it must be examined whether the applicant<br />
has had other reasonable alternatives to effectively protect its<br />
rights granted by the European Convention on Human Rights. 16<br />
If a reasonable alternative remedy is available, the granting of<br />
jurisdictional immunity is always proportionate.<br />
However, the requirement for a reasonable alternative remedy<br />
to be available can – as such – not be derived from the jurisprudence<br />
of the European Court of Human Rights, since other<br />
criterions may also allow to conclude compliance with the said<br />
Article 6(1).<br />
The reflection on a reasonable alternative remedy is – from a<br />
Human Rights perspective – merely situated amongst other<br />
reflections that could be of equal relevance, all to assess whether<br />
the recognition of jurisdictional immunity of an international organisation<br />
would be proportionate to the objective it pursues. 17<br />
EXISTENCE OF AN IN-DEPTH AND IN CONCRETO<br />
REASONABLE ALTERNATIVE REMEDY<br />
The Belgian Supreme Court derogates from the doctrine and<br />
jurisprudence of and relating to the European Court of Human<br />
Rights by suggesting reasonable alternative(s) as a conditio sine<br />
quae non when assessing the proportionate character of the<br />
immunity of an international organisation. 18<br />
Reasonable alternatives may then be found in the form of a<br />
choice of court clause, arbitration clause, submission to the ILO<br />
Tribunal, etc.<br />
Where Belgian Court decisions initially related to immunity from<br />
execution of international organisations, later court decisions applied<br />
the same approach to cases on immunity from jurisdiction<br />
of international organisations. 19<br />
Moreover, Belgian Courts have to date not explicitly confirmed<br />
that the existence of a reasonable alternative remedy must in se<br />
suffice for the finding of proportionality.<br />
Instead, Judges have indicated that their assessments are made<br />
to appreciate the proportionality of the damage that would be<br />
caused by the immunity to the right of access to Justice in light<br />
of the particular circumstances of each case. Such far reaching<br />
ad hoc approach may go beyond a mere assessment on the<br />
existence of a reasonable alternative. 20<br />
Moreover, when assessing alternatives, the Belgian Courts<br />
are stricter than the European Court of Human Rights. Belgian<br />
Courts apply an ‘in-depth’ (maximalist) procedural approach<br />
rather than a ‘simple’ (minimalist) procedural approach.<br />
Belgian Courts will therefore verify whether the alternative(s) offer<br />
the same guarantees of impartiality and independence as those<br />
binding a State party to the European Court of Human Rights. 21<br />
Illustrative Example: The European Court of Human Rights, in its<br />
assessment of what is reasonable, may find it sufficient 22 that an<br />
internal commission exists within the international organisation to<br />
properly handle conflicts, whereas the Belgian Courts would go<br />
further and would analyse the concrete functioning there of and<br />
reflect on independence, the public character of the correlating<br />
decision-making process, etc. 23<br />
Whilst Belgian Courts apply a strict approach ratione materiae,<br />
they tend to be lenient ratione temporis. It suffices that an indepth<br />
and in concreto reasonable alternative remedy was available<br />
at some point in the past, without the need for such alternative<br />
to still be available on the date of the court’s assessment. 24<br />
180 181
Furthermore, Belgian Courts may internally be divided and appear<br />
to apply different perspectives to their assessment exercise.<br />
The perspective of certain lower Belgian Tribunals tends to be<br />
that a Judge seized of an action against an international organisation<br />
is de facto called upon to choose to give precedence to<br />
immunity from jurisdiction over access to Justice (or vice versa),<br />
in light of the interests of the parties. 25<br />
The perspective of higher Belgian Courts tends to rather be that<br />
a Judge seized of an action against an international organisation<br />
is called upon to assess whether the immunity from jurisdiction<br />
can resort effects towards the counterparty in the matter<br />
at hand. 26 Both perspectives are driven by the insight that, by<br />
granting jurisdictional immunity to an international organisation,<br />
alternative remedy the recognition of immunity is not ipso facto<br />
constitutive of a violation of the right of access to a Court. 29<br />
Derogations from the Belgian stance may raise issues regarding<br />
favouritism of the Belgian Receiving State towards one or more<br />
international organisations in the execution of its Agreements.<br />
CONCLUSIONS<br />
The jurisdictional immunity of an international organisation has a<br />
legitimate aim and an absolute character.<br />
To be able to effectively enjoy such immunity in Belgian Courts,<br />
it is strongly recommended that the international organisation<br />
1<br />
This Article was kindly offered by Philippe BILLIET to the Brussels <strong>Diplomatic</strong><br />
Academy (BDA) and to <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong> (DW). If you wish to contact the author,<br />
feel free to send an email to Philippe.Billiet@billiet-co.be. The author is a<br />
Belgian Lawyer specialized in alternative dispute resolution and in the provision<br />
of legal services to diplomatic missions in Brussels.<br />
2<br />
Tribunal du Travail francophone de Bruxelles, 1stchamber, 15 April 2020,<br />
19/3890/A. (not published)<br />
3<br />
Tribunal du Travail francophone de Bruxelles, 1stchamber, 15 March 2021,<br />
21/2<strong>72</strong>4/A. (not published)<br />
4<br />
Ch. F. AMERASINGHE, Principles of the Institutional Law of International<br />
Organizations, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2005, p.<br />
322. Regarding the relevance of such distinction, see also : N. ANGELET and<br />
A. WEERTS, « Les immunités des organisations internationales face à l’article<br />
6 de la Convention européenne des Droits de l’Homme: la jurisprudence<br />
strasbourgeoise et sa prise en compte par les juridictions nationales », Journ.<br />
dr. intern., vol. 4 (2006), pp. 14-15;Cour eur. D.H., 5 March 2013, Chapman /<br />
Belgium, §§ 47-52.<br />
Germany; §68 and Beer and Regan v. Germany, §58.<br />
17<br />
N. ANGELET and A. WEERTS, “Les immunités des organisations internationales<br />
face à l’article 6 de la Convention européenne des Droits de l’Homme: la<br />
jurisprudence strasbourgeoise et sa prise en compte par les juridictions nationales<br />
», Journ. Dr. Intern., 2006/4, p.19 : A. LOUWETTE, « Les juges belges face<br />
à l’appareil judiciaire des Etats étrangers aux mécanismes quasi-judiciaires<br />
des organisations internationales », in Les juges belges face aux actes adoptés<br />
par les Etats étrangers et les organisations internationales, Brussels, Bruylant,<br />
2016, p. 159.<br />
18<br />
A. LOUWETTE, « Les juges belges face à l’appareil judiciaire des Etats<br />
étrangers aux mécanismes quasi-judiciaires des organisations internationales<br />
», in Les juges belges face aux actes adoptés par les Etats étrangers et les<br />
organisations internationales, Brussels, Bruylant, 2016, p. 160-161.<br />
19<br />
Tribunal du Travail francophone de Bruxelles, 1stchamber, 15 March 2021,<br />
21/2<strong>72</strong>4/A. (not published)<br />
20<br />
Cass., 21 December 2009, R.G. n° C.07.0407.F.<br />
the Belgian State is not allowed to violate its own human rights<br />
obligations.<br />
Several Peer Authors have criticized the fact that Belgian Courts<br />
go beyond what is required by the European Court of Human<br />
Rights. It is indeed remarkable that the Belgian Receiving State<br />
goes beyond the protection standard of Human Rights 27 to mitigate<br />
jurisdictional immunities. One could argue that, in doing so,<br />
the Belgian. Receiving State may violate its underlaying Agreement<br />
with the international organisation to respect immunity from<br />
jurisdiction.<br />
NO WAIVER OF IMMUNITY<br />
puts in place a reasonable alternative remedy to ordinary Court<br />
litigation.<br />
The alternative must be tailored in such manner that would<br />
survive an in-depth and in concreto analysis that Belgian Judges<br />
tend to make when they are asked to assess whether jurisdictional<br />
immunity should be pronounced.<br />
It is therefore recommended that international organisations<br />
reflect on whether their Staff Regulations need to be updated<br />
accordingly and, in that exercise, involve an Expert Lawyer in<br />
alternative dispute resolution who can advise them on the broad<br />
realm of available options.<br />
When a reasonable alternative remedy is unavailable, the interna-<br />
5<br />
Tribunal du Travail francophone de Bruxelles, 1stchamber, 15 April 2020,<br />
19/3890/A. (not published)<br />
6<br />
Tribunal du Travail francophone de Bruxelles, 1stchamber, 15 April 2020,<br />
19/3890/A; Tribunal du Travail francophone de Bruxelles, 1stchamber, 15<br />
March 2021, 21/2<strong>72</strong>4/A. (not published)<br />
7<br />
J. VANDERSCHUEREN, “De quelques considerations sur les Immunités<br />
octroyées aux organisations internationales », J.T., 2014, p. 146. See also:<br />
E. DAVID, « L’immunité de juridiction des organisations internationales »,<br />
note under cass., 21 December 2009, R.C.J.B., 2011/2, p. 254. See also the<br />
following cases: European Court of Human Rights 18 February 1999, Beer and<br />
Regan v.Germany, § 53; European Court of Human Rights 18 February 1999,<br />
Waite and Kennedy v. Germany, § 63; European Court of Human Rights 13<br />
November 2008, Mazéasv France, p. 7; European Court of Human Rights 7<br />
July 2009, Lopez Cifuentes v. Spain, § 26; European Court of Human Rights,<br />
11 June 2013, Stichting mothers of Srebrenica and others v. the Netherlands,<br />
§§ 139 - 164.<br />
8<br />
J. VANDERSCHUEREN, “De quelques considerations sur les Immunités<br />
21<br />
A. LOUWETTE, « Les juges belges face à l’appareil judiciaire des Etats<br />
étrangers aux mécanismes quasi-judiciaires des organisations internationales<br />
», in Les juges belges face aux actes adoptés par les Etats étrangers et les<br />
organisations internationales, Brussels, Bruylant, 2016, p. 168.<br />
22<br />
European Court of Human Rights, 13 November 2008, Mazéasv. France, p.<br />
7. See also : J. VANDERSCHUEREN, “De quelques considerations sur les Immunités<br />
octroyées aux organisations internationales », J.T., 2014, p. 146. See<br />
also : E. DAVID, « L’immunité de juridiction des organisations internationales »,<br />
note under cass., 21 december 2009, R.C.J.B., 2011/2, p. 148, n° 14.<br />
23<br />
Brussels, 4 March 2003, J.T. 2003, p. 684; Brussels, 17 September 2003, J.T.<br />
2004, p. 617; Cass. 21 December 2009, S.04.0129.F/20, R.C.J.B. 2011, p. 203.<br />
24<br />
Tribunal du Travail francophone de Bruxelles, 1stchamber, 15 April 2020,<br />
19/3890/A. (not published)<br />
25<br />
Tribunal du Travail francophone de Bruxelles, 1stchamber, 15 March 2021,<br />
21/2<strong>72</strong>4/A. (not published)<br />
Jurisdictional immunities form no part of Belgian public order<br />
tional organisation could still have a small chance to benefit from<br />
octroyées aux organisations internationales », J.T., 2014, p. 146.<br />
26<br />
Cass., 21 December 2009, R.G. N° C.07.0407.F.<br />
and can therefore be waived by the international organisation.<br />
When the international organisation did not in limine litis invoke<br />
arguments on immunity from jurisdiction, such may be interpreted<br />
as an (implicit) waiver to still be able to invoke jurisdictional<br />
immunity arguments.<br />
International organisations should therefore be very careful in<br />
communications to ensure that they make no waiver of immunity.<br />
jurisdictional immunity by arguing that this is needed for its good<br />
functioning and that the immunity can be reconciled with article<br />
6(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights.<br />
Philippe Billiet<br />
9<br />
Cass., 12 March 2001, R.C.J.B., 2002, p. 385, note J. VERHOEVEN.<br />
10<br />
F. BOUQUELLE and A. FRY, « Actions en Justice contre des sujets de droit<br />
international public », in Droit du travail tous azimuts, Brussels, Larcier, 2016,<br />
pp. 938-939.<br />
11<br />
F. BOUQUELLE and A. FRY, « Actions en Justice contre des sujets de droit<br />
international public », in Droit du travail tous azimuts, Bruxelles, Larcier-ULG-CUP<br />
2016, p 936 a.f.;E. DAVID, Droit des organisations internationales,<br />
Bruylant 2016, p. 629 a.f.; S. EL SAWAH, Les immunités des Etats et des<br />
organisations internationales, Larcier 2012, p. 319 a.f.<br />
27<br />
E. DAVID, Le droit des organisations internationales, Bruylant, 2016, p. 671<br />
and 673; A. LOUWETTE, “Les juges belges face à l’appareil judiciaire des Etats<br />
étrangers aux mécanismes quasi-judiciaires des organisations internationales”,<br />
in Les juges belges face aux actes adoptés par les Etats étrangers et les<br />
organisations internationales - Quel contrôle au regard du droit international?,<br />
Bruylant 2016, p 159 – 162.<br />
28<br />
Brussels (17thch.), 26 June 2012, R.G. 2011/AR/558, Belgian State v. International<br />
Hotels <strong>World</strong>wide Inc., (not published)<br />
29<br />
European Court of Human Rights, 11 June 2013, Stichting mothers of Srebrenica<br />
and others v. the Netherlands, § 164.<br />
DEROGATING DECISION OF THE BRUSSELS<br />
COURT OF APPEAL IN 2012<br />
The Brussels Court of Appeal derogated in 2012 from the general<br />
If your mission needs<br />
legal assistance,<br />
feel free to contact<br />
Philippe.Billiet@billiet-co.be<br />
12<br />
Articles 167 §2 and 190 of the Belgian Constitution.<br />
13<br />
A. LAGERWALL and A.LOUWETTE, “La reconnaissance par le juge belge<br />
d’une immunité à un Etat ou à une organisation internationale viole-t-elle le<br />
droit d’accès à un tribunal ? », R.D.C., 2014, p. 31;European Court of Human<br />
Rights, McElhinney v. Ireland, 31253/96, judgment 21/11/2001; Cass., 21<br />
December 2009, R.G. n. C.07.0407.F.<br />
Belgian stance on the jurisdictional immunity for international organisations.<br />
28 In that case, the Brussels Court of Appeal granted<br />
immunity from jurisdiction also when no reasonable alternative<br />
remedy was available. The Court did so by finding that the im-<br />
14<br />
European Court of Human Rights, 18 February 1999, Waite and Kennedy v.<br />
Germany,§§59 -63; Beer and Regan v. Germany, §§49 - 53; Lopez Cifuentes v.<br />
Spain, § 26; Stichting mothers of Srebrenica and others v. the Netherlands, §§<br />
139 - 164; Cass., 21 December 2009, R.G. n° C.07.0407.F.commisison<br />
munity (of NATO) was necessary for the good functioning of the<br />
international organisation.<br />
Shortly thereafter, the European Court of Human Rights came<br />
to a similar finding in which it clarified that in the absence of an<br />
15<br />
European Court of Human Rights, 18 February 1999, Waite and Kennedy v.<br />
Germany,§§59 -63; Beer and Regan v. Germany, §§49 - 53; Lopez Cifuentes v.<br />
Spain, § 26; Stichting mothers of Srebrenica and others v. the Netherlands, §§<br />
139 - 164; Cass., 21 December 2009, R.G. n° C.07.0407.F.commisison<br />
16<br />
European Court of Human Rights, 18 February 1999, Waite and Kennedy v.<br />
182 183
DIPLOMATIC LAW DESK<br />
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Is familiar with sensitive matters.<br />
KEY CONTACTS<br />
Johan Billiet<br />
johan.billiet@billiet-co.be<br />
Dr. Konstantinos Adamantopoulos<br />
konstantinos.adamantopoulos@billiet-co.be<br />
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To attract investments, Poland developed a system that includes<br />
tax reliefs and grants, which are financed from the European<br />
Union’s funds as well as from domestic resources.<br />
To support investments, Poland created the Polish Investment<br />
and Trade Agency (hereafter “PAIH”) that helps businesses and<br />
investors throughout these support measures. The agency has a<br />
strong expert position on the market. It has an extensive network<br />
of contacts gathering business entities and business environment<br />
institutions around it. PAIH has also concluded numerous<br />
industry agreements that significantly facilitate cooperation at the<br />
interinstitutional level.<br />
To execute its mission, PAIH has established a network of support<br />
offices all over the world that support Polish exporters and<br />
that serve as a contact point for investors that are looking for<br />
new opportunities into Poland.<br />
INVESTING IN POLAND<br />
WHAT CAN PAIH DO FOR YOU?<br />
Ewa Kurlanda (Billiet & Co Lawyers)<br />
The Joint Venture, backed by Umicore and Volkswagen Groupowned<br />
PowerCo, aims to produce battery materials capable of<br />
providing power to 2.2 million battery-electric vehicles annually<br />
and is expected to create about 900 industry jobs in Nysa by the<br />
end of the decade. The plant will be located next to Umicore’s<br />
existing CAM plant in Nysa.<br />
IONWAY reports to have chosen Nysa and Poland for its<br />
€ 1.7 billion worth investment due to the strategic location,<br />
offering access to renewable energy sources to power the<br />
plant’s production, the access to skilled workforce, as well as<br />
the support received from the Polish government.<br />
Matthias Miedreich, CEO of Umicore, shared: “We are thankful<br />
for the Polish government’s support in IONWAY’s choice for<br />
Nysa. The strategic location of the joint venture’s battery materials<br />
plant in Poland, right next to Umicore’s own battery materials<br />
plant, which is still unique in Europe, will further enable the<br />
transition to electric driving that is truly sustainable.”<br />
The choice for Poland is not surprising. According to Transparency<br />
International, Poland is a regional leader in Transparency<br />
International’s Corruption Index. Poland also offers a stable and<br />
transparent legal climate, which contributes to the ability to obtain<br />
accurate legal guidance to investment projects.<br />
Lawyer Philippe Billiet, who heads the Brussels law firm<br />
Billiet&Co, noted in this regard: “Poland has a very investor-friendly<br />
climate. Our clients welcome the high level of<br />
legal certainty that the Polish jurisdiction can offer.”<br />
If you consider investing in Poland you can contact PAIH via<br />
invest@paih.gov.pl.<br />
“SUCCESS IS A CHOICE”<br />
CONTACT INFO<br />
BILLIET & CO LAWYERS<br />
Avenue Louise 146 - B-1050 Brussels<br />
www.billiet-co.be<br />
+(32) 2 643 33 01<br />
One of the PAIH offices is located in Amsterdam. It is a local<br />
PAIH hub operating on the 3 Benelux markets. Ms Magdalena<br />
Lekan, who heads the Benelux office of PAIH in Amsterdam,<br />
informs about the following example of a success story:<br />
On October 7th 2023, the Brussels-based European EV battery<br />
materials producer IONWAY announced having chosen to build<br />
its first cathode active material (CAM) production plant in Nysa,<br />
Poland. Cathode active material is a key element of EV batteries.<br />
Ewa Kurlanda is a legal consultant<br />
at Billiet & Co Lawyers,<br />
where she heads the Polish desk.<br />
Any legal question regarding doing business<br />
with/within Poland is welcomed at info@billiet-co.be<br />
184 185
ZERO WASTE TO LANDFILL<br />
FAST TRACK<br />
TO ZERO WASTE COMMUNITIES<br />
Municipal solid waste is expected to face a 50 percent increase by 2050, creating over 3 billion tons of waste<br />
annually. We now generate over 0.7 Kilograms per person per day on average, ranging from 0.1kg/day in the<br />
poor countries to 4.5kg/day in the wealthy countries. Over 37 percent of the waste is deposited in landfills.<br />
According to the <strong>World</strong> Bank municipalities spend between 4 to 19 percent of their budgets on solid waste<br />
management. Landfills are not an acceptable way to deal with waste. Current strategies for incineration and<br />
landfilling have a negative impact on the environment. Existing strategies of composting, incineration and landfilling<br />
have limited results. New technologies are required to achieve our net zero emissions goals and improve<br />
the quality of our lives.<br />
Waste is an inevitable by-product of our modern way of life and development. As our<br />
living standards increase the amount of waste increases. As we advance in healthcare and<br />
in industrial facilities, we add biomedical waste and industrial hazardous waste that adds<br />
severe environmental and health risks. Every year we have more and more municipal solid<br />
waste, sludge from wastewater facilities, industrial, agricultural, and hazardous waste.<br />
Thanks to recent breakthroughs in technology, waste has become a valuable resource that<br />
provides electricity, thermal energy, cooling, raw materials for production, and fertilizers<br />
for agriculture. Through an efficient circular economy that turns waste into wealth, we can<br />
now fast track to zero waste communities. Blockchain technology provides transparency<br />
and data traceability to the entire ecosystem.<br />
Through smart tokenization and localization strategies, communities can be involved in<br />
funding, governance, wealth creation and even complete ownership.<br />
Zero-waste-to-landfill would not only improve the lives and well-being of communities, but<br />
is a wealth creation strategy. Transport of waste can be drastically reduced, and climate<br />
change mitigation will be achieved. We can achieve ZERO WASTE & ZERO LANDFILL,<br />
community by community, country by country, much sooner than anticipated through the<br />
Waste 2 Wealth Strategy.<br />
ZERO WASTE HIERARCHY<br />
The Zero Waste Hierarchy is a sustainability framework that prioritizes waste reduction strategies in a cascading order, aiming to minimize<br />
environmental impact. At its core, it encourages individuals and organizations to prevent waste generation. Reuse, emphasizing the<br />
extension of product lifespans through repair and sharing. Recycling is promoting the transformation of materials into new products.<br />
Through energy recovery, waste is converted into energy as a last resort. Finally, disposal, the least favourable option, involves sending<br />
waste to landfills or incineration. The Hierarchy guides sustainable practices by promoting a circular economy and resource conservation.<br />
The Zero Waste Hierarchy is a very popular concept used by<br />
many governments to develop strategies for waste management.<br />
While it is a valuable framework for waste reduction,<br />
it had limited results for several reasons: lack of awareness,<br />
economic constrains, infrastructure challenges, regulatory<br />
barriers, technological limitations.<br />
A new framework is required so that the goals for 2050 can<br />
be achieved. Sending waste to landfills or incinerators is not<br />
a good option. We now have technology that eliminates the<br />
landfill completely, turning Waste 2 Wealth.<br />
186 187
THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY<br />
THE REGENERATIVE FINANCE (REFI)<br />
The circular economy is a transformative and sustainable<br />
economic concept that aims to revolutionize how we produce,<br />
consume, and manage resources. Unlike the traditional linear<br />
economy, which follows a “take-make-dispose” pattern, the<br />
circular economy is designed to minimize waste, maximize<br />
resource efficiency, and reduce environmental impact.<br />
In a circular economy, the focus is on creating closed-loop<br />
systems where products and materials are kept in circulation for<br />
as long as possible. Products are designed to be long-lasting,<br />
repairable, and easy to disassemble for reuse. The emphasis<br />
is on quality rather than planned obsolescence. Resources are<br />
shared among individuals and businesses to optimize their utilization.<br />
Examples include car-sharing programs and co-working<br />
spaces. Products are refurbished and re-manufactured to extend<br />
their lifespan. This reduces the need for new products and conserves<br />
resources. Materials are recycled into new products, and<br />
upcycling repurposes waste materials into higher-value goods.<br />
Businesses adopt strategies to minimize waste generation and<br />
reduce resource consumption through practices like lean manufacturing<br />
and efficient supply chain management.<br />
The circular economy is not only environmentally beneficial but<br />
also economically advantageous. It promotes innovation, job creation,<br />
and resilience in the face of resource scarcity. By closing<br />
the loop on materials and resources, it reduces the pressure on<br />
ecosystems, conserves energy, and minimizes greenhouse gas<br />
emissions. The circular economy represents a fundamental shift<br />
towards a more sustainable and regenerative economic system<br />
that prioritizes resource stewardship, minimizes waste, and<br />
seeks to balance economic growth with environmental preservation.<br />
It holds the potential to address some of the most pressing<br />
challenges of our time, including resource depletion and climate<br />
change. For a detailed video explanation of the circular economy,<br />
you can watch a less than 3-minute video from the Ellen<br />
MacArthur Foundation.<br />
We can take the circular economy to the next level if we add<br />
to it the Waste 2 Wealth element. With the technological<br />
breakthroughs that we have now available we can transform<br />
all municipal waste into wealth so that no waste ends up in a<br />
landfill. Municipalities can implement<br />
new waste management practices,<br />
through commitment to sustainability,<br />
resource conservation and reducing<br />
negative environmental consequences<br />
associated with landfills,<br />
including pollution and greenhouse<br />
gas emissions.<br />
The notion of a “regenerative economy” has been examined by<br />
Paul Hawken in his work, “The Ecology of Commerce”. John Fullerton,<br />
the founder and president of Capital Institute has further elaborated<br />
on the concepts of regenerative economics and regenerative finance.<br />
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has also actively advocated<br />
for the advancement of the regenerative economy concept.<br />
THE EIGHT PRINCIPLES OF REGENERATIVE<br />
FINANCE<br />
Regenerative Finance represents a significant departure from<br />
traditional finance models. While conventional finance primarily<br />
emphasizes profit maximization, Regenerative Finance shifts the<br />
focus toward holistic sustainability, regeneration, and resilience.<br />
It seeks to address pressing global challenges, such as climate<br />
change, wealth inequality, and ecosystem degradation, by integrating<br />
financial systems with ecological and social principles.<br />
1. In Right Relationship – As the core principle of regenerative<br />
finance when applied to Waste 2 Wealth initiatives using<br />
blockchain technology, “In Right Relationship” signifies the<br />
importance of establishing a balanced and ethical connection<br />
between waste management, resource recovery, and<br />
blockchain solutions. In this context, blockchain can enhance<br />
transparency and traceability in waste-to-wealth processes,<br />
ensuring responsible disposal, recycling, and re-utilization<br />
of materials. It also fosters community engagement and accountability,<br />
aligning economic incentives with environmentally<br />
sustainable practices. “In Right Relationship” encourages<br />
stakeholders in Waste 2 Wealth projects to prioritize not<br />
only financial gains but also the well-being of ecosystems<br />
and communities, ultimately promoting a regenerative and<br />
responsible approach to waste management with the aid of<br />
blockchain technology.<br />
By integrating blockchain into Waste 2 Wealth solutions,<br />
this principle aligns financial incentives with sustainable<br />
practices, fostering a regenerative and inclusive approach to<br />
resource management.<br />
3. Innovative, Adaptive, Responsive – a principle within regenerative<br />
finance, that when applied to Waste 2 Wealth strategies<br />
with blockchain, underscores the importance of embracing<br />
innovation and flexibility. It encourages the development and<br />
utilization of blockchain technology to adapt and respond<br />
to dynamic challenges in waste management and resource<br />
recovery. Blockchain’s transparency and real-time data<br />
tracking capabilities empower stakeholders to make informed<br />
decisions and swiftly respond to changing waste streams and<br />
recycling needs. By embracing this principle, Waste 2 Wealth<br />
initiatives can continually innovate, optimize processes, and<br />
remain agile in addressing emerging environmental and economic<br />
demands. This approach not only enhances resource<br />
efficiency but also promotes a sustainable and adaptable<br />
ecosystem for waste management through blockchain technology.<br />
The Waste 2 Wealth Strategy starts with a strong commitment for zero waste landfills. Waste would not be a<br />
problem with negative effects on the environment and communities any longer. Waste becomes a resource that<br />
produces green energy and wealth. The enhanced circular economy model balances economic growth and<br />
environmental preservation. Greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. There would be no need for landfills,<br />
starting our FastTrack to zero waste communities.<br />
2. Views Wealth Holistically – in the context of Waste 2 Wealth<br />
initiatives and blockchain Regenerative Finance underscores<br />
the need to consider wealth beyond mere financial gains. It<br />
encourages a broader perspective, encompassing environmental,<br />
social, and economic factors. Blockchain technology<br />
plays a pivotal role by providing a transparent and immutable<br />
ledger that tracks the entire lifecycle of waste, from disposal<br />
to its transformation into valuable resources. This holistic<br />
approach ensures that wealth is not solely measured in<br />
monetary terms but also considers the reduction of environmental<br />
harm and the promotion of community well-being.<br />
188 189
4. Empowered Participation – is a principle of Regenerative Finance<br />
that resonates with blockchain technology in the context<br />
of Waste 2 Wealth endeavours. It emphasizes inclusive<br />
decision-making and active engagement of all stakeholders,<br />
including waste generators, recyclers, and communities.<br />
Blockchain enables transparent, decentralized governance<br />
structures where participants have a say in waste management<br />
processes, recycling initiatives, and the allocation of<br />
resources. This principle fosters collective responsibility,<br />
encouraging individuals and organizations to contribute to<br />
waste reduction, resource recovery, and sustainable practices.<br />
Empowered participation, facilitated by blockchain, not<br />
only enhances environmental outcomes but also creates a<br />
sense of ownership and shared responsibility, promoting a<br />
regenerative and community-centric approach to Waste 2<br />
Wealth efforts.<br />
5. Honour Community and Place – is a central principle of regenerative<br />
finance when applied to Waste 2 Wealth initiatives<br />
using blockchain technology. It emphasizes the importance<br />
of considering local communities and ecosystems in waste<br />
management strategies. With blockchain’s transparency and<br />
traceability, Waste 2 Wealth projects can prioritize the reduction<br />
of environmental harm and the well-being of communities<br />
affected by waste disposal. By involving and empowering<br />
local stakeholders, these initiatives ensure that economic<br />
gains from resource recovery directly benefit the community<br />
and the environment. This principle encourages a sustainable<br />
and place-based approach to waste management, fostering<br />
a sense of responsibility, pride, and shared prosperity within<br />
the community, all while leveraging blockchain for transparent<br />
and accountable processes.<br />
6. Edge Effect Abundance – within the realm of regenerative<br />
finance finds resonance in Waste 2 Wealth projects enhanced<br />
by blockchain. It draws inspiration from ecological systems<br />
where diverse ecosystems converge at their boundaries, creating<br />
conditions for abundance and diversity. Applied here,<br />
it suggests that at the intersection of waste management,<br />
resource recovery, and blockchain technology, opportunities<br />
for innovative solutions and holistic abundance emerge.<br />
Blockchain fosters transparency, efficiency, and traceability<br />
in Waste 2 Wealth efforts, allowing diverse stakeholders to<br />
collaborate and uncover new value streams. This principle<br />
encourages creative thinking and collaborative problem-solving,<br />
resulting in a more resilient and regenerative approach to<br />
waste management and resource utilization in harmony with<br />
the environment.<br />
7. Robust Circulatory Flow – in the context of Waste 2 Wealth<br />
initiatives and blockchain underscores the importance of<br />
creating resilient and efficient systems for the circulation<br />
of resources. Blockchain technology plays a vital role by<br />
providing a transparent and traceable ledger for managing<br />
the flow of waste materials, recycling processes, and the<br />
subsequent distribution of reclaimed resources. It ensures<br />
that resources are continuously repurposed and re-utilized,<br />
reducing waste and minimizing environmental impact. By embracing<br />
this principle, Waste 2 Wealth projects using blockchain<br />
can establish closed-loop systems, fostering sustainability,<br />
and contributing to the regeneration of resources within<br />
the circular economy. This approach not only enhances<br />
resource efficiency but also reduces the ecological footprint<br />
of waste management processes, aligning with regenerative<br />
finance principles<br />
8. Seeks Balance – within regenerative finance, when applied<br />
to Waste 2 Wealth initiatives with blockchain technology,<br />
emphasizes the need for equilibrium between economic<br />
prosperity, environmental sustainability, and social well-being.<br />
It recognizes that waste management practices must harmonize<br />
financial gains from resource recovery with the preservation<br />
of the environment and the welfare of communities.<br />
Blockchain’s transparency and accountability mechanisms<br />
ensure that these initiatives strike a balance by tracking the<br />
environmental impact, economic benefits, and community<br />
involvement in Waste 2 Wealth processes. This principle<br />
promotes responsible resource utilization and waste reduction,<br />
fostering a holistic approach that aligns with regenerative<br />
finance ideals and contributes to a more sustainable and<br />
harmonious future.<br />
Regenerative Finance involves a variety of practices and initiatives<br />
aimed at aligning financial systems with its principles.<br />
Impact investing directs capital toward businesses and projects<br />
that generate positive environmental and social impact, alongside<br />
financial returns. These investments prioritize regenerative<br />
solutions. Regenerative Finance often supports community-based<br />
banking and credit unions, which reinvest in local<br />
communities and support economic resilience.<br />
In agriculture, Regenerative Finance promotes regenerative farming<br />
practices that improve soil health, promote biodiversity, and<br />
reduce the negative environmental impacts of farming. Green<br />
bonds are a financial instrument that raises capital for environmentally<br />
beneficial projects. They are a key tool for financing regenerative<br />
initiatives, such as renewable energy and sustainable<br />
infrastructure. Regenerative Finance encourages ethical financial<br />
Blockchain is an emerging technology that addresses important<br />
environmental issues that can enhance the entire ecosystem<br />
in a significant way. Decentralized tools provide controls and<br />
incentives at scale, democratizing ownership to shift the power<br />
back to the people. The technology improves transparency and<br />
the integrity of data for measurement, reporting, and verification<br />
(MRV). The key benefits of the blockchain are in the areas of<br />
transparency, privacy, immutability, traceability, reliable data storage,<br />
compliance, identity management, decentralization, governance,<br />
smart contracts, web3 and community development.<br />
1. Decentralization – Blockchain technology offers decentralization<br />
as a fundamental principle. Unlike traditional centralized<br />
systems, where data and control are concentrated in a single<br />
entity, blockchain distributes data and authority across a<br />
network of nodes. This decentralization enhances security,<br />
as there is no single point of failure vulnerable to attacks<br />
REGENERATIVE FINANCE<br />
IN PRACTICE<br />
or manipulation. It also fosters trust by enabling transparent<br />
and tamper-resistant transactions without the need for<br />
intermediaries. Decentralized applications (DApps) and smart<br />
contracts operate autonomously, reducing the reliance on<br />
third parties. This paradigm shift is reshaping industries, from<br />
practices that prioritize transparency, fairness, and the well-being<br />
of all stakeholders. It promotes the integration of ecological and<br />
social metrics into financial accounting, ensuring that businesses<br />
and financial institutions account for their impacts on the planet<br />
and society.<br />
The Waste to Wealth Strategy is based on Regenerative<br />
Finance principles that foster local community engagement<br />
and accountability, aligning economic incentives with<br />
environmentally sustainable practices. Wealth transcends<br />
mere financial gain. Innovation, continuous improvement,<br />
and adaptability enhances resource efficiency. The community-centred<br />
approach results in creative thinking and<br />
collaborative problem-solving.<br />
BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY<br />
finance and supply chain to governance and healthcare, empowering<br />
individuals and organizations with greater control,<br />
transparency, and security in their digital interactions.<br />
2. Reliable data storage – Blockchain technology provides reliable<br />
data storage by distributing data across a decentralized<br />
network of nodes. Each transaction or piece of information<br />
is cryptographically secured and linked to the previous one,<br />
forming an immutable chain. This redundancy and transparency<br />
make data stored on the blockchain highly resistant to<br />
tampering, corruption, or single points of failure. As a result,<br />
it offers a robust and trustworthy means of storing critical<br />
information, ensuring its permanence and integrity. Industries<br />
such as healthcare, finance, and legal services can benefit<br />
from this reliable data storage, as it reduces the risk of data<br />
manipulation and unauthorized access, fostering greater<br />
confidence in digital record-keeping.<br />
3. Immutability – Blockchain technology’s immutability is a foundational<br />
attribute that ensures once data is recorded on the<br />
blockchain, it becomes nearly impossible to alter or erase.<br />
Each block in the chain contains a cryptographic reference to<br />
the previous block, creating a continuous and unbroken history<br />
of transactions or records. The decentralized network of<br />
190 191
nodes further secures this data, as consensus is required for<br />
solution for compliance by providing a transparent, immuta-<br />
code is immutable and verifiable on the blockchain. They find<br />
improvements, and ensure the integrity of the system. This<br />
any changes to be made. This immutability has profound im-<br />
ble, and auditable ledger of transactions and data. Smart<br />
applications in various fields, from financial services, where<br />
collaborative ethos transcends traditional hierarchical struc-<br />
plications for industries requiring unforgeable records, such<br />
contracts, self-executing agreements with predefined rules<br />
they facilitate secure and instant transactions, to supply<br />
tures, promoting transparency and inclusivity. Open-source<br />
as finance, supply chain, and legal sectors. It enhances trust<br />
and conditions, enable automated compliance enforcement.<br />
chain management, where they automate complex logistics<br />
blockchain projects welcome contributions and feedback<br />
and integrity, making blockchain a reliable and tamper-proof<br />
This technology streamlines regulatory processes by ensur-<br />
processes. Smart contracts have the potential to streamline<br />
from a global community, democratizing innovation. Addition-<br />
source of truth, ultimately reducing fraud and errors in various<br />
ing that transactions adhere to established standards and<br />
operations, reduce costs, and mitigate disputes, making<br />
ally, token incentives within blockchain ecosystems reward<br />
applications.<br />
automatically trigger actions or alerts when violations occur.<br />
them a powerful tool for enhancing efficiency and trust in a<br />
participants for their contributions, aligning interests and<br />
Additionally, blockchain’s cryptographic security ensures<br />
wide range of industries.<br />
encouraging community involvement. The result is a culture<br />
4. Transparency – blockchain technology offers unprecedented<br />
data integrity and privacy, aiding in regulatory reporting and<br />
where stakeholders actively shape the technology’s direction,<br />
transparency by creating a tamper-resistant and immuta-<br />
audits. Industries subject to stringent compliance require-<br />
11. The Web3 trend, powered by blockchain technology,<br />
creating a dynamic and inclusive environment that drives<br />
ble ledger of transactions. This transparency ensures that<br />
ments, such as financial services and healthcare, can benefit<br />
envisions a decentralized and user-centric internet. In<br />
innovation and resilience in blockchain networks.<br />
information whether it’s financial transactions, supply chain<br />
significantly from blockchain, as it simplifies and accelerates<br />
Web3, users have greater control over their data and digital<br />
events, voting records, can be verified by anyone with access<br />
compliance procedures, reduces the risk of errors, and en-<br />
identities, while blockchain-based applications (DApps) offer<br />
to the blockchain network. The decentralized nature means<br />
hances trust with regulators and stakeholders.<br />
services without relying on central authorities. This paradigm<br />
that there is no single point of control, reducing the risk of<br />
shift aims to replace traditional web platforms with trust-<br />
manipulation or fraud. This newfound transparency promotes<br />
8. Identity Management – Blockchain technology offers<br />
less, open-source networks, fostering greater transparency,<br />
The Waste 2 Wealth Strategy uses blockchain<br />
trust, accountability and integrity fostering a more open and<br />
innovative solutions for identity management by enabling<br />
privacy, and security. Tokenization and digital assets play a<br />
technology to enhance security, traceability, efficiency,<br />
honest digital environment. All transactions are visible in real<br />
secure, self-sovereign digital identities. Users can control<br />
central role in Web3 economies, enabling new business mod-<br />
incentives, and automation through smart contracts.<br />
time.<br />
their personal information and selectively share it with trusted<br />
els and digital ecosystems. While Web3 promises to disrupt<br />
parties without relying on centralized authorities. Decentral-<br />
the current internet landscape, it also faces challenges like<br />
The tokenization process democratizes investments<br />
5. Privacy and Opacity – blockchain technology provides a<br />
ized identifiers (DIDs) and verifiable credentials are used to<br />
scalability, regulation, and user adoption, which need to be<br />
and communities become involved in the governance<br />
unique blend of privacy and opacity. It achieves this bal-<br />
create and manage these identities. This approach enhances<br />
addressed for its full realization.<br />
process. The carbon credits will be tracked and traded<br />
ance through cryptographic techniques, ensuring that data<br />
privacy, reduces the risk of identity theft, and simplifies iden-<br />
through the blockchain, ensuring transparency and<br />
is secure and confidential while still being part of the public<br />
tity verification processes. It is particularly valuable in sectors<br />
12. Collaborative culture and the role of community – Blockchain<br />
trust. Peer-to-peer transfers democratize access and<br />
ledger. Users can have pseudonymous identities, safeguard-<br />
like healthcare, finance, and online services, where robust<br />
technology fosters a collaborative culture by emphasizing<br />
to benefits for the community.<br />
ing their personal information, yet their transactions and<br />
identity management is essential. Blockchain technology<br />
community-driven development and governance. Decen-<br />
traceable and verifiable. Additionally private or permissioned<br />
ensures that individuals have greater control over their digital<br />
tralized networks rely on a community of users, developers,<br />
blockchains enable selective disclosure of data to authorized<br />
identities, fostering trust and security in the digital realm<br />
and validators who collectively make decisions, propose<br />
participants, maintaining sensitive information’s confidentiali-<br />
while mitigating issues associated with centralized identity<br />
ty. This duality of privacy and transparency is particularly val-<br />
providers.<br />
uable in scenarios like financial transactions, where individuals<br />
and entities seek to protect their identities and sensitive<br />
9. Governance – Blockchain technology introduces novel forms<br />
details while benefiting from the security and immutability<br />
of governance through decentralized autonomous organi-<br />
that the blockchain offers.<br />
zations (DAOs) and smart contracts. These systems allow<br />
for transparent, rule-based decision-making, often without<br />
6. Traceability and Time Stamping – Blockchain technology<br />
a central authority. Participants in a blockchain network<br />
offers powerful traceability and time-stamping capabilities.<br />
collectively determine protocol upgrades, code changes,<br />
Every transaction or piece of data entered into a blockchain<br />
and transaction validations, fostering a more democratic and<br />
is precisely time-stamped, creating an immutable record of<br />
inclusive governance model. Additionally, blockchain-based<br />
when it occurred. This feature ensures a transparent and<br />
voting systems offer secure and tamper-resistant methods<br />
auditable history, crucial for supply chain management,<br />
for elections and referendums. These innovations can reduce<br />
provenance tracking, and compliance verification. Through<br />
corruption, improve transparency, and empower individuals<br />
the blockchain’s distributed ledger, stakeholders can trace<br />
to participate actively in the governance of networks and<br />
the origin and journey of products, assets, or information with<br />
organizations, disrupting traditional hierarchies and promot-<br />
unparalleled accuracy. This not only enhances accountability<br />
ing fair and accountable decision-making in a wide range of<br />
but also facilitates rapid response in case of issues, such as<br />
sectors.<br />
product recalls or fraudulent activities. The traceability and<br />
time-stamping features of blockchain technology give organ-<br />
10. Smart Contracts – Smart contracts are self-executing con-<br />
izations and individuals valuable insight into the life cycle of<br />
tracts with predefined rules and conditions that automatically<br />
data or assets, fostering trust and efficiency across various<br />
execute when these conditions are met. Enabled by block-<br />
domains.<br />
chain technology, they offer a revolutionary way to conduct<br />
and automate agreements, reducing the need for intermedi-<br />
7. Compliance – Blockchain technology offers a powerful<br />
aries. Smart contracts ensure trust and transparency, as their<br />
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WASTE 2 WEALTH<br />
TECHNOLOGY<br />
The new technology is designed to turn the unrecyclable<br />
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turning Waste 2 Wealth, protecting the environment, and<br />
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Waste 2 Wealth is a dynamic and sustainable strategy that<br />
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The molecular disintegrator can process city waste,<br />
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194 195
Waste 2 Wealth has many benefits. It reduces the<br />
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DEMOCRATIZING WEALTH<br />
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Waste 2 Wealth strategy can be financed through the tokenization<br />
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The Waste 2 Wealth Strategy uses revolutionary<br />
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The new technology turns city waste, sludge from<br />
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196 197
WE NEED MORE FOCUS<br />
TO CREATE EUROPEAN<br />
UNICORNS<br />
Why does Europe find it hard to turn inventions into successful<br />
innovations and get our companies into the top 10 global tech<br />
companies? Innovation platform Living Tomorrow asked that<br />
question to no fewer than 15 (international) decision makers<br />
during an animated debate at the opening of its new Innovation<br />
Campus. Joachim De Vos, managing partner and co-chairman<br />
of Living Tomorrow, was happy to draw some interesting conclusions.<br />
“We need to focus more on a few selected developments<br />
– research, people and capital – to market them effectively and<br />
successfully, and to create our own European ‘unicorns’ within<br />
the next 5 to 10 years.”<br />
Innovation and future-proofing are increasingly important<br />
topics for companies, governments and organisations. Europe<br />
is firmly committed to it. Through the Next Generation Europe<br />
programme, Europe is investing no less than EUR 800 billion in<br />
innovation – mainly in digitalisation and climate change solutions.<br />
And that still needs some work in Europe. For instance, we can<br />
see that no European company ranks among the top 10 global<br />
tech players, even though we count ourselves among the world’s<br />
top innovators. So, there is a gap between being good at inventing<br />
and scoring in successful innovation.<br />
“According to the 2022 Europe Innovation Scoreboard (EIS),<br />
we are doing better and better: our European ‘innovation performance’<br />
– based on parameters such as intellectual impact,<br />
funding and digitalisation – has increased by almost 10 percent<br />
since 2015,” Joachim De Vos explains. “We have improved our<br />
position against our global counterparts. And Belgium is also<br />
doing well: we are labelled ‘innovation leader’ and we are fifth<br />
in the ranking of most innovative countries.”<br />
“However, we should view this EIS with due scepticism. The<br />
system mainly looks at inputs and not outputs. And the latter<br />
is needed for successful innovation. Sweden, for example, has<br />
been the absolute number one for years according to the EIS,<br />
but if you look at what those inputs effectively produce in terms<br />
of innovation stimulation, Sweden only lands in 22nd place. It will<br />
be crucial for Europe to pursue the right definition of innovation.<br />
We are good at inventing, but an invention only becomes innovation<br />
when it is widely applied and sold.”<br />
What can we do about it? Here are some interesting observations<br />
from the innovation debate with 15 decision makers.<br />
OBSERVATION 1: THE RIGHT TIMING OF<br />
INNOVATION IS KEY<br />
Must you be a first mover to win the innovation race? Or is it<br />
better to wait and see what happens as a fast follower? “There is<br />
obviously something to be said for both. The panel was divided<br />
on this point,” says De Vos. If you invest heavily in a new technology,<br />
you may well end up being overtaken by the competition<br />
or by another (global) player. For example, there are companies<br />
that have invested a lot in large language models with the intention<br />
of making this a revenue model, but these investments have<br />
been completely undermined by the arrival of ChatGPT.<br />
On the other hand, sometimes it is also very important to claim<br />
your spot before the competition does. If you depend on a<br />
198 199
certain part of the infrastructure, like for example a fibre network<br />
for 5G and 6G, which Proximus is rolling out now, you do have to<br />
be the first to jump on it. But the very best infrastructure only becomes<br />
successful when smart cloud applications run widely on<br />
it. That is why Proximus follows a dual strategy: investing in top<br />
infrastructure and at the same time rolling out the cloud services<br />
of the future with customers.<br />
But you do not always have to be the first with the technology<br />
to make a difference. You can also use existing technology in<br />
a different way and be first to do so. For example, the Port of<br />
Antwerp-Bruges is now the first port to deploy drones to monitor<br />
where maintenance is needed. And our partner BDO, for example,<br />
has developed a tool that provides automated advice on a<br />
company’s energy costs based on AI.<br />
You do not necessarily have to be the first, but you do have to<br />
keep up with what is happening in terms of technology. And<br />
above all, use it creatively. The right timing is not only important<br />
to avoid falling behind technologically, it also determines how<br />
your company embraces innovation. Nobody wants to become a<br />
second Kodak.<br />
OBSERVATION 2: SUCCESSFUL INNOVATIONS<br />
SHOULD DRIVE SUSTAINABILITY<br />
To become successful, new technology must above all fit into a<br />
social purpose. “Sustainability is absolutely paramount in this,”<br />
says Joachim De Vos. “We need to evolve towards a CO2-neutral<br />
world as soon as possible, and technology will play a crucial<br />
role in achieving this. For instance, thanks to smart control and<br />
monitoring of our water systems, Farys can cope with floods as<br />
well as droughts.<br />
Today, we can also store drinking water underground and turn<br />
brackish water or sea water into energy-efficient potable water.<br />
Building materials can also be individually tagged so that they<br />
become traceable and easier to recycle upon demolition, as construction<br />
company Cordeel and window manufacturer Schüco<br />
are doing, for example. These are basic principles needed for<br />
circular construction to succeed.”<br />
Safety and health are also important drivers of innovation. “For<br />
example, water dispensers from BWT have filters that alert owners<br />
when they need replacement, to prevent people from drinking<br />
contaminated water. There are also more and more predictive<br />
200 201
management systems where machines or materials can generate<br />
“Creativity, boldness and inventiveness need to be rewarded<br />
an alert when they need maintenance. And drones and robots<br />
more. This is going to make all the difference with the pervasive<br />
will play a major role in surveillance as our partner Securitas<br />
automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) coming, as consultants<br />
proves.”<br />
Sopra Steria and HR partner Group S are pointing out. These<br />
technologies will help us move away from manual and repetitive<br />
The government has an important role to play here. “On the<br />
tasks towards greater efficiency, so that we have time to exper-<br />
one hand in terms of regulation: a (legal and fiscal) framework<br />
iment and develop, and to cultivate human relationships. That<br />
must be created to enable new technologies. On the other hand,<br />
is why we need to develop new skills, in terms of digitalisation,<br />
stimulation is needed: innovations that improve sustainability and<br />
creativity and soft skills.”<br />
safety, for example, should be encouraged and possibly subsidised.<br />
This is exactly what the Department of Mobility and Public<br />
Works indicates.”<br />
OBSERVATION 4: MORE FOCUS AND RISK IN<br />
INVESTMENTS<br />
OBSERVATION 3: NEW SKILLS NEEDED TO EXCEL<br />
To truly excel and innovate, we obviously need to invest. “The<br />
capital for this is available. But we spread it too much”, Joachim<br />
Our way of training and assessment must change if we want to<br />
De Vos points out. “Everyone gets a share, but no one gets<br />
increase our capacity for innovation. “We still focus too much on<br />
enough to really grow. We need to dare focus on a few selected<br />
the average. It’s a culture of mediocrity. To really move towards<br />
technological developments. Taking risks will deliver results. We<br />
an innovation culture, we must strive for excellence, as our<br />
see this in China and the United States.”<br />
Advisory Board chairman Jurgen Ingels points out. We must want<br />
to be the best and cultivate this in our education to compete with<br />
“If we do the right things and do them right, I am sure we will<br />
other superpowers, such as the United States and China, where<br />
this is inherent in the education system. Anyone can excel, each<br />
manage to have at least one but possibly even three European<br />
unicorns within five to ten years.”<br />
Indringingsweg 1, 1800 Vilvoorde / +32 2 263 01 31 / info@sapor.eu /<br />
sapor.eu<br />
at their own level and in their own sphere of interest. This also<br />
motivates.”<br />
More info on livingtomorrow.com<br />
Photos: Living Tomorrow<br />
202 203
MAX STUDENNIKOFF<br />
THE MISSION OF<br />
CC INVESTMENT FORUM IS<br />
TO MAKE THE WORLD<br />
A BETTER PLACE<br />
Max Studennikoff is the founder of the Climate Change Forum<br />
years has been contributing towards forging this new model of<br />
– CC Forum in short. Since 2017 it has established itself as a<br />
entrepreneur who is more concerned with the long-term conse-<br />
leading investor conference in this important sector, helping to<br />
quences of both environmental and social impacts, rather than<br />
raise funds for innovative change drivers and awareness. Dieter<br />
making short-term profits. The attitude of investors – I am talking<br />
Brockmeyer, Co-Founder of <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong> Institute, talked to<br />
about institutional investors as well as private investors, angel<br />
him about his vision and the state of the world.<br />
investors, VC capital firms, family offices – is that the attention is<br />
being directed towards that.<br />
WE HAD A YEAR OF DEVASTATING FLOODS AND<br />
WILDFIRES IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD. IT<br />
WAS A HORRIBLE YEAR. WHAT CAN THE CLIMATE<br />
CHANGE FORUM DO ABOUT THAT?<br />
Only five years ago, people laughed at me: “Max, another green<br />
conference? Come on, give us a break, it is such a crowded<br />
space.” I am only a humble event organizer, there is obviously a<br />
lot of teamwork involved. I am by far not the only pebble on the<br />
Different countries experience the impacts of climate change on<br />
a different scale. What might be seen with a bit of positivity: in<br />
Norway, for example, a couple of years ago they branched off<br />
into planting cherry trees. This would have been unimaginable<br />
20 or 30 years back. And winemaking is returning to the UK<br />
beach. It is kind of a paradox because investors who had been<br />
sceptical, are now nudging us, not the other way around. That<br />
is the main momentum that the forum has gained so far. And,<br />
obviously, we are no longer in the embryonic state and not in the<br />
toddler state either. But we still have a long way to go. Because<br />
it is nowhere near the speed and pace we should really look at if<br />
DOES THE GROWING DISCUSSION ABOUT<br />
NATURAL CAPITAL AND HOW TO CREATE AN<br />
UNDERSTANDING OF THE VALUE OF NATURAL<br />
ASSETS ALSO SUPPORT YOUR PLATFORM?<br />
On the contrary, we benefit from this backdrop. Every senior<br />
thought leader and many Heads of States and Government will<br />
be heading to Dubai anyway. We are a complement – or supplement<br />
– focusing on the investment niche. We focus on investment<br />
and startups. That is the other very important aspect.<br />
on an industrial scale, which is also quite weird. These can be<br />
we want to achieve tangible results in the near future.<br />
Without any doubt. The investors are getting increasingly choosy<br />
considered as “positive” impacts of the climate change, in no<br />
about where they invest, how they invest, whether it really has a<br />
The practicality of the CC Forum is connecting under one roof<br />
way comparable to the situation in other parts of the world that<br />
long-term environmental or social benefit. Since many are self-<br />
the savviest of the investors with the brightest of the startups.<br />
are very much hit by tragedies. It is undoubtedly the nations that<br />
less enough, they begin to think in terms of future generations,<br />
Our event will centre around the gala dinner and the awards cer-<br />
centre around the Equator that bear the brunt of climate change<br />
they all have their own children and grandchildren. I simply do<br />
emony, preceded by a series of workshops, and brainstorming<br />
which includes ever increasing droughts, floods, wild fires and<br />
not wish my children to be fighting for food and water in 20 or 30<br />
sessions during a two-day period.<br />
hurricanes.<br />
years. It is as simple as that. That is the really important factor.<br />
CAN YOU ALREADY SEE A MOMENTUM<br />
DEVELOPING OUT OF YOUR INITIATIVE?<br />
HOW DO YOU OPERATE?<br />
We normally hold one or two annual editions. A CC Forum edition<br />
CC FORUM BEEN ENDORSED BY MANY<br />
IMPORTANT FIGUREHEADS. CAN YOU GIVE<br />
SOME EXAMPLES?<br />
Absolutely. What had not been possible 10 or 15 years ago,<br />
is typically a four or five-day event which is stuffed with vari-<br />
Indeed, it has been endorsed or patronised by quite a few fig-<br />
even five years back, is possible now. There are several factors<br />
ous sorts of plenary sessions, roundtables, investor meetings,<br />
ureheads including his Serene Highness Prince Albert of Monaco<br />
really working towards that. As you rightly pointed out, over the<br />
gala dinners, receptions... We intersperse these with a series of<br />
(2020), His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister<br />
past years we have seen a drastic rise in the number of natural<br />
investors’ dinners and business speed dating sessions all around<br />
of the Kingdom of Bahrain (2022) and Prime Minister of Malta<br />
disasters. I would think that what really helped was this: the<br />
the world. We take the forum to different countries. What we will<br />
(2019) to make but a few. We even received a short greeting by<br />
COVID pause and reset were like nature telling all of us: “Do not<br />
be doing during COP28 in Dubai is not a full-fledged four-day<br />
the late monarch Queen Elizabeth. This really helped a lot. The<br />
run too fast, think twice of what you are doing.” Answering your<br />
event because we do not wish to be in competition with them,<br />
ball is rolling and the momentum is there, but, as mentioned,<br />
question, it is a resounding yes. Because what the CC Forum<br />
particularly knowing that we are an apolitical event and the niche<br />
much is yet to be done.<br />
has been doing progressively and successfully over the last<br />
we occupy is an investment conference.<br />
204 205
GIVE US A LITTLE OF YOUR BACKGROUND.<br />
WHAT HAS BROUGHT YOU INTO THIS POSITION<br />
TO LAUNCH AND LEAD THE CC FORUM?<br />
I am normally not in the habit of speaking about myself, but I am<br />
very happy to speak about my brainchild. I have been wearing<br />
many hats in my life, and I have been an entrepreneur for over 30<br />
years. But it is all of secondary importance in comparison to CC<br />
Forum, a global initiative that we have been driving forward since<br />
2017. The whole concept of the forum was born over a cup of<br />
coffee with a very senior British official whilst in Davos.<br />
When you look at the <strong>World</strong> Economic Forum, it resembles a<br />
bit of a vanity fair where people tend to come to showcase their<br />
wealth. This is not what the world needs. However, it is still a<br />
global conference focusing on how you can invest into climate<br />
conservation. All political aspects left aside, this is the sort of<br />
things that form the backbone of our actions.<br />
Come for our great range of Volvo cars.<br />
Stay for our service and personal attention.<br />
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And from that time onwards, we have been building this up and<br />
I am very pleased to say that, six years later, it is governments<br />
which are vying to host our editions globally. Because they know<br />
how much value it can bring to them in terms of foreign direct<br />
investment. We are very keen to take the CC Forum to new<br />
heights.<br />
1,0 – 8,8 L/100 KM I 23 – 207 G CO 2 /KM (WLTP)<br />
Contact your dealer for information about your vehicle taxes.<br />
Environmental information RD 19/03/2004: www.volvocars.be<br />
Photos: Max Studennikoff<br />
206 207
PROF. RUDY AERNOUDT<br />
EUROPE: STILL ROOM<br />
FOR INDUSTRY?<br />
The one thing that the European Commission has surely<br />
Mechanism (CBAM) aims to avoid further offshoring, but why not<br />
achieved during the (first) Presidential term of Ursula Von Der<br />
go one step further and bring back the ‘offshore’ industry? Many<br />
Leyen is the European Green Deal, an ambitious goal for Europe<br />
industries turned their backs on Europe because of the high<br />
to become the world’s first carbon-neutral continent. And who<br />
wage costs but the world has changed. We have already referred<br />
can argue against it when we see, daily, the state of the planet?<br />
to the spectacular rise in Chinese wages and logistics costs.<br />
The fundamental question however is whether there is still room<br />
Moreover, producing in China and serving the European market<br />
for industry in an environment-driven Europe.<br />
from there is not really the most ecological choice. People want<br />
to produce and consume increasingly more locally, certainly<br />
INDUSTRY: PLEASE GO<br />
since the COVID-19 crisis.<br />
Rising costs, the environmental footprint and consumer aware-<br />
Photo: Prof. Rudy Aernoudt<br />
In the first decade of the 21st century industry had a bad<br />
reputation for polluting. Industry would rather be lost than rich.<br />
Between the year 2000 and 2010, 40 percent of companies with<br />
ness mean that the profits of offshoring are no longer compensated.<br />
Many companies would actually have an interest in returning.<br />
Based on an American study, it appeared that, if you look<br />
INDUSTRY: BE COMPETITIVE<br />
TOWARDS A LOYAL PLAYING FIELD<br />
50 employees or more left Europe wholly or partly, mainly in<br />
at the total cost of industry, 57 percent of the former offshore<br />
In addition, we must make European industry more competitive<br />
This brings me to the unfair competition. Take electric cars,<br />
search of low-wage countries. Logistical problems, excessive en-<br />
companies would have an economic interest in returning, i.e. to<br />
with further digitalization. The road is still long here. The resil-<br />
for example. As part of the Green Deal, electrification of our<br />
vironmental regulations, administrative burdens, tax regulations<br />
reshore. It would be no different for Europe, although we have no<br />
ience of the industry can increase through collaboration,<br />
car parts is crucial. Electric cars are batteries on wheels. But<br />
and the predominance of the unions all pushed industry out. The<br />
studies on the matter. Studies also show that active government<br />
alliances and ecosystems. A striking example is the alliance<br />
Chinese constructors are less respectful of environmental and<br />
result of this exodus is that the specific weight of industry is less<br />
policies can promote reshoring, not through subsidies but, for<br />
that the Commission has set up in the field of chips and sem-<br />
social issues, and compete with European companies that have<br />
than 20 percent of the GDP in Europe.<br />
example, through return guidance, such as identifying suitable<br />
iconductors. The market share of these strategic products is<br />
to scrupulously respect those issues, and are obliged to report<br />
industrial sites or training suitable personnel.<br />
barely 9 percent of global capacity. By setting up an alliance of<br />
annually in this respect. Global markets are now flooded with<br />
This average hides big differences between, for example, coun-<br />
companies from the entire value chain between different compa-<br />
cheaper Chinese electric cars. And their price is kept artificially<br />
tries such as Belgium or France, where the weight of industry<br />
So, let us start an active reshoring policy in Europe and set up<br />
nies and countries, Europe wants to increase this to 20 percent<br />
low by huge state subsidies. The same happened with solar<br />
is now only about 15 percent, whereas at the other end of the<br />
a tailor-made industry policy 4.0 to realize this objective. For<br />
by 2030. Leuven’s IMEC is one of the companies spearheading<br />
panels.<br />
spectrum, in countries such as Germany or regions like the<br />
example, a company that has left Belgium, Germany or France<br />
that alliance. Such an alliance is necessary.<br />
Basque Country, industry represents 25 percent of GDP. The<br />
because of wage costs could now return due to the changed<br />
One cannot create a level playing field if not all the players have<br />
UK takes a middle position with 19 percent. But is an economy<br />
circumstances. Case by case, we could examine what could<br />
Just think of car companies, such as Volvo Car Gent, a Belgian-<br />
to respect the same rules. Therefore, Europe should impose the<br />
whereby 75 to 85 percent of its GDP is composed of services<br />
enable the company to decide to reshore. If the wage difference<br />
based car factory, which was shut down for months in 2021 be-<br />
proof of compliance with the strict European rules, on all prod-<br />
or “services to services”, respectively the third and the fourth<br />
remains a decisive factor, as is the case with mass production,<br />
cause the chip supply from China failed – ironic for a 50 percent<br />
ucts entering the European single market.<br />
sector, a sustainable model?<br />
for example, the return may not go to the country of origin, but<br />
Chinese-owned company. This philosophy reflects the aim of<br />
to a low-wage country within Europe, such as Bulgaria, Croatia<br />
making Europe the home of industry as set out in the industrial<br />
An open market in which parties do not compete with the same<br />
INDUSTRY: PLEASE COME BACK<br />
or Romania, where the labour cost is three times lower than in<br />
Belgium or Germany (EUR 14/hour compared to EUR 42/hour),<br />
countries that today can compete with countries such as China<br />
strategy updated by the Commission in May 2021. The objective<br />
is a digital, green and resilient European industry.<br />
weapons is no longer a win–win. Anyone who conquers the<br />
European market through social dumping practices, subsidies<br />
or by flouting environmental considerations is not respecting<br />
The exodus came to a halt during the last decade, partly<br />
or Vietnam without any problems.<br />
The recovery fund of EUR 750 billion should give a boost to this.<br />
the same rules of the game. Hence my proposal to replace the<br />
because of the rising wage costs in China and the spectacular<br />
And the climate fund of EUR <strong>72</strong> billion, supplemented by emis-<br />
concept of a level playing field with the concept of a loyal playing<br />
increases in logistics costs. A container from China to Europe<br />
But let us not forget that due to far-reaching digitalization,<br />
sion rights, should also bring solace. All this leads to favourable<br />
field. Anyone wishing to enter the European market with goods<br />
has become up to twenty times more expensive in recent years,<br />
labour costs make up an increasingly limited share of the total<br />
future prospects for industry, something that has not escaped<br />
or services is welcome as long as that country respects the same<br />
while labour costs have increased by 300 percent in ten years<br />
costs. Europe could therefore pursue an active reshoring policy,<br />
the attention of the Americans. There is however a danger that<br />
social achievements and the same environmental criteria. Such<br />
(between 2005 and 2016). The question now is whether this<br />
analogous to the reshoring agencies in the United States and the<br />
the Inflation Reduction Act and the Green deal leads to a subsidy<br />
an approach is particularly required with regard to the ambition<br />
exodus will resume because ambitious climate targets could also<br />
United Kingdom. Unfortunately, it is too afraid of incurring the<br />
race amongst continents, which would, as most economic<br />
to make Europe the first CO2-neutral continent. If all industry<br />
drive out remaining industry, or whether, on the other hand, there<br />
accusation of protectionism, which is a geopolitical choice, not<br />
models show, lead to inefficient use of public funds and further<br />
disappears from Europe, it will no longer pollute. Industrial policy<br />
is an opportunity for companies. The Carbon Border Adjustment<br />
an economic one.<br />
increase public deficits.<br />
must go hand in hand with foreign economic policy.<br />
208 209
In addition, it is important that Europe maintains its independence<br />
in strategic sectors. Open strategic autonomy should not<br />
BY WAY OF CONCLUSION<br />
be an idle word here, but lead to political action at the European<br />
If one delocalises all industry, it is certain that the climate objec-<br />
level. Fortunately, COVID-19 has opened our eyes here. Europe,<br />
tives in Europe will be attained. But this is not a lasting model<br />
for all its industrial talent, was unable to produce simple masks<br />
for Europe. The Green deal should therefore not only become<br />
because all the relevant production capacity had been delocal-<br />
a Green and Industrial deal, but targets in the field of climate<br />
ized.<br />
should be accompanied by targets for the share of industry.<br />
And the Ukraine crisis put a finger on unacceptable energy<br />
We must prove that modernisation and decarbonisation can go<br />
dependence.<br />
hand in hand, as Ursula Von Der Leyen stated in her State of the<br />
Union 2023. I propose therefore that Europe strives to have 25<br />
Foreign investment and trade policy should therefore be aimed at<br />
bringing back industry and based on the preservation of an open<br />
percent of its GDP based on industry.<br />
Indringingsweg 1, 1800 Vilvoorde / +32 2 263 01 31 / info@sapor.eu /<br />
sapor.eu<br />
market, but only for those who respect the rules of the game in<br />
Only in this way will we have a sustainable model for Europe,<br />
the market. It takes political courage to impose social and envi-<br />
guaranteeing welfare for its citizens and well-being for the planet.<br />
ronmental rules on a trading partner such as China, but that too<br />
Isn’t that what sustainability is about?<br />
should be possible thanks to the European Union.<br />
210 211
FRANK E.P. DIEVERNICH<br />
SOCIAL TOGETHERNESS IN OUR CITY,<br />
THAT’S WHAT WE WERE FOUNDED FOR<br />
Professor Frank E. P. Dievernich is chairman of the Stiftung<br />
Polytechnische Gesellschaft (Polytechnic Foundation) in Frankfurt<br />
am Main, which was established to support the urban society<br />
in Germany’s financial centre. He discusses this unique structure<br />
and its much older parent organization, the Polytechnische<br />
Gesellschaft e. V. (Polytechnic Society), with Dieter Brockmeyer,<br />
co-founder of <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong> Institute.<br />
FROM THE OUTSIDE, YOUR ORGANIZATION’S<br />
STRUCTURE LOOKS RATHER UNUSUAL. THERE IS<br />
THE POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY AND THE POLYTECH-<br />
NIC FOUNDATION OF WHICH YOU ARE CHAIR-<br />
MAN. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THIS A LITTLE?<br />
The Polytechnic Society is the starting point. It was founded in<br />
1816 by dedicated citizens who wanted to do something for the<br />
City of Frankfurt. They created the Sunday School for craftsmen,<br />
for instance. The challenge was how to train them in accounting,<br />
languages or calligraphy, skills which sound ancient to us but<br />
were very important at that time. The other major accomplishment<br />
was the founding of a local public bank, the “Sparkasse<br />
von 1822”, so that citizens could save the money they earned<br />
and the bank could work with these funds.<br />
USUALLY, FOUNDATIONS ARE CREATED THE<br />
OTHER WAY AROUND<br />
Indeed. And the Museum of Applied Arts (Museum Angewandte<br />
Kunst Frankfurt) also has its roots in the Society. Johann Wolfgang<br />
von Goethe, for instance, was an honorary member. I do<br />
not want to drop names, but it illustrates that civil engagement<br />
has always been an important issue in Frankfurt. Polytechnic is<br />
a term that comes from the Age of Enlightenment, meaning that<br />
people have many skills and talents, a combination of head and<br />
hands. Language skills are very important from the polytechnic<br />
perspective. The Society was founded in 1816. It founded<br />
the bank in 1822 and, to come to today, 18 years ago, in 2005,<br />
this bank was sold and the shareholders decided to give the<br />
proceeds as capital for a new foundation, the one I am heading<br />
today. The Society is the parent organization, and the Foundation<br />
is the most important subsidiary because it holds the capital.<br />
THAT MEANS YOU FINANCE THE SOCIETY?<br />
No, but we support some of the other subsidiaries with the existing<br />
infrastructure. The subsidiaries are generally entities of their<br />
own, such as the Cultural Forum (Kuratorium Kulturelles Frankfurt)<br />
or the Bee Institute (Bieneninstitut). However, the Foundation is<br />
the largest entity. And here as well, we return to our polytechnic<br />
roots. We focus on the City of Frankfurt and invest the return<br />
on our capital in specific areas: language education in is one<br />
example; science and technology are another that also includes<br />
support for the craft sector. A third area is our civil engagement,<br />
where we offer a Civil Academy and scholarship programs. We<br />
also have the area of humanitarian and charitable work with<br />
the Welcome Days for New Parents (“Willkommenstage in der<br />
frühen Elternzeit”), a project that supports families after the birth<br />
of a child and in the first year of its life. Another area is cultural<br />
heritage and the arts.<br />
These are the main four areas, and we are always driven by the<br />
idea of enlightenment, humanism and education. Looking back<br />
at the last nine months, we focused on this even more with our<br />
slogan “Wir bauen am Wir” [We are building on us]. We, the<br />
Foundation, are building on “us”, meaning the big social “us”.<br />
This highlights the direction in which we are moving forward.<br />
Social togetherness in our city, that’s what we were founded for.<br />
This is underpinned by a second objective, personal development.<br />
Everything in which we invest our money should foster<br />
personal development and strengthen social participation.<br />
IN GERMANY, FRANKFURT IS KNOWN AS<br />
SOMETHING LIKE THE FOUNDATION CAPITAL.<br />
HOW DOES THIS AFFECT YOUR WORK?<br />
There is a debate about this. Some say Frankfurt ranks first.<br />
Depending on how you count, total number of foundations or<br />
foundations per citizen, we rank among the first four. The total<br />
number of currently active foundations in Frankfurt is close to<br />
700, some dating back to the 13th century. It is not only the number<br />
but also the diversity, with foundations close to corporations<br />
to civil foundations. When talking to international guests, this is<br />
something special that needs to be mentioned and that strongly<br />
affects the atmosphere in this city.<br />
LET’S COME BACK TO YOUR FOUNDATION.<br />
WHAT ARE YOUR MAJOR PROJECTS?<br />
I think that Germany generally succeeds in including most citizens<br />
in our education system. But there is a problem with people<br />
who are left outside the system. That is where we need to do<br />
something – and for those who are at the top, the “elites”. These<br />
are the groups we put an increased focus on in the coming years.<br />
Education projects like Deutschsommer or the Diesterweg<br />
Scholarship are especially important in a multinational city like<br />
Frankfurt and the surrounding region. Each year, Deutschsommer<br />
accepts 160 schoolchildren in the third grade who require language<br />
coaching. Over three weeks, they have not only German<br />
lessons but also drama classes, and they explore the city. These<br />
kids, some of whom would not have the chance to go on vacation,<br />
get to enjoy some real action. All of them take a giant step<br />
forward after this program. To enable them to succeed in the<br />
fourth grade and to make it into the fifth means huge progress.<br />
For the Diesterweg Scholarship, named after the educator who<br />
was one of the founders of the Polytechnic Society, we not only<br />
focus on individuals but on the entire family. Parents are becoming<br />
coaches for their children’s education.<br />
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PROJECTS IN THE<br />
OTHER AREAS YOU ARE WORKING IN?<br />
For science and technology, I can mention the Saturday School<br />
(“Samstagsschule für begabte Handwerker”), which used to<br />
be the Sunday School and goes back to the beginning of the<br />
Society, to support talented craftsmen and craftswomen. Via<br />
scholarships, we support them on their path to establishing their<br />
own businesses, help them to create their business plans, to<br />
improve their presentation skills, etc. In the area of civic engagement,<br />
I would like to mention the District Ambassadors (“Stadtteil-Botschafter”),<br />
usually young people who want to accomplish<br />
something for their neighbourhoods. They notice that something<br />
is missing and act accordingly. We help them, for instance, to<br />
set up a bicycle repair workshop, a school café or a skateboard<br />
parkour, in cooperation with the city.<br />
In our main humanitarian project, in cooperation with the German<br />
Child Protection Association (Deutscher Kinderschutzbund), all<br />
six local maternity clinics are our partners. Trained social workers<br />
(“Babylotsen”) screen 85 percent of all births in Frankfurt and ask<br />
the mothers, some of them single, how they are doing. If they<br />
need support, they immediately put them in touch with relevant<br />
institutions. We do that to give the very youngest a relatively<br />
good start in our society.<br />
I would also like to give an example from the area of cultural<br />
heritage: For many years, we have had district historians<br />
(“Stadtteil-Historiker”). That’s a scholarship too. Everybody can<br />
apply for it to explore the history of specific buildings or anything<br />
else in their neighbourhood. We do that together with a local<br />
Frankfurt newspaper that then reports about it. If you know all<br />
these things, you can identify much better with your surroundings,<br />
with streets, houses and people.<br />
I want to mention a last project that is connected with our<br />
understanding of democracy, the “Junge [Young] Paulskirche”<br />
[St. Paul’s Church in Frankfurt, where the first German parliament<br />
met in 1848], where we discuss current issues with young people,<br />
teaching them to argue and find compromises.<br />
YOU HAVE MORE IN THE PIPELINE FOR THE<br />
FUTURE. CAN YOU GIVE US A GLIMPSE?<br />
As I mentioned earlier, in the coming years we will increase our<br />
focus on education. For pupils, we hope to launch a program on<br />
emotional intelligence next year. In education, we have always<br />
had this cognitive approach but are noticing that, for instance,<br />
the tone in social media is getting rougher. We therefore think<br />
that schools should also teach empathy and social skills. We are<br />
thinking about a project for principals who want to reflect about<br />
the school of tomorrow. This will be another scholarship where<br />
we want to bring together like-minded heads of schools who<br />
want to take the future into their own hands. In addition, we want<br />
to go into schools with craftsmen and craftswomen to teach<br />
practical skills and promote crafts as a career. These are just<br />
some examples of what we intend to add to our project portfolio.<br />
212 213
DR. BOLA OLABISI<br />
FROM THE CLIMATE CRISES<br />
TO FOOD SHORTAGES,<br />
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING,<br />
ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY,<br />
WOMEN ARE DEVELOPING<br />
GROUND-BREAKING AND NOVEL CONCEPTS,<br />
PROJECTS, SERVICES AND PRODUCTS<br />
THAT REALLY MATTER<br />
Dr. Bola Olabisi founded the Global Women Inventors & Innova-<br />
pand into Europe and changed our name to the European Wom-<br />
tors Network (WIIN) 25 years ago in the United Kingdom and acts<br />
en Inventors and Innovators Network. It did not take long before<br />
as its CEO. Today it is a global network that has grown into an<br />
other countries outside Europe took an interest, so we became a<br />
inspirational gathering of leading exceptional creative, inventive,<br />
global network. A lot has happened in 25 years, we have had our<br />
and innovative women and male champions from across the<br />
fair share of ups and down but overall a lot of achievements we<br />
globe. <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong> Institute co-founder Dieter Brockmeyer<br />
are proud of.<br />
talked to Dr. Olabisi about the progress and the challenges women<br />
experience in this space.<br />
A QUARTER OF A CENTURY OF YOUR GLOBAL<br />
WOMEN’S ORGANIZATION, QUITE AN ACCOM-<br />
PLISHMENT. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF OF<br />
GLOBAL WIIN?<br />
It stands for Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network.<br />
When we first started in the UK 25 years ago, we called it the<br />
British Female Inventors Network. We came together as women,<br />
HOW MANY WOMEN ARE CELEBRATING<br />
WITH YOU?<br />
I believe we have grown into thousands over the years, and that<br />
each feels that we have accomplished a great deal. A key feature<br />
of our network is our shared vision and intellectual capacity<br />
to tackle global issues with powerful collective world-leading<br />
organisations, thinkers, and creatives. This has assisted us in our<br />
bid to increase the percentage of women inventors and promote<br />
the importance of intellectual property, equity and commercial-<br />
matter where there are challenges, crises or a need to create a<br />
better quality of life. From the climate crises to food shortage,<br />
health and well-being, energy and to creating a more sustainable<br />
environment, women are developing ground-breaking and novel<br />
concepts, projects, services and products that really matter.<br />
Photo: Dr. Bola Olabisi<br />
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE THREATENS INTEL-<br />
LECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS, NOT ONLY FOR<br />
WOMEN. DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF HOW TO<br />
HANDLE THIS? IDEA OF HOW TO HANDLE THIS?<br />
a mixture of failed and successful inventors creating open and<br />
ization. The journey has proven there is a big gap around IP<br />
The platform provides the opportunity to hold conferences and<br />
We need to continue to advocate what we believe should be the<br />
constructive dialogue based on real and practical experienc-<br />
protection which include the understanding of the complexities<br />
showcases with various stakeholders all under one roof. These<br />
right way forward. Women should have a voice and we should be<br />
es, while fostering a better understanding of the world’s best<br />
of patents, design registration, trademarks, and copyrights. It<br />
include investors, product developers, patent attorneys, entre-<br />
at the table when these issues are discussed. I think there is a lot<br />
practices and policies that help with the advancement of many<br />
does not matter whether you have the most brilliant idea, unless<br />
preneurs, and the academic world. The journey is not an easy<br />
of blur areas that are unclear and needs regulation. However, AI<br />
ingenious services, processes, and products.<br />
you understand the steps needed to take it further it can be a<br />
one especially when you put in so much effort, money and face<br />
is here to stay and we need to capitalize on the positive aspects.<br />
fruitless journey.<br />
the setbacks that come when some people do not necessarily<br />
AI can be designed to make life easier, faster, better, but we must<br />
We came together with the main aim of building our capacity to<br />
believe in your invention. Inventors are sometimes stereotyped<br />
be aware of the negative side.<br />
succeed and to increase the share of women in the innovation<br />
I set up GlobalWIIN to provide a one stop shop to network, ac-<br />
and quite a number would rather be referred to as innovators or<br />
space. At the time there was no data that could be used as<br />
cess support and information as well as a platform that attracts<br />
entrepreneurs. I really do believe that we need to acknowledge,<br />
I believe there is so much more that remains uncovered in the<br />
evidence that women were participating as inventors. We found<br />
experts and specialist organizations like the Intellectual Property<br />
recognize, and appreciate inventors as without them, many items<br />
world of AI. We need a platform where we hold dialogue on<br />
that when we went to exhibitions, there were women, but very<br />
Awareness Network (IPAN) and the <strong>World</strong> Intellectual Property<br />
that make life easier for us today would not be available. A ma-<br />
issues like this, therefore we have created think-tanks where we<br />
few would claim to be inventors. Our call for inventors attracted<br />
Organization (WIPO). In the world that we live in today, women<br />
jority of inventions improve our quality of life and help make this<br />
brainstorm, analyse these issues, and can collaborate with the<br />
amazing women inventors across the UK. We soon began to ex-<br />
across the world are taking action and finding solutions that<br />
world a better place.<br />
academic institutions.<br />
214 215
Once we reach out into a new country or territory, we do our best<br />
to build strong relationships with various partner organizations.<br />
This has helped open many doors and created a far better understanding<br />
of open innovation, sustainability, equity, and commercialization.<br />
This has allowed us to address the misconceptions,<br />
the consequences, the ethical concerns and the untapped<br />
opportunities concerning women inventors and innovators. It has<br />
also provided a great opportunity to acknowledge and recognise<br />
the many ground-breaking contributions, while assisting with<br />
building capacity, sharing knowledge that can lead to tremendous<br />
social and economic impact.<br />
HOW DID YOU PERSONALLY COME INTO DOING<br />
WHAT YOU DO TODAY?<br />
I am a simple woman with a family consisting of my husband<br />
and children with little interest in the world of inventions at first. I<br />
however visited an exhibition fair here in London in 1998 and became<br />
fascinated by many of the inventions I saw. It was just by<br />
coincidence that I started asking the women who were displaying<br />
and asked them to explain the inventions they had on display.<br />
Their response revealed many of the inventions were owned by<br />
their husbands, male partners or in some cases their brothers or<br />
fathers. At the time, I could not find a single woman inventor.<br />
Be a member of ANADE<br />
WE ARE AT A TIME WHERE INNOVATION AND IN-<br />
VENTIONS ARE URGENTLY NEEDED, TO PROTECT<br />
THE PLANET, MAKING IT SUSTAINABLE. WHAT<br />
CHALLENGES DO YOU SEE HERE?<br />
There are lots of challenges, however we continue to work with<br />
governments, leading industry experts, voluntary organisations,<br />
educational establishments, and the private sector, to bridge<br />
the gender gap in this space and find effective ways of bringing<br />
support, tools and information to empower women in achieving<br />
significant growth.<br />
From building digital infrastructures, new science to low technology,<br />
high viability concepts and products. Some of the best<br />
inventions come from people that discover a problem and find a<br />
solution. I feel that a lot of organizations that offer funding should<br />
do much more than they are currently doing. They should reach<br />
out more to independent inventors and innovators and we are<br />
the voice that raises awareness that there is a lot going on.<br />
This spurred me on to meet with the organisers and asked why I<br />
was not able to pinpoint a single female inventor here. This was<br />
25 years ago, things have changed, at least slightly. I know a lot<br />
of women who are scientists and engineers coming up with great<br />
ideas. Why are we not celebrating them enough and putting<br />
them on the spotlight as role models?<br />
I found a mentor who had a brilliant magazine. I approached her<br />
and said that I lacked the money but felt that this is something<br />
we need to be doing. With the support of the Executive Women<br />
magazine, we were able to start. When we got the data, we<br />
found that only three percent of women had their inventions<br />
patented in the UK at the time.<br />
Today, it stands across the globe at approximately 12 percent.<br />
Support for inventors is generally slow and as a result we need to<br />
advocate for recognition and capacity building in many respects.<br />
The question is: who is brave enough to support female inventors?<br />
A LOT OF PEOPLE IN OUR SOCIETY FEAR THE<br />
WAVE OF INNOVATION THAT IS APPROACHING<br />
THEM, AND THEY FEEL THEY ARE LOSING THEIR<br />
COMFORT ZONES. HOW CAN WE HANDLE THIS?<br />
It is time that we have a consortium, specifically bringing the key<br />
stakeholders together. Many years ago, when we first started<br />
here in the UK, Lord Sainsbury (former UK Minister of Science<br />
and Innovation) had an innovation group within the Ministry with<br />
people like me, inventors and innovators. We brainstormed, they<br />
listened and new ways of raising awareness and creating support<br />
mechanisms relating to the innovation world were established.<br />
People are constantly having great ideas, constantly thinking out<br />
of the box, however government departments need to engage<br />
more with local communities, with organizations, nonprofit ones,<br />
such as mine in order to exploit and develop these great ideas. I<br />
find that this is a challenge that is worth addressing. Perhaps this<br />
is the hardest step, to get them to work with us.<br />
Photo: Dr. Bola Olabisi<br />
216 217
LUXURIOUS LOFTS<br />
IN THE HEART<br />
OF VILVOORDE<br />
WHAT ARE THE ORIGINS OF THE REAL ESTATE<br />
PROJECT ‘DE HEERENHUIZEN’?<br />
Imoya is a true advocate for urban core development and redevelopment<br />
projects. Our grand vision to optimize the town centre<br />
of Vilvoorde started with the real estate project ‘de Kantfabriek’.<br />
Later we further developed ‘Kantfabriek,’ and ‘de Heerenhuizen’<br />
truly is the crowning glory of this beautiful story. When we became<br />
aware that the old town houses, once the director’s residences<br />
of the Kantfabriek, were for sale and were being left to deteriorate,<br />
we did not hesitate. The conversion of these two buildings<br />
perfectly aligns with our ambition.<br />
WHAT MAKES THESE LOFTS SO UNIQUE?<br />
The ten individual lofts combine the best of two worlds: on the<br />
one hand, the charm and authenticity of the past thanks to the<br />
majestic façade and high ceilings, and on the other hand today’s<br />
comfort and sustainability.<br />
The old painter’s studio in the garden has been restored as a<br />
place where you can truly relax. You will be able to enjoy a summer<br />
cocktail, have a barbecue with friends, or watch the sunset<br />
after a hard day’s work. It’s also an ideal place to get to know<br />
your neighbours. In addition to the spacious communal garden,<br />
each flat has its own private outdoor area.<br />
The most distinctive feature of the lofts is the sense of space<br />
they exude. With ceilings up to 4.40 meters high, residents<br />
experience a feeling of spaciousness that is hard to match.<br />
At the same time, the houses are equipped with an up-to-date<br />
ventilation system, a heat pump, and underfloor heating, to make<br />
living in these lofts as comfortable as possible. With a home in<br />
‘de Heerenhuizen,’ you are set for now and for the future.<br />
The highlight of the project possibly is the beautiful communal<br />
garden, measuring a whopping 1,000 square meters. It is one of<br />
Vilvoorde’s largest private leafy green spaces.<br />
WHERE ARE THE LOFTS LOCATED?<br />
The project is situated in the Witherenstraat in Vilvoorde, right<br />
next to Leuvensestraat, the town’s main shopping street. With<br />
a location in the heart of the centre, everything is within walking<br />
distance. Supermarkets, fashion shops, the bakery, the pharmacy,<br />
the bus stop, the train station, and more... This proximity<br />
makes the lofts an ideal location. Moreover, thanks to excellent<br />
public transport connections, you can be in Brussels within ten<br />
minutes. You can experience the tranquillity and cosiness of a<br />
small town while finding yourself in our vibrant capital in no time.<br />
218 219
VISIT THE MODEL LOFT,<br />
A PERFECT REFLECTION<br />
OF STYLE AND CRAFTSMANSHIP<br />
TOGETHER WITH RENOWNED INTERIOR<br />
DESIGN BRAND FLAMANT,<br />
EVERY DETAIL HAS BEEN CAREFULLY<br />
CHOSEN TO CREATE A WARM ATMOSPHERE<br />
WHICH PROVIDES AN OASIS OF CALM IN<br />
THE HEART OF THE TOWN OF VILVOORDE.<br />
COME AND TAKE A CLOSER LOOK<br />
AT THE MODEL LOFT.<br />
YOU CAN SCHEDULE A VISIT BY<br />
SENDING AN EMAIL TO<br />
INFO@IMOYA.BE<br />
OR BY PHONE +32 (0)2 787 02 05<br />
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT<br />
WWW.DEHEERENHUIZEN.BE<br />
220 221
222 223
224 225
WHERE ART MEETS ARCHITECTURE<br />
SHINES IN UNIQUE<br />
RECONVERSION PROJECT<br />
THE HEERENHUIZEN IN VILVOORDE<br />
226 227
Royal Warrant Holder<br />
of the court of Belgium<br />
MAKE YOUR HOUSE<br />
A HOME WITH A TOUCH<br />
OF FLAMANT<br />
In the Belgian village of Herent, just a few minutes from Leuven,<br />
a residential area named Meadow is now part of the scenery.<br />
Designed by architects BINST and POLO and developed by<br />
BESIX RED and Vanhout Projects, this residential district covers<br />
58,000 m² and will provide 259 modern, energy-efficient apartments<br />
in a new attractive landscaped setting. The complex is<br />
being constructed in phases and the Dahlia building, finished in<br />
May 2023, has received special attention. A recent visit from interior<br />
design company Flamant turned one of its apartments into a<br />
unique show flat. It combines design, personality, and individual<br />
touches with harmonious elegance.<br />
WHAT ROLE DID FLAMANT PLAY IN THE MEADOW<br />
SHOW FLAT PROJECT?<br />
Together with BESIX RED, we wanted to do something<br />
different and unconventional. In just a few months, Flamant<br />
tackled redesigning the kitchen, laying out storage space,<br />
designing the bathroom and bedrooms, as well as choosing<br />
MICHÈLE BEERLANDT, WHO OVERSEES THE<br />
MEADOW PROJECT FOR FLAMANT, GUIDES<br />
US THROUGH THE DESIGN PROCESS.<br />
COULD YOU DESCRIBE FLAMANT IN A FEW<br />
WORDS?<br />
Flamant is a curator, creating atmospheres, concepts and experiences.<br />
In the past few years, the Flamant brand has struck a fine<br />
balance between tradition and innovation, between heritage and<br />
modern interior trends. Flamant’s speciality is offering interior<br />
architecture expertise alongside a very comprehensive range of<br />
products.<br />
Flamant and my studio, MBO Architecture, complement each<br />
other very well. Together, we have access to a vast range of<br />
furnishings and decorative objects made in Europe, giving our<br />
clients a broader selection of products to choose from. We like<br />
to always use handcrafted, vintage, and artisanal products in all<br />
our projects, to keep that human, authentic side. True perfection<br />
involves some imperfections.<br />
Michele Beerlandt<br />
Photo: Utku Pekli<br />
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all the furniture, objects, lighting, and window dressings. This is<br />
a show flat like no other. It proves we can create a very intimate<br />
atmosphere in a district that’s still being built.<br />
DID YOU PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION<br />
TO ANY ASPECTS OF THE PROJECT?<br />
COULD YOU GIVE OUR DIPLOMATIC WORLD<br />
READERS A FEW TIPS ON INTERIOR DESIGN?<br />
SOMETHING THEY CAN EASILY INTEGRATE<br />
IN THEIR OWN HOMES?<br />
I could give you so many, but here are my top three for a warm<br />
home.<br />
- Colour, colour, colour: do not be afraid to play with different<br />
HOME VISIT BY<br />
A FLAMANT INTERIOR EXPERT<br />
Want to give your home an autumn makeover,<br />
but don’t know where to start?<br />
The right styling is about so much more than adding a<br />
EXCLUSIVE SHOWROOM VISIT<br />
Curious to see the entire Flamant collection?<br />
Or maybe you’re considering giving your home,<br />
your second residence or your business a makeover?<br />
A visit to Flamant’s showroom is a feast for the senses –<br />
We looked in particular at harmonising colours and fabrics:<br />
shades and adapt them to the changing seasons and fashions.<br />
few new accessories. Flamant at Home provides expert<br />
from the alluring scents of the home fragrances<br />
these are Flamant’s trademarks. In terms of the colourways,<br />
If you have a room that feels too much like a white box, you<br />
and tailor-made interior design advice for<br />
to the rugged texture of the knots in the wooden tables<br />
we opted for a single-coloured wall per room to give a cosy,<br />
can paint one wall in a warm colour, or add coloured items like<br />
your family home, your second residence,<br />
– and an exceptional chance to see the entire range in<br />
contemporary feel. The warm powder shades from our finely<br />
plaids, cushions, bath towels, or flowers.<br />
or your business.<br />
professionally styled settings and décors.<br />
curated Flamant Paint palette contrast wonderfully with the white<br />
- Good lighting works wonders. Choose good basic lighting and<br />
walls. In the bright living room, we went for a warm atmosphere<br />
enhance it with ambient lighting.<br />
After an introductory meeting and a thorough<br />
Interested in an exclusive tour of the 1700 m2 showroom<br />
with dark woods, rattan accents and soft textures in the carpet,<br />
- Prioritise natural materials: rattan armchairs, terracotta planters<br />
analysis of your spaces, the stylists get to work on<br />
with professional guidance from our interior experts and/<br />
the window decorations and the sofa. The combination of the<br />
and greenery will give your decor a feeling of calm, both inside<br />
a personalised interior design proposal.<br />
or your own interior designer? Make an appointment for<br />
modern, sleek environment and the natural materials and colours<br />
and outside.<br />
From custom advice on (window) decorations,<br />
a personal tour at Diebeke 33 in Geraardsbergen,<br />
really gives a modern interpretation to cosiness. We then went in<br />
furniture, lighting, paint and wallpaper to a complete<br />
Belgium today via sales@flamant.com and discover<br />
search of special pieces that would add even more character to<br />
And do not forget that your interior is a window into your own<br />
interior design proposal for an entire room.<br />
our new, contemporary A/W collection.<br />
the rooms, such as the XL oil painting and matching statement<br />
personality. Don’t be afraid to be bold and add a personal touch.<br />
But Flamant’s expertise also extends to larger projects.<br />
pendant lamp.<br />
The complete design of a ski resort in Switzerland, the<br />
Photography Utku Pekli<br />
headquarters of a construction giant in Dubai, or a local<br />
Keeping in mind the target audience for these flats, we mainly<br />
embassy: Flamant at Home transforms any space into a<br />
chose furniture from our Charm and Vintage ranges.”<br />
warm and cosy home, both for private and<br />
professional customers.<br />
From the first sketch to the final touch, even during<br />
construction or renovation work, thanks to carefully<br />
selected partners specialising in bespoke work.<br />
FLAMANT ANTWERP<br />
Koetshuis van het Paleis op de Meir, Meir 50, Antwerp<br />
From a kitchen tailored to your home to personalised<br />
colour advice for your bedroom. Count on Flamant<br />
from A to Z: from design to production,<br />
FLAMANT BRUSSELS<br />
Grote Zavel 36 Place du Grand Sablon, Brussels<br />
installation, and final styling.<br />
Curious? Read all about Flamant at Home<br />
FLAMANT SINT-GENESIUS-RODE<br />
Brassinelaan 2, Sint-Genesius-Rode<br />
on flamant.com and make an appointment for a free<br />
introductory visit in just a few clicks or contact Michèle<br />
directly via michele.beerlandt@mbo-architecture.design<br />
FLAMANT SINT-MARTENS-LATEM<br />
Kortrijksesteenweg 117, Sint-Martens-Latem<br />
FLAMANT AIX-EN-PROVENCE<br />
1 Avenue Victor Hugo, Aix-en-Provence<br />
FLAMANT BHV<br />
52 rue de Rivoli, Paris<br />
FLAMANT PARIS<br />
8 Place Furstemberg, 8 rue de l’Abbaye, Paris<br />
FLAMANT JORDAN<br />
Al Istethmar Street, Amman<br />
www.flamant.com<br />
Photo: Utku Pekli<br />
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SYMPHONY OF GIVING<br />
ANTWERP, 12 NOVEMBER 2023<br />
“Symphony of Giving” is a very ambitious benefit concert which<br />
When a new symphonic orchestra was formed in Lier, “La<br />
will take place in the Queen Elisabeth Hall of Antwerp on 12<br />
Passione”, I was asked to preside it. At first I hesitated because<br />
November 2023, raising funds to support civil aid projects in<br />
music was not my habitat. But they insisted and I agreed to try it<br />
Ukraine, Sierra Leone and Madagascar. <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong> talked<br />
for three months, this was fifteen years ago…<br />
to the initiator and organizer Walter Maes about the idea, the<br />
progress and future plans.<br />
Our orchestra plays only on demand. We played in Belgium, The<br />
Netherlands, France… Once a year we play our own production<br />
All info about tickets, location and programme can be found<br />
at our own responsibility: The “Symphony of Giving” is the result<br />
here: www.symphonyofgiving.be<br />
of an intense brainstorming within our board.<br />
WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND THAT YOU ARE<br />
NOW DOING THIS KIND OF PROJECT?<br />
THE BENEFIT CONCERT “SYMPHONY OF GIVING”<br />
IS GETTING REALLY HUGE. WHAT IS THE IDEA<br />
BEHIND IT?<br />
That is a very simple story. I am a GP, a general practitioner,<br />
My wife and one of our daughters are playing the cello and violin.<br />
retired, and my wife, Hilde, also GP, is since almost 50 years my<br />
They are having concerts twice a year after many rehearsals. It’s<br />
dear companion. We have four children who love to play music.<br />
been more than a year now when I thought: “It is too much work<br />
Family Maes, Willeke Dijkhoffz, Kristina Engels and Jan Engels<br />
Photo: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
On the 50th anniversary of Hilde I organized a concert in<br />
for only two concerts. I want to organise something bigger!”<br />
a church in Lier with Freddy Marien.<br />
I am the president of a symphonic orchestra, La Passione, and<br />
this gives me the possibility to realize my dream. At that moment<br />
THE PROGRAMME OF THE EVENT:<br />
• UNICEF and Mercy Ships: They will use their databases to<br />
invite their donateurs.<br />
the war in Ukraine started and my plan became reality. I contacted<br />
Starting with a short piece of the Belgian composer August De<br />
• Dalilla Hermans: the coordinator of Bruges, cultural European<br />
UNICEF, who was already active in Ukraine. Then I read the news-<br />
Boeck, Dahomese Rapsodie. Followed by the marvellous Triple<br />
capital 2030.<br />
paper and I noticed that a whole lot of attention went to Ukraine to<br />
concerto of Ludwig van Beethoven for solo cello, piano and<br />
• Willeke Dijkhoffz: CEO of twelve hospitals in Antwerp and<br />
the disadvantage of other parts of the world, like Africa.<br />
violin. Three famous soloists will perform. The violinist, Veronique<br />
member of the board of Mercy Ships.<br />
De Raedemaeker, is preparing for the Queen Elisabeth contest in<br />
• Christian Stoop: Honorary Consul of Ukraine.<br />
A new Mercy Ship – The Global Mercy – was equipped in the port<br />
Brussels.<br />
• Sebastien Verbraekel: Honorary Consul of Sierra Leone.<br />
of Antwerp by many volunteers. The launch of the ship took place<br />
• Kathy Berx: Governor of the province of Antwerp.<br />
in the presence of Queen Mathilde of Belgium. So I contacted<br />
In the second part, the orchestra “La Passione” and four choirs<br />
• Jan Engels, CEO of Engels Group and Kristina Engels,<br />
also the directory of Mercy Ships. Normally the orchestra “La<br />
will bring the enchanting “Jubilate Deo” composed by a young<br />
member of the board of vzw-Anade<br />
Passione” performs in the church in Lier. But with this two large<br />
American, Dan Forrest. The huge orchestra and the 160 choris-<br />
• Gert Vercammen: jeweller in Heist-op-den-Berg, socially<br />
organizations at our support the idea grew. To realize this project<br />
ters will bring you this music in eight languages. Because of the<br />
engaged.<br />
I contacted my friend, Freddy Marien, the former director of the<br />
difficulty level this masterpiece is seldom heard live.<br />
• Voja-travel: Netherland-based fair travel organization.<br />
Antwerp conservatory, and he agreed to accompany me on this<br />
• Pierre Huyllenbroeck: journalist of the newspaper<br />
road. After a constructive discussion with the directors of the<br />
queen Elisabeth hall, we are scheduled on 12 November 2023 to<br />
go on stage in one of the most beautiful theatres of Belgium.<br />
GOOD VIBES ARE IMPORTANT. HOW IS THE RE-<br />
SPONSE AND THE SUPPORT OF THE AUDIENCE?<br />
“De Standaard”.<br />
• Ben Granjé: CEO of Flemish Federation Investors.<br />
With such a fantastic group, we hope, together with UNICEF and<br />
THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE INVOLVED ON STAGE<br />
AND THE PROGRAM IS QUITE IMPRESSIVE. WHO<br />
IS CURATING THE CONCERT?<br />
The support is just fantastic! Many people and organizations are<br />
stand by.<br />
• Barbara Dietrich: CEO of <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong>.<br />
• Seven Beaufort: Belgium-based quirky management consult-<br />
Mercy Ships, to realize such an event every two years, as start of<br />
a new great tradition.<br />
Hope to see you all in Antwerp on 12 November 2023<br />
Vera Van Eyndhoven, art director of “La Passione”, Freddy<br />
ing agency. They created our great website and will accompa-<br />
Walter Maes<br />
Marien and I, Walter Maes, the three musketeers.<br />
ny us till the end pro bono because it is such a lovely concept.<br />
Walter Maes<br />
Photo: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
• Polestar: major sponsor.<br />
234 235
ANADE<br />
WE ARE WORKING DIRECTLY WITH<br />
HOSPITALS AND SCHOOLS<br />
THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT<br />
AT THIS TIME AFTER THE PANDEMIC<br />
ANADE, a charity foundation headquartered in Antwerp, was set<br />
up in Belgium to help children. But there is more to it.<br />
How they connect with the Royal Houses in Monaco and<br />
Belgium and which plans they have for the future is what Kristina<br />
and Jan Engels, the brains and souls behind the foundation, are<br />
talking about with <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong> Institute co-founder Dieter<br />
Brockmeyer.<br />
LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR VERY INTERESTING<br />
FOUNDATION WITH A VERY INTERESTING<br />
HISTORY. CAN YOU PLEASE HIGHLIGHT HOW<br />
THIS COMPLEX SITUATION SHOULD BE<br />
UNDERSTAND?<br />
Jan Engels: The original name was AMADE – Association<br />
Mondiale des Amis de l’Enfance”, with the “M” standing,<br />
236 237
for “Mondial” (the world). The “N” we are using now in the<br />
name stands for “National”. AMADE was created by Princess<br />
Grace in Monaco in 1964 establishing so-called “Antennas” in<br />
every country, local independent organizations. We got involved<br />
when Jean-Marie Piret, Chief of Cabinet of King Boudewijn,<br />
approached us in 2006 and asked for our engagement. We were<br />
appointed for Belgium.<br />
238 239
We wanted to focus fully on our Belgium activities to support<br />
poor and sick children under 18 years of age.<br />
BUT YOU KEPT THE ORGANIZATIONAL<br />
STRUCTURE?<br />
Kristina Engels: Belgium is a national organization, but every<br />
province has their own antennas: in Antwerp, in East and West<br />
Flanders, Brussels etc. Every provincial president has to create<br />
a budget to carry out their own projects. But we help each<br />
other when there is a problem. ANADE works faithfully with His<br />
Majesty, the King’s Social Affairs Service and special requests.<br />
It also cooperates with the OCMW (the Public Centre for Social<br />
Welfare), social assistants and juvenile judges.<br />
We pay their hospital bills. When they cannot afford to pay their<br />
part for a school trip, we cover that when parents ask us for help.<br />
We check with the school if it is true and then we can help.<br />
ARE YOU INVOLVED IN OTHER CULTURAL<br />
PROJECTS?<br />
Jan Engels: Here in Antwerp, we have a private Museum of<br />
African Art with over 900 pieces. Quite a big collection. We<br />
regularly invite groups of people who are interested in the African<br />
culture and arts. We also cooperate with Musica Mundi and support<br />
children who do not have the opportunity to buy their own<br />
musical instruments.<br />
Be a member of ANADE<br />
ANADE enjoys the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess<br />
Astrid which is very important. We are also working directly with<br />
hospitals and schools. This is especially important at this time after<br />
the pandemic. For many organizations it was a difficult period<br />
and it is not easy to start again.<br />
YOU ARE ALSO SUPPORTING CHARITY<br />
PROJECTS?<br />
We support a great concert that will host 4,000 spectators.<br />
We are working together with Walter Maes’ charity concert<br />
“Symphony of Giving”, to be held in Antwerp on 12 November<br />
2023. All the money raised in this concert will go to children in<br />
distress. We are sending 2,400 invitations to our network<br />
in support of this project<br />
YOU MENTIONED YOU ARE WORKING WITH<br />
HOSPITALS. HOW EXACTLY?<br />
I sit on different hospital boards. I have very good connections<br />
with this world. We also organise therapy with our two mini horses.<br />
They have the character of a cat. They come to you and want<br />
to cuddle. They are marvellous animals for therapy. We founded<br />
a small company for this called “Horspital, Mini Therapy Horses”.<br />
In the hospital we are visiting children in their room together with<br />
them. It is fantastic, also for my children to realise how well off<br />
they are. We have a department in ANADE called “Children for<br />
Children”. So if there are children in our organization they can<br />
organize something on their own.<br />
YOU ARE A MEMBER-BASED ORGANIZATION?<br />
We are always looking for new members. They pay a membership<br />
fee of EUR 50 yearly. We try to do as much as possible to<br />
raise money, through events for instance. At Christmas we have<br />
a stand with Christmas bouquets on the market. There are many<br />
things that can be done. You only need to do it. We also have<br />
our in-house concerts and try to re-establish the idea of the old<br />
culture salons from the 19th century. Here for instance we also<br />
spoke about the Arabic language program of the Free University<br />
of Brussels (VUB).<br />
WHAT DO YOU ENVISION FOR THE FUTURE OF<br />
YOUR ORGANIZATION?<br />
We are still in the process of building the organization. I am also<br />
in the business of renewable energy, importing heat pumps and<br />
solar panels. Every year there is a significant donation from the<br />
factory in China we work with. We have many people who give<br />
donations via our links to the King Boudewijn Foundation.<br />
All photos: Family Engels<br />
YOUR FOCUS IS ON POOR AND SICK CHILDREN.<br />
WHAT ARE THE PROGRAMS TO HELP THEM<br />
BESIDES THE HOSPITAL?<br />
240 241
This autumn, Europalia dedicates an arts festival to Georgia. The<br />
starting point for this edition is the country’s fascinating culture<br />
and the art scene of its bustling capital, Tbilisi, alongside that<br />
of lesser-known regions of this country located in the Southern<br />
Caucasus. Starting 4 October 2023, visitors can enjoy a rich programme<br />
of exhibitions, literature, film and an impressive number<br />
of performances, concerts and dance and theatre productions<br />
across Belgium.<br />
the East and West in a unique art that fell into oblivion due to the<br />
repression and censorship of the Soviet regime. The exhibition<br />
brings together paintings, drawings, film, photography, poetry<br />
and costume and theatre designs from this artistic laboratory and<br />
gives a voice to these artists, many of whom were persecuted<br />
during the Soviet era. The exhibition is completed by Meggy<br />
Rustamova Adeishvili’s new video installation, which starts from<br />
her own family history in Georgia.<br />
The festival’s opening exhibition, The avant-garde in Georgia<br />
(1900-1936) at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels,<br />
highlights, for the very first time, a largely forgotten chapter of<br />
avant-garde art in Europe. In the 1910s and 1920s, an artistic<br />
scene blossomed in Georgia, centred on taverns and cafes<br />
opened and decorated by artists from different backgrounds.<br />
These artists blended Georgian traditions with elements from<br />
The opening and the entire programme revolve around two<br />
themes. First, polyphony, which sounds completely different<br />
from our Western polyphony and which plays an important role in<br />
Georgian society. Choirs are given a central place in the festival –<br />
in traditional evenings but also in interdisciplinary creations.<br />
In a broader sense, polyphony represents the multitude of voices<br />
we highlight in various Europalia events: voices of the forgotten<br />
Sketch for ‘Malshtrem’(1924) by Kiril Zdanevich © Georgian State Museum of Theatre Music Film and Choreography Art Palace<br />
Photo: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
avant-garde artists, voices from lesser-known regions or conflict<br />
zones, of women in a traditional male society, of different generations,<br />
of minority groups, etc.<br />
Secondly, the festival revolves around memory. For instance,<br />
together with artists, we look at how, as a nation and as individuals,<br />
you deal with the complex history of your region, and we<br />
will address the unique commemorations of the dead in Georgia.<br />
Above all, these themes are translated into new creations and<br />
contemporary projects.<br />
Georgia: A Story of Encounters, a cultural heritage exhibition at<br />
the Art & History Museum (Brussels), will bring together unseen<br />
treasures from museums throughout Georgia, providing fascinating<br />
insights into this complex region, and testifying to multiple<br />
cultural exchanges and migrations, starting from the Neolithic<br />
era. These include Georgia’s wine culture – the oldest in the<br />
world – and the forging of (precious) materials, which attracted<br />
diverse cultures to the region and created unique cross-pollinations.<br />
242 243
Photo: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
Photo: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
At the same museum, there will be a contemporary exhibition of<br />
sculptures by Andro Wekua, and at WIELS, an exhibition of new<br />
work by Thea Djordjadze, both diaspora artists working in Berlin.<br />
S.M.A.K. is also showing a monograph: the work of Karlo<br />
Kacharava – who died in 1994 – which takes a look at the 1980s<br />
and early 1990s in Georgia. M HKA (Museum for Contemporary<br />
Art in Antwerp) explores common points of departure in the<br />
practice of Elene Chantladze and the designers of Rooms Studio.<br />
For the performing arts and music programme, Europalia Georgia<br />
takes inspiration from Georgia’s rich dance, music, and theatre<br />
traditions, which are often part of daily life: dance with the<br />
Sukhishvili Ballet (Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles, a.o.),<br />
theatre with the famous Gabriadze puppet theatre (Théâtre Les<br />
Tanneurs) and music with polyphonic choirs (Ostbelgien Festival,<br />
Concertgebouw Brugge, Amare, a.o.).<br />
Many other productions add a contemporary layer to these<br />
vibrant traditions. Nino Haratischwili (DE SINGEL, KVS) and<br />
Zinaïda Tchelidze (beursschouwburg) create modern-day versions<br />
of the traditional supra, a Georgian meal accompanied<br />
by toasts, speeches and singing. Politics of Colours (Monty,<br />
KAAP, Bozar) by Bojan Djordjev departs from colourful Georgian<br />
mosaics and carpets to explore the desire for revolution. Young<br />
choreographer Maisie Woodford (Théâtre Les Tanneurs) creates<br />
a dance solo for and with a puppet. Composer and musician Dijf<br />
Sanders (Ancienne Belgique, Flagey, among others) bundles his<br />
encounters with Georgian traditions in a new album and show.<br />
Numerous other creations bring Georgian and Belgian artists<br />
together on stage: in the musical theatre production Motherland<br />
(DE SINGEL, KVS), vocalist Timo Tembuyser explores the mother<br />
figure and the motherland with Basiani Ensemble, a male choir.<br />
On All Saints’ Day, a Georgian choir and a Belgian choir meet in a<br />
cemetery to honour our different ways of mourning. We also push<br />
a new generation of artists to the forefront, to present dance<br />
performances with live music. In these dance creations, electronic<br />
music producers work alongside choreographers, such as<br />
Femke Gyselinck and Anushka Chkheidze (kunstencentrum nona<br />
in Mechelen, PILAR/VUB, a.o.).<br />
Alongside the younger generation, there are also established<br />
names on the programme: the highly acclaimed Nino Haratischwili<br />
presents her work as a theatre director for the first time in Belgium<br />
with the play Phaedra in Flames (KVS), the first part of a trilogy<br />
about strong women in Greek mythology. Celebrities such as Lisa<br />
Batiashvili and Khatia Buniatishvili pay tribute to Georgian classical<br />
music.<br />
The festival, in collaboration with dozens of artists and partners,<br />
runs until 14 January 2024 and features more than 60 events,<br />
including many new, interdisciplinary creations.<br />
ABOUT EUROPALIA<br />
Every two years, Europalia compiles a diverse artistic programme<br />
focusing on a country or a theme. For four months, in Belgium<br />
and its neighbouring countries, Europalia, in collaboration with<br />
a wide network of cultural partners, presents a biennial with a<br />
myriad of artistic and socio-cultural projects that bring together<br />
visual arts, performing arts, film, music, literature and debate to<br />
stimulate an exchange of ideas. Newly commissioned projects<br />
and artistic residencies hold a central place in the programme,<br />
which engenders a unique interaction between heritage and art.<br />
www.europalia.eu<br />
Photo: <strong>Diplomatic</strong> <strong>World</strong><br />
244 245
TURKMENISTAN’S<br />
ETHNIC JEWELLERY<br />
Univ. Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jan De Maere<br />
Université Libre de Bruxelles<br />
Indians, and Dagestani-Laks. It is believed that the latter brought<br />
a new jewellery technique, niello, to Turkestan.<br />
To become a master jeweller in Turkestan, one had to be born<br />
into a master’s family or to become an apprentice to a master for<br />
at least five years. The apprentice was only allowed to observe<br />
and to imitate the master. For Bukhara zargars, this apprenticeship<br />
was obligatory. The absence of his teacher’s approval as<br />
seen as a failure.<br />
Turkmen women were adorned with heavy silver jewellery, often<br />
Turkmenistan was until 1991 part of the Soviet Union. At the<br />
ing was done by specialized masters. In Turkestan, jewellery<br />
studded with carnelian and turquoise: an indication of wealth and<br />
crossroads of regional civilizations for centuries, it was visited<br />
production was mainly concentrated in the cities of Andijan,<br />
status in the community, also used as talisman. Traditionally a<br />
by the travellers along the Silk Road. Turkmenistan has approx-<br />
Bukhara, Karshi, Kokand, Samarkand, Tashkent, Shakhrisya-<br />
woman acquired her jewellery through her family and at her wed-<br />
imately 30 tribes, of which the Teke, Yomut, and Ersari are the<br />
bz, Urgench and Khiva. There were also specialized kishlaks of<br />
ding as part of her dowry. Carnelian stones set in silver mounts<br />
largest. The Turkmen were already documented in written sourc-<br />
zargars, such as Zargarlik near Jizzak.<br />
are believed to protect against miscarriages.<br />
es in the 9th century. By the 11th century, some had migrated<br />
westward as far as Iran, Syria, and Anatolia.<br />
In the Trans-Caspian area, jewellers were present not only in<br />
Jewellery was a significant financial investment, as it was hand-<br />
the city of Merv, but also in every large Turkmen village. The<br />
crafted from precious materials. There were cases when, in times<br />
Others remained in the area which corresponds to present-day<br />
best works of embossing, filigree, openwork carving, cloisonné,<br />
of dire need, a woman would part with her jewellery in order<br />
Turkmenistan. The Turkmen, part of more than two dozen tribal<br />
and turquoise-encrusting were made in Bukhara. Kokand was<br />
to help the survival of the tribe. Significant in size and weight,<br />
groups of Turkic ethnic and linguistic heritage, were pastoral no-<br />
famous for its niello and enamels. Samarkand masters used<br />
Turkmen jewellery objects were made of silver, decorated with<br />
mads who lived in encampments, raised livestock, bred horses,<br />
open-work-filigree technique. Urgench, Merv, and Khiva are<br />
semi-precious stones, and sometimes gilded for an added colour<br />
and occasionally plundered settled areas for booty and slaves.<br />
In order to ensure year-round green pastures for their animals,<br />
known for massive cast decorations, such as the bracelets<br />
without closures (bilesik). Among the jewellers were Tajiks,<br />
effect and value.<br />
Turkmen woman selling jewellery.<br />
the tribes moved two or three times a year. While not merchants<br />
Turkmens, Uzbeks, but also Jews, Persians, Lyuli Gypsies,<br />
Common shapes found on Turkmen jewellery include mountains,<br />
themselves, they often provided transport and protection for<br />
animals, horns, and plants. The mountain motif is part of the<br />
long-distance caravan trade. They did not subject to any of the<br />
Turkmen creation story and is significant for its ancestral and<br />
turquoise from Khorasan, and pearls mainly from Europe. Glass<br />
neighbouring Islamic states with whom sometimes they formed<br />
heavenly connection Each Turkmen tribe holds a specific moun-<br />
beads were of both local and European origin.<br />
alliances.<br />
tain in their region sacred and only that tribe can ascend it. The<br />
A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE<br />
mountain ram is a sacred animal to the Turkmen and its horns<br />
are frequently used in rituals The double leaf and two-leafed<br />
flower motifs are connected to the growth of human existence,<br />
and are part of a long-established decorative tradition.<br />
JEWELLERY AND ISLAM<br />
Although nominally Sunni Muslim, the Turkmen kept many of<br />
Although all jewels of Central Asia have a common aspect,<br />
their pre-Islamic customs and beliefs, which were often embod-<br />
the tribal groups of north-east Iran, Turkmenistan and north<br />
In addition to the shape and theme of the silver metal itself,<br />
ied in the jewellery they made and wore. Turkmen silver jewellery<br />
Afghanistan have distinctive local and original aspects. Unlike<br />
the semi-precious stones that embellish the jewellery are also<br />
carried deep symbolic meanings and often marked an individu-<br />
the Tekke people, the Ersari favour not gilded silver, free of<br />
imbued with protective powers. Pieces of carnelian, a bright red<br />
al’s passage from one stage of life to another. From a very early<br />
filigree and rarely adorned with carnelian stones. They convey<br />
coloured stone, are popular because they are believed to protect<br />
age, a woman started wearing jewellery whose shapes and ma-<br />
magic, symbolic meanings, reminiscent of the outfit of Iranian<br />
the wearers from illness and death Turquoise is less commonly<br />
terials were believed to ensure her ability to bear healthy children<br />
warriors. Jewels were made for Akhal-Teke horses, woman, and<br />
used among the Turkmen, but serves as a symbol of purity and<br />
later in life. The amount of embellishments a girl wore increased<br />
children, to protect them from evil and disease. Female warriors<br />
chastity. In some cases, less expensive glass beads of the same<br />
as she approached marriageable age. Once she had had her<br />
are mentioned in old texts in that region. Where they the famous<br />
colours are used instead of semi-precious stones.<br />
first children, and her fertility had been established, the amount<br />
‘amazons’ mentioned by the Greeks? Archaeological excavations<br />
of jewellery she received and wore decreased. In addition, silver<br />
in early settlements of Merv and Nisa civilizations document<br />
From the second half of the 19th century, local jewellers mas-<br />
jewellery believed to ward off evil and illness was worn by men,<br />
jewellers also as healers and dentists.<br />
tered the production of so-called European jewellery, a process<br />
women, and especially by children.<br />
intensified with the integration of Turkestan into the Russian<br />
Turkmen jewellers travelled between nomadic tribes. They<br />
Empire. Russian settlers arrived in the region. Most of the jewel-<br />
The term Islamic art does not only describe the art created in the<br />
hammered into shape sheets of silver, inlaid with gilded silver.<br />
lery produced in Turkestan was made of silver, although gold was<br />
service of the Muslim faith, which is not only a religion but a way<br />
They used foliate and scroll motifs which carnelians set in raised<br />
also widely used in Bukhara from the end of the 19th century.<br />
of life, but also the art and architecture historically produced in<br />
mounts. The cuff bracelet openings are always aligned with a<br />
Bars of gold and silver came from Russia; silver was also import-<br />
the lands ruled by Muslims, produced for Muslim patrons, or<br />
series of dentated, projecting cast prongs. They used silver wire,<br />
soldering and granulation. Chasing stones, gilding, and engrav-<br />
European woman dressed as a Sartan woman (Ph. Henri Moser, 1870).<br />
ed from China. An alloy of Chinese, Russian, and Persian coins<br />
was also used. Carnelian and coral were imported from India,<br />
created by Muslim artists. The lands newly conquered by the<br />
Muslims had their own pre-existing artistic Greco-Roman,<br />
246 247
Turkmen Jewellery, Department of Islamic Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art<br />
Byzantine and Sasanian traditions. These artists continued to<br />
work in their own indigenous styles but for Muslim patrons,<br />
relying on earlier techniques, styles, and forms. It reflects the<br />
blending of classical and Iranian decorative themes and motifs<br />
with the slowly emerging Islamic art. Ornamentation in Islamic art<br />
included figural representations, drawn from a variety of sources.<br />
The often-cited opposition in Islam to the depiction of human<br />
and animal forms holds true for religious art and architecture, in<br />
the secular sphere such representations were present in nearly<br />
all Islamic cultures.<br />
This resistance to the representation of living beings stems from<br />
the belief that the creation of living forms is unique to God. The<br />
strongest statements against it are made in the Hadith (Traditions<br />
of the Prophet), where painters who ‘breathe life’ into their creations<br />
are threatened with punishment on the Day of Judgment.<br />
The Qur’an condemns idolatry. It uses the Arabic term ‘musawwir’<br />
(maker of forms, or artist) as an epithet for God. Therefore,<br />
figures were often stylized. The destruction of figurative artworks<br />
also occurred in the Byzantine and Judaic world, not only in the<br />
Islamic world. Due to their aniconic quality, geometric patterns<br />
developed in Islamic art. The sources intricate patterns already<br />
existed in late antiquity among the Greeks, Romans, and Sasanians.<br />
Islamic artists elaborated them and stressed the importance<br />
of unity and order, emulating the contributions of Islamic mathematicians,<br />
astronomers and scientists in their new style.<br />
Inversed Cordiform pendant with beads in the form of fish.<br />
Dorsal ornaments in heart-shaped or ashik form. They hung from<br />
the wearer’s head and extended onto their backs. A cylindrical<br />
tube or ‘tumar’ used to hold talismanic Muslim prayer scrolls that<br />
crowns the piece.<br />
Crowns: Turkmen women wear a variety of headdresses called<br />
‘sinsile’. Young girls wore them every day until their marriage, often<br />
richly embellished with turquoise beads and table-cut carnelians.<br />
Pendants in teardrop form were hanging from chains at the<br />
bottom section of the crown. The upper section is often decorated<br />
with three half moons, a symbol of the rise and decline of life.<br />
Triangular amulet holders: A silver triangle, or a tumar, rested<br />
on the wearer’s chest. Tumar-shaped jewellery usually consists<br />
of three sections: a triangular mountain motif, a ‘bozbend’ tube<br />
meant for prayer scrolls, and an inverted mountain symbol with<br />
spherical pendants.<br />
Armband: Bracelets and armlets, known as bilezik, were usually<br />
worn in pairs and decorated with several rows of semi-precious<br />
stones. While commonly worn on special occasions, wealthy<br />
women often wear them every day. This pair of bilezik is decorated<br />
with three rows of table-cut carnelians and two rows of<br />
turquoise beads at each end. The silver is decorated with an<br />
embossed and applied design and wire. The ends are bordered<br />
by motifs known as snake’s head, or yilan bash.<br />
Some were Qur’an holders named ‘doga-kumus’, a small box<br />
that hangs from a chain, hung over the shoulder or around the<br />
neck. These symbolize the power of Islamic over evil spirits. The<br />
front of the box is often decorated with gilded and embossed<br />
silver disks in half-moon and triangle shapes, set with carnelians.<br />
Silver wire and horn motifs decorate the border of the plates.<br />
Spherical pendants hang from double-link chains.<br />
Bibliography<br />
- Department of Islamic Art. “Turkmen Jewelry.” In Heilbrunn<br />
Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of<br />
Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/turk/hd_turk.<br />
htm (August 2011)<br />
- Diba, Layla S. Turkmen Silver: Jewelry and Ornaments from the<br />
Marshall and Marilyn Wolf Collection. New York: Metropolitan<br />
Museum of Art, 2011.<br />
- Mackie, Louise W., and Jon Thompson, eds. Turkmen Tribal<br />
Carpets and Traditions. Washington D.C.: Textile Museum,<br />
1980.<br />
- Schletzer, Dieter, and Reinhold Schletzer. Old Silver Jewellery<br />
of the Turkoman: An Essay on Symbols in the Culture of Inner<br />
Asian Nomads. Berlin: D. Reimer, 1983.<br />
- Thompson, Jon. Timbuktu to Tibet: Exotic Rugs & Textiles from<br />
New York Collectors. New York: Hajji Baba Club, 2008.<br />
Photos: Univ. Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jan De Maere<br />
248 249
THE ACADEMIA BELGICA<br />
CENTRE FOR HISTORY,<br />
THE ARTS AND SCIENCES IN ROME:<br />
A UNIQUE BRIDGE BETWEEN<br />
BELGIUM’S SCIENTIFIC AND ARTISTIC<br />
WORLDS AND ROME<br />
Situated in the verdant and tranquil surroundings of the Villa<br />
Borghese, in the heart of Rome, the Academia Belgica – Centre<br />
for History, the Arts and Sciences in Rome, is a foundation of<br />
public utility supported by the Federal Belgian Science Policy<br />
Office (BELSPO) whose goal is to promote the cultural and academic<br />
cooperation between Belgium (and its federated entities),<br />
Italy and the international scientific and artistic communities<br />
settled in the Eternal City. It is a unique meeting place for creation<br />
and interdisciplinary research in the field of humanities, that<br />
offers accommodation to both Belgian researchers and artists,<br />
and organizes activities presenting high-level Belgian artistic and<br />
scientific achievements.<br />
Belgian Historical Institute in Rome and the National Princess<br />
Marie-José Foundation.<br />
To give shelter to this prestigious Academy, the Italian architect<br />
Gino Cipriani (1890-19<strong>72</strong>), together with the Brussels architect<br />
Jean Hendrickx-Van den Bosch (1890- 1961) designed an exceptional<br />
monument merging modern and Art Deco architecture,<br />
that would eventually be inaugurated in 1939, on the eve of the<br />
The Academia Belgica<br />
Photo: Monkeys Video Lab<br />
A BIT OF HISTORY<br />
The presence of a Belgian academic institute in Rome goes back<br />
to the foundation in 1902 of the Belgian Historical Institute in<br />
Rome (Belgisch Historisch Instituut te Rome / Institut Historique<br />
Belge à Rome) devoted originally to the study of the religious<br />
history of Belgium and later on to the study of modern history<br />
and the mutual relations between Belgium and Italy. In 1930 princess<br />
Marie-José, sister of king Leopold III, is wed to the crown<br />
prince Umberto of Italy and a national fundraising campaign is<br />
organised in order to present a gift to the royal couple.<br />
Following the wish of the princess, part of the raised funds are<br />
allocated to the creation of the National Princess Marie-José<br />
Fondation (Nationale Stichting Prinses Marie-José / Fondation<br />
Nationale Princesse Marie-José) which offers the opportunity to<br />
Belgian artists and young art historians to further their studies<br />
in Italy.<br />
Simultaneously, the project emerges to establish an Academia<br />
Belgica in Rome aimed to foster the scientific and cultural<br />
relations between Italy and Belgium by accommodating Belgian<br />
researchers and artists and hosting the various activities of the<br />
Second <strong>World</strong> War. Only after the end of the war, the Academia<br />
Belgica would truly start to flourish. For more than eighty years, it<br />
carried out its mission in continuous and close collaboration with<br />
the Belgian Historical Institute in Rome and the National Princess<br />
Marie-José Foundation. At the end of 2018, the respective action<br />
areas of these three organisations are joined in one single<br />
institution: the Academia Belgica, Centre for History, the Arts and<br />
Sciences in Rome. Furthermore, since 1947, the Academia Belgica<br />
is part of an international network of 38 academies and research<br />
institutes from 19 countries who are active in the Eternal City.<br />
THE ACADEMIA BELGICA TODAY<br />
Today, the institute welcomes over 200 to 250 residents a year.<br />
With the support of the FWO-Vlaanderen (Flemish Research<br />
Foundation), the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles and the Fonds<br />
National de la Recherche (FNRS-FRS), the Academia Belgica<br />
annually awards more than 20 fellowships to PhD students and<br />
post-doctoral researches affiliated to a Belgian university. In<br />
doing so, the Academia Belgica gives these scholars access<br />
to research and cultural resources and networks in Rome, and<br />
offers them the opportunity to work with experts from different<br />
disciplines and backgrounds.<br />
In close collaboration with Belgian and foreign universities and<br />
specialized research centres, foreign academies in Rome and<br />
Belgian federal scientific establishments, the academy also hosts<br />
summer or winter schools, colloquia, study days, seminars and<br />
workshops on regular basis. In order to disseminate the research<br />
conducted within the institute, the Academia Belgica publishes<br />
several internationally renowned series.<br />
The Academia Belgica also welcomes artists and authors<br />
receiving grants from the Flemish Community and the Wallonia-<br />
Brussels Federation, as well as musicians from Belgian conservatories.<br />
As a matter of fact, the academy boasts a magnificent<br />
Steinway piano and regularly organizes concerts as well as<br />
exhibitions of works by the artists in residence. By setting up<br />
scientific and cultural activities, the Academia Belgica thus plays<br />
an essential and active role in the diffusion of Belgian knowledge<br />
and contributes to the enhancement of the international scientific<br />
and cultural reputation of Belgium and its federated entities<br />
abroad.<br />
Last but not least, the Academia Belgica is also renowned for its<br />
rich historical library, which is accessible to all researchers and<br />
contains over 80,000 volumes on heritage sciences, archaeology,<br />
history, the arts and literature, as well as several valuable<br />
250 251
collections belonging to eminent Belgian researchers, such as<br />
the historian Henri Pirenne, the archaeologist Joseph Mertens or<br />
the Belgian historian of Eastern religions Franz Cumont.<br />
Among the long-term collaboration projects between Belgian<br />
and Italian researchers that the Academia Belgica has helped<br />
to promote, archaeology occupies an important place. Several<br />
Belgian universities and museums have been or still are involved<br />
in excavation campaigns in Italy, whose teams and activities are<br />
regularly hosted at the Academia Belgica. These include Alba<br />
Fucens in Abruzzo (Université Libre de Bruxelles, Royal Museum<br />
of Art and History of Belgium, Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici<br />
dell’Abruzzo); Potenza in Marche (Ghent University and<br />
Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici delle Marche) and San<br />
Gimignano, Tuscany (Université Catholique de Louvain and<br />
Università degli Studi di Firenze).<br />
The links between Belgian universities and the Ostia Antica site<br />
are also strong and long-standing: excavations have been carried<br />
out there by the University of Namur since 1992. Since 2010, a<br />
team from University of Liège has been coordinating the archaeological<br />
research programme at the Schola del Traiano. Finally,<br />
a project to document certain structures is underway under the<br />
direction of Université Catholique de Louvain and University of<br />
Namur.<br />
One of the Academia Belgica’s priorities today is to study,<br />
digitalise and make the most of its archives and rich library that<br />
are accessible online. This is why it continues to develop its own<br />
research projects centred on this heritage (archives linked to its<br />
history, holdings of eminent Belgian researchers, etc.), in collaboration<br />
with Belgian and international academic partners and with<br />
the support of private sponsors.<br />
whose 75th death anniversary was commemorated in 2022<br />
(in collaboration with Ghent University and the University of<br />
Toulouse, under the patronage of the International Academic<br />
Union (UAI).<br />
A second project is devoted to the construction of the modernist-Art<br />
Deco edifice of the Acdemia Belgica in the Roman context<br />
and Italian-Belgian cultural and political relations between the<br />
wars (in collaboration with the KU Leuven and the Sapienza<br />
Università di Roma, with the support of the René and Karin<br />
Jonckheere Fund, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation).<br />
The architects Cipriani and Hendrickx-Van den Bosch not only<br />
designed the building, but also most of the (still existing) furniture<br />
of the building, of which the interior decoration is in Art Deco<br />
style and uses precious materials such as Belgian black marble.<br />
Despite its unique character and undeniable heritage value, the<br />
Academia Belgica building had never been the subject of an<br />
in-depth study. The research chiefly draws on the Academia<br />
Belgica’s own archives, which contain numerous plans and drawings<br />
of the building (mostly plan layers, elevations and architectural<br />
details) and its interiors, as well as correspondence and<br />
other documents relative to their realisation. The results of the<br />
research project will be the subject of a richly illustrated book,<br />
published by the Mercator Fund, and scheduled for publication<br />
in autumn 2023. It will be the first monograph ever published on<br />
the history and architectural program of the Academia Belgica<br />
building and its interior design.<br />
At the same time, an exhibition on the topic, based on the Academia<br />
Belgica’s rich archives, will open in Rome on November<br />
9 and run until January 9, 2024. We look forward to seeing you<br />
there!<br />
Be a member of ANADE<br />
Two projects are currently underway: one on the scientific<br />
archives bequeathed to the Institute in 1947 by Franz Cumont,<br />
Photos: Kristina Engels<br />
252 253
KOEN VANMECHELEN<br />
SOCRATES TEMPTATION<br />
As one ventures through the labyrinthine alleys of Venice, past<br />
the bustling Piazza San Marco, there lies a sanctuary of art and<br />
contemplation – the illustrious Museo Correr. Here, the exhibition<br />
‘IMAGO IUSTITIAE’, curated by Marina Mattei, unfurls its wings,<br />
soaring across epochs and canvases, inviting visitors to traverse<br />
the ancient corridors of justice, virtue, and truth.<br />
Together with Kendell Geers and Ai Weiwei, I was invited to create<br />
a contemporary work of art for this exhibition, at the historic<br />
glass ovens of Berengo Studio. Among the luminaries contributing<br />
to this tapestry of contemplation, my work ‘Socrates<br />
Temptation’ stands as a testament to the unending dance<br />
between the philosophical and the visual, the unceasing quest<br />
for justice, and the ever-evolving nature of truth.<br />
Like a chameleon, justice has donned myriad hues across time<br />
and cultures. It is an idea that springs forth from the fertile soil of<br />
our collective yearning for fairness, yet it slips through our grasp,<br />
much like the tendrils of evening mist that obscure our path. In<br />
our age, where information intermingles with misinformation and<br />
truth grapples with distortion, the notion of justice becomes an<br />
enigma entwined with ambiguity.<br />
In the heart of the exhibition, ‘Socrates Temptation’ gazes intently,<br />
at Weiwei’s glass security camera, embodying the confluence<br />
of ancient wisdom and contemporary discourse. The figure of<br />
Socrates, the indomitable seeker of truth, intertwines with the<br />
Ibis, a symbol of introspection and rebirth. With its head adorned<br />
by egg fragments, the sculpture evokes the birth of ideas and<br />
the creation of new paradigms. The egg, a timeless emblem<br />
of potential, offers a challenge to transcend the constraints of<br />
conventional thought, abandon the well-trodden paths of reason,<br />
and embrace the uncharted territory of transformation.<br />
Photo: Nicola Facchini<br />
Photo: Francesco Allegretto<br />
254 255
Photo: Nicola Facchini<br />
Photo: Nicola Facchini<br />
My sculpture encapsulates the essence of Socratic thought,<br />
that perspectives, like brushstrokes on a canvas, come together<br />
where questioning is revered, and curiosity flourishes. Like an un-<br />
to shape the tapestry of truth.<br />
yielding flame, Socrates dared to challenge the prevailing norms,<br />
and our perceptions. Socrates’ gadfly-like presence reminds us<br />
The philosophy of Thomas Berry, the eco-theologian and<br />
probe the foundations of justice, and question the very nature of<br />
The quest for justice takes on new dimensions in our modern<br />
that pursuing justice requires the courage to confront our biases<br />
visionary thinker, resonates in ‘Socrates’ Temptation.’ Berry’s<br />
truth. In his relentless pursuit, he paid the price, symbolized by<br />
age, where the digital realm shapes our realities. Algorithms sift<br />
and prejudices. It is a reminder that the scales of justice must be<br />
call to recognize the intrinsic value of all living beings, the inter-<br />
the poisoned chalice that sealed his fate. For daring to disturb<br />
through data, casting shadows and illuminating facets that chal-<br />
held with an unwavering hand, even when the weight of public<br />
connectedness of life on this precious planet, and the urgent<br />
the tranquil waters of orthodoxy, Socrates met his demise, ignit-<br />
lenge our perceptions. Finding the Minotaur of truth becomes an<br />
opinion threatens to tip them askew. And so, ‘Socrates Tempta-<br />
need for ecological justice intertwine with the essence of this<br />
ing a dialogue that resonates through the annals of time: what is<br />
odyssey in the labyrinth of information.<br />
tion’ beckons us to reawaken our innate curiosity, to venture into<br />
artwork. With its role in various ecosystems, the Ibis becomes<br />
justice, and can it ever be immutable?<br />
the uncharted territories of thought, and to acknowledge that<br />
more than a symbol – it becomes a reminder of our responsibility<br />
The digital age has bestowed upon us a new Promethean<br />
justice, like a flowing river, may change its course but never loses<br />
to protect and preserve the delicate balance of nature.<br />
The scales of justice, an enduring symbol, oscillate with the<br />
gift, the fire of information that illuminates and burns in equal<br />
its essence.<br />
shifting tides of human progress. As centuries unfurl, the sword<br />
measure. Just as the titans of old faced the consequences of<br />
In the grand tapestry of our existence, the concept of justice is<br />
of retribution, the lion of strength, and the blindfold of impartiality<br />
their actions, so do we grapple with the repercussions of our<br />
As I stand before this creation, I am reminded of the ancient<br />
woven into the very fabric of our being. Just as threads intertwine<br />
join this allegorical dance. Yet, their genesis is veiled in the mists<br />
ever-connected world. In the age of social media and instant<br />
concept of “Ma’at” in Egyptian philosophy – the cosmic balance<br />
to create patterns, so do the threads of ethics, philosophy, and<br />
of antiquity, reminding us that the search for justice predates<br />
communication, truth has morphed into a kaleidoscope of<br />
that upholds the universe. Ma’at is not an absolute, fixed decree<br />
culture weave together to form the intricate design of our soci-<br />
even the ink strokes of history.<br />
perspectives. As digital algorithms curate our realities, the line<br />
but a fluid, dynamic force that requires vigilant stewardship. Like<br />
eties. The question of justice has echoed through the corridors<br />
between fact and fiction blurs, leaving us in a perpetual haze of<br />
justice, it must be constantly tended to, for even the slightest<br />
of time, from the ancient philosophers of Greece to the modern<br />
From the East, the whispers of Confucius and Laozi join this<br />
uncertainty. In this shifting landscape, the beacon of justice flick-<br />
deviation can send ripples of chaos throughout the world.<br />
thinkers of our digital age. And within this timeless exploration,<br />
conversation. Their teachings remind us that justice is not a<br />
ers, threatened by the storm of misinformation. Our Sisyphean<br />
the figure of Socrates stands as a luminous beacon, illuminating<br />
solitary sentinel but exists in the harmony between individuals<br />
task is to decipher, discern, and navigate through this maelstrom,<br />
In the echo chamber of our times, ‘Socrates Temptation’<br />
the path to understanding.<br />
and society. In their wisdom, the virtuous ruler brings stability<br />
seeking the elusive shore of truth.<br />
emerges as a clarion call. It urges us to embrace the discomfort<br />
to the realm, ensuring balanced scales. Across the continents,<br />
of uncertainty, venture into the uncharted waters of discourse,<br />
As visitors tread the hallowed halls of Museo Correr, may they<br />
the African proverbial wisdom sings its refrain. “Until the lion<br />
As we stand at the crossroads of history with the fierce winds of<br />
and engage with ideas that challenge our preconceptions. The<br />
leave with the whispers of Socratic inquiry echoing in their<br />
tells his side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify<br />
change swirling around us and questioning the very foundations<br />
ivory tower of complacency crumbles before Socratic inquiry as<br />
minds, reminding us all that the pursuit of justice is not a desti-<br />
the hunter.” In this refrain, justice is not a singular narrative but<br />
of our societal values, ‘Socrates Temptation’ invites us to peer<br />
we are beckoned to emerge from our intellectual cocoons and<br />
nation but a journey and that within this journey, art, philosophy,<br />
a chorus of voices that paints the whole picture. It is a reminder<br />
beyond the fog of ignorance, to question the world around us<br />
engage in the marketplace of ideas.<br />
and open minds shall forever be our guides.<br />
256 257
HEINZ MACK<br />
TRANSIT BETWEEN OCCIDENT AND ORIENT<br />
WE SEE THE SAME STARS<br />
WE SHARE THE SAME SKY<br />
THE SAME WORLD SURROUNDS US<br />
This quotation by Quintus Aurelius Symmachus (384 AD) accompanies<br />
the book “Mack -Transit between Occident and Orient”<br />
on the exhibition of the same name, which was on show at the<br />
Museum of Islamic Art/Pergamonmuseum in Berlin in 2006-2007.<br />
At the end of the 1950s, the German artist Heinz Mack founded<br />
the group ZERO in Düsseldorf together with Otto Piene and<br />
later with Günther Uecker. ZERO developed into an international<br />
movement with many artists such as Yves Klein or Lucio<br />
Fontana. Heinz Mack and his ZERO colleagues dared a radical<br />
departure in the post-war period that still has a great resonance<br />
in art today.<br />
Heinz Mack’s central artistic theme is light. His abstract sculptures<br />
and paintings serve as media for this interest. He developed<br />
his own language of light and colour: “The light is crucial<br />
for my art. As far as light is concerned, I want to go to the limits<br />
of what is possible”.<br />
His complete oeuvre is extraordinarily versatile: sculptures made<br />
of different materials, light stelae, light rotors, light reliefs and<br />
light cubes. His oeuvre also includes paintings, drawings, ink<br />
works, pastels, collages and photography, as well as the design<br />
of public spaces, and sculpture projects in pristine landscapes.<br />
Heinz Mack- Cityof light in the desert, 1976. Photo: Thomas Höpker, Archiv Heinz Mack VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn Heinz Mack during the shooting of the film “Tele-Mack’ in the Tunisian desert. Photo: Edwin Braun, Archiv Heinz Mack<br />
VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn<br />
258 259
DR. MARION AGTHE<br />
THREE QUESTIONS<br />
WITH HEINZ MACK<br />
FOR YOU, THE PAINTER AND SCULPTOR, LIGHT<br />
HAS A SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE. WITHOUT LIGHT,<br />
PAINTING, SCULPTURE, ART AND LIFE WOULD<br />
NO LONGER EXIST FOR YOU. YOUR OUTPUT CAN<br />
THUS ONLY BE COMPREHENDED AND APPRE-<br />
CIATED IN ITS ENTIRETY IN THE OVERRIDING<br />
CONTEXT OF LIGHT. THE FILM “TELE-MACK”<br />
MADE IN 1968 SHOWS VARIOUS LIGHT EXPER-<br />
IMENTS IN THE SAHARA. IN 1974, YOU TOOK<br />
PART IN THE FIRST SOUTH-NORTH EXPEDITION<br />
THROUGH THE TÉNÉRÉ DESERT IN AFRICA AND<br />
IN 1976 THROUGH THE SOUTHERN ALGERIAN<br />
DESERT. WHAT NEW DISCOVERIES DID YOU MAKE<br />
CONCERNING LIGHT? HAS THE IMPORTANCE OF<br />
LIGHT FOR YOUR WORK CHANGED AS A RESULT?<br />
I recently saw a rainbow that surpassed all my conceptions of<br />
an ideal rainbow to such an extent – almost definitively – that I<br />
am incapable of making any attempt to describe it. Of course,<br />
I can expect to see more rainbows – but none will ever equal this<br />
beauty and truly celestial intensity. I am certain of this in so far<br />
as one is never confronted twice with the same revelation. What<br />
I mean is that I may now have an idea of what is meant by the<br />
term “revelation”: It is the veritable mystery in its total unlimited<br />
visibility, the experience of which can never be shared with<br />
anyone else.<br />
The contradiction inherent in this is essentially designed for a<br />
dialectic contained solely within it. Which one would also wish to<br />
say of the encounter with a unique work of art whose aura, entirely<br />
immaterial, is simply incommunicable, an aura that cannot<br />
be captured on film. The rainbow that I saw in its absolute and<br />
I am asked such questions again and again and I try to find fresh<br />
extreme beauty would not have been reproducible photographi-<br />
answers to them – often in vain. I agree: Light is the theme of<br />
cally, nor in painting, music or poetry, and certainly not in a<br />
my life as an artist, shade included. Allow me to quote Albert<br />
Einstein, who said: “For the rest of my life, I will reflect on what<br />
Heinz Mack - Light Reflector in the Wahiba Sands, 1997 Photo: Archiv Heinz Mack, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023<br />
VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn<br />
light is.”<br />
Now, over one and a half thousand years ago, Plotinus and St<br />
His “Sahara Project” is one of the first examples of Land Art,<br />
al assets of Islam, which continues to this day, but also elective<br />
Dionysius the Areopagite had just a single answer. For them light<br />
which he advanced in a series of visionary projects and which<br />
affinities. He shares this practice of non-figurative images with<br />
was the incessant and infinite emanation of God, comparable to<br />
continues to exert an unbroken fascination on us today.<br />
the art of the Orient, albeit not out of religious but artistic-aes-<br />
the radiation of the sun. The Islamic mystic al-Ghazali shared this<br />
thetic conviction.<br />
view unreservedly, albeit accompanied by a radical rejection of<br />
After a long break following ZERO painting, the artist turned back<br />
all rational and intellectual explanations of light. Light’s immateri-<br />
to pure colour in painting. Since 1991, he has been creating his<br />
Heinz Mack is currently in the process of creating an interde-<br />
ality fascinates me just as much as it moved the philosophers to<br />
so-called “Chromatic Constellations”. Chromatics is a term from<br />
nominational “Room of Silence” – a place for meditation that is<br />
the ultimate questions. For me as an artist, light is an immaterial<br />
music and Heinz Mack remains a passionate piano player to this<br />
accessible to everyone, regardless of their religions affiliation.<br />
medium that can convert material objects into immaterial phe-<br />
day. In his paintings he understands “colour as light and light as<br />
nomena. If I leave God out of the equation (a somewhat arrogant<br />
colour”, which he seeks to capture and shape in his paintings.<br />
He is not a political artist, Heinz Mack says about himself. He<br />
proviso), what remains is the phenomenon of emanation, i.e. of<br />
is aware that he is nevertheless an Ambassador of art, not only<br />
radiance, of the glow or shine in the appearance, what we call<br />
His work has also been influenced by his travels to far-flung plac-<br />
since he was honoured in 2004 for his work and his work as<br />
the aura. This is for me of absolutely crucial importance. The<br />
es such as Iran, Oman, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Japan and Egypt,<br />
an ambassador of cultures with the Great Cross of Merit of the<br />
interpretation of this significance gives rise to repeated questions<br />
to name a few. Not forgetting the Balearic island of Ibiza, where<br />
Federal Republic of Germany as a first award.<br />
that preoccupy not only philosophers, but me as well.<br />
he lives at times.<br />
“A world without art would be a gray world”, says the artist. It is<br />
Allow me to continue this line of thinking. If I am to believe my<br />
The artist moves between worlds, between cultures and his art is<br />
his inner conviction that the beauty of art is existential important<br />
experiences as an artist, any creative act (unless I were blind),<br />
the universal language and has opened paths to a common<br />
for every citizen of the world. Without beauty, man cannot be.<br />
any form would be inconceivable without light; without form,<br />
understanding. From being a European Mack became a com-<br />
From the beginning, it was his intention and attitude to counter<br />
light would be mere brightness, just as colour without light would<br />
muter between Occident and Orient. There are not only overlaps<br />
and parallels with his preoccupation with the artworks and cultur-<br />
the often unbearable ugliness in the world with a beauty in which<br />
light is immanent.<br />
not be colour. As a painter and sculptor, I am aware of this sine<br />
qua non.<br />
Heinz Mack -Ensemble of Light-Stelea. Photo: Archiv Heinz Mack, VG Bild-Kunst,<br />
Bonn 2023<br />
260 261
scientific formula. In other words, this experience is accompanied<br />
by the loneliness of this experience – an experience,<br />
however, that is by no means unfamiliar to me as an artist.<br />
Your question about the significance of light in my work refers<br />
to my experiments in the desert. As for my experiments in the<br />
desert, light exists there entirely in itself, just as the desert exists<br />
entirely in itself. That fact that light is especially at home in the<br />
desert may be because in its calm, boundless expanse is itself a<br />
kind of desert. Light and the desert come together manifestly in<br />
any mirage – that is where they celebrate their love for each other.<br />
It has taken me a long time to comprehend this bond between<br />
the desert and light.<br />
MR MACK, I KNOW THAT YOU NO LONGER<br />
DREAM YOUR DREAMS IN THE SAHARA, BUT<br />
ON THE ISLAND OF IBIZA. YOUR WORK REFERS<br />
AGAIN AND AGAIN TO THIS DREAM. FOR IN-<br />
STANCE, ONE OF YOUR PICTURES IS ENTITLED<br />
“THE COLOURS OF IBIZA”. YOU HAVE VERY<br />
AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED AN ARTIST’S<br />
BOOK TO IBIZA, THE “ISLAND OF LIGHT”.<br />
IN YOUR WORK, YOU USE PRETTY SIMPLE,<br />
STRICT FORMS. IF ONE LOOKS AT THE IBIZA<br />
BOOK, ONE CAN IDENTIFY THIS FORMAL<br />
LANGUAGE – IN THE CUBES OF THE HOUSES,<br />
THE FLIGHTS OF STEPS AND ABOVE ALL IN THE<br />
GEOMETRY OF THE REMNANTS OF MOORISH-<br />
ARAB ARCHITECTURE. WHAT EFFECT DID THE<br />
STRENGTH OF THE SOUTHERN LIGHT AND THE<br />
REDUCED FORMS OF THIS MAGNIFICENT ISLAND<br />
HAVE ON YOUR WORK?<br />
Light, of course, feels at home all over the world. Ibiza is particularly<br />
hospitable to sunlight. This also applies to the night sky. This<br />
is why I call the Ibiza the “Island of Light”. Strangely, the island<br />
has not been given this name before.<br />
On late summer evenings, this island is sometimes transformed<br />
into a gleaming, atmospheric, transparent, warm gold that glows<br />
in an entirely dematerialized way.<br />
The primeval substance, which Anaximander called “apeiron”,<br />
the infinite from which everything comes and to which everything<br />
returns.<br />
This is a light in which the soul finds its peace – a state that<br />
artists rarely find!<br />
Everything and anything then becomes a pure, intangible apparition<br />
and the observing thinking ends in pure thinking, in wordless<br />
astonishment. It is not without good reason that it was Ibiza<br />
where Walter Benjamin developed his aesthetics of the aura.<br />
And, as for the clarity and austerity of forms that you mention: I<br />
like the morality that corresponds to light, for light never moves<br />
in roundabout ways, but always shines directly in a straight line.<br />
Light may conceal its secret, but never its truth. It was in such<br />
light that Islamic art evolved – and in this light, my sculptures<br />
become sculptures of light and my colours colours of light and<br />
my dreams dreams of light.<br />
So that I am not suspected of being a Romantic, I should like to<br />
quote Seneca again who said the following two thousand years<br />
ago under the same Mediterranean night sky: “It is for a man<br />
who has awoken from sleep to tell his dreams!” In my art, I tell<br />
my dreams. When I then also consider that the light of some<br />
stars only reaches us long after the stars themselves have extinguished,<br />
their fate becomes a strange parable on the glitter and<br />
misery of many an artist’s existence.<br />
THE ISLAMIC PROHIBITION OF REPRESENTATION-<br />
AL IMAGES IS NOT EXPRESSLY FORMULATED IN<br />
THE KORAN, BUT IT IS STRONGLY SUGGESTED:<br />
“THE MAKERS OF THESE PICTURES WILL BE<br />
PUNISHED ON THE DAY OF RESURRECTION.”<br />
THIS IS WHY ISLAMIC ART HAS MADE THE<br />
NON-FIGURATIVE ORNAMENT ITS THEME. THE<br />
IMPORTANCE OF ORNAMENT FOR THE DEVELOP-<br />
MENT OF ABSTRACT ART WAS UNDERESTIMATED<br />
FOR A LONG TIME. FOR INSTANCE, THE LOVE OF<br />
THE ORNAMENTAL IN THE POST-WAR PERIOD<br />
HAS BEEN A STRIKING FEATURE.<br />
YOU YOURSELF SAID IN A LECTURE:<br />
“ORNAMENT IS STRUCTURE; IT CORRESPONDS<br />
TO THE STRUCTURALISM OF OUR TIME MORE<br />
AS THE FORM OF THE FIGURE.” CAN YOU<br />
EXPLAIN THIS IN MORE DETAIL?<br />
This issue is of very special significance for me because people<br />
believe they know what an ornament is although in reality they do<br />
not. Our European definition covers only the basics and merely<br />
serves the prejudices about the decorative that are current,<br />
particularly in this country. The purely phenomenological, purely<br />
visual affinity between the microstructures that the atomic physicist<br />
sees with his scanning electron microscope and the networks<br />
in biophysics, on the one hand, and the structural graphics<br />
that I create independently of these has a certain structural logic.<br />
Its ornamental quality is an unexpected spin-off that seems to be<br />
just as inherent in the oriental arabesque as in my visual energy<br />
structures.<br />
The relativity theory of the Modern Age also posits the interdependence<br />
of all parts within which, on the principle of “pars pro<br />
toto”, the part stands for the whole and vice versa. The whole<br />
appears to be a complex network in which the individual is present<br />
in all parts, with the consequence that the individual remains<br />
isolated without the whole and loses his strictly functional raison<br />
d’être. Its veritably holistic sovereignty and uniqueness has, so to<br />
speak, rendered itself superfluous in the structure of the network,<br />
probably for ever. Even as a student, I asked myself why western<br />
painting ends with Pietro Cavallini and Cimabue only to be resumed<br />
with Giotto.<br />
The development of central perspective and the rules of drama<br />
as well as the hierarchical laws of picture composition associated<br />
with them have undoubtedly given the drama of our lives not only<br />
expression but also orientation. What has been overlooked, however,<br />
is that nature, which was to become the stage of the human<br />
condition, is unaware of the drama and the resultant tragedy.<br />
Just as oriental art is also unaware of drama and the concept<br />
of tragedy. The crucifixion of Christ, for instance, is incomprehensible<br />
to the eastern mind and conflicts fundamentally with<br />
its conception of God. The move away from composition and<br />
its derivatives towards structure started for me way back with<br />
Cézanne. Even though he still adheres to composition, his way<br />
of painting – like that of Van Gogh, for that matter – is purely<br />
structural.<br />
In the analytical Cubism that soon followed, all we can then see<br />
is structural energy fields.<br />
To approach your question about ornament again: Like the arabesque,<br />
this is a special case within the open concept of structure.<br />
The serial, the suggestive insistence of repetition contained<br />
in it and its injection with rhythm with the aid of varying intervals<br />
Heinz Mack - The Caravan of Colors, 1976 Photo: Thomas Höpker,<br />
Archiv Heinz Mack<br />
and their accentuation – all this in turn generates itself from itself<br />
and beyond itself, so that we can refer neither to a beginning nor<br />
to an end.<br />
In its simplest form (which, admittedly, can be complicated<br />
enough), it is the ornament that contains and renders visible<br />
the quoted paradigms. I see the structure as being much more<br />
complex as a structural energy field, in which a sublime interaction,<br />
convergence and interpenetration of particulate elements in<br />
tension and oscillation is set in vibration.<br />
Expressed in musical terms: In its complexity, the holistic experience<br />
of an acoustic chord is totally different from the sum of<br />
the experiences of the individual notes. My painting is based on<br />
related realizations.<br />
A linear, progressive and goal-oriented transcription of an anthropomorphic<br />
figure in the sense of the Greek “eidos” is replaced<br />
by something totally different and new. I call it a type of visual<br />
diagram of sensory relationships that generate themselves out of<br />
nothing as it were, with the surprising consequence that they can<br />
take the place of a static world view. This is what I meant when I<br />
thought of the images under the scanning electron microscope,<br />
whose precision extends from the nano range down to the atomic<br />
structure.<br />
But even the truly spectacular photographs of a Gerster or<br />
Arthus Bertrand, who make the world visible to us from above,<br />
show the fractal manifestations of nature as structure, grid and at<br />
the same time as ornament.<br />
VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn<br />
This applies just as much to untouched nature as to that cultivated<br />
by man. Because of their fascinating structure, I would wish<br />
for the resurrection of a Dürer or a Caspar David Friedrich. In my<br />
262 263
Heinz Mack in front of his painting “Rhythm, Colour, Light”, 2006. Photo: Archiv Mack, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023<br />
VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn<br />
Heinz Mack - The Painter’s Garden, 2001. Photo: Archiv Heinz Mack, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023<br />
VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn<br />
country, the concept of beauty as well as that of the ornamental I feel that the transitory nature of this encounter between the<br />
or the decorative has been so fundamentally corrupted that my two cultures in my works remains evident. I must also admit that<br />
art is necessarily suspected of being superficial. Even Matisse the affinity with Islamic art is purely accidental in 50 percent of<br />
was confronted with this objection for a long time.<br />
my works, a similarity that was not intended at the time of their<br />
execution and that I only became aware of much later.<br />
Picasso’s dictum that sculpture has to be an art of the superficial<br />
is ignored just as much as Goethe’s: “Our lives take place<br />
I am one of those artists who have replaced composition that<br />
in coloured reflections.” My own compass does not only point dominated European art for 700 years with the serial or, better<br />
west, but also south and east. My encounter with the art of the still, structure whose harmonic beauty and dignity I wish to neither<br />
question nor justify. Hence, my relations, which one can see<br />
Orient has yielded suggestions and ideas which I was neither<br />
able nor willing to resist. Peculiar to its largely non-figurative<br />
and recognize between western art and Islamic art, must be seen<br />
nature (and its sole content is the glorification of the prophet) has against a historic and equally contemporary background whose<br />
always been a poetic spirituality that I can intuitively grasp in its superficiality shows the “depth of surface” that a German poet<br />
abstraction (following Goethe’s “West-eastern divan”).<br />
once claimed was the secret of beauty.<br />
SHORT BIOGRAPHY<br />
Heinz Mack was born in 1931 in Lollar and attended the Arts<br />
Academy of Düsseldorf from 1950 to 1953; furthermore, he studied<br />
philosophy at the University of Cologne until 1956, graduating<br />
in both programmes with state exams. In 1957, Heinz Mack<br />
founded the ZERO group in Düsseldorf, Germany, together with<br />
Otto Piene.<br />
Besides his participation in documenta III (1964) and documenta<br />
VI (1977), the artist represented the Federal Republic of Germany<br />
at the 35th Venice Biennale in 1970. Also in Venice, in June<br />
2014, the sculpture ensemble “The Sky Over Nine Columns”<br />
was inaugurated on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. The nine<br />
columns, each measuring eight metres, are covered with more<br />
than 850,000 gold-plated tesserae.<br />
Mack also obtained a professorship in Osaka, Japan in the same<br />
year and became a full member of the Akademie der Künste,<br />
Berlin to which he belonged until 1992.<br />
The artist has been honoured with major awards including the Art<br />
Prize oft he City of Krefeld (1958), the Premio Marzotto (1963),<br />
the Premier Prix Arts Plastiques at the 4th Paris Biennale (1965),<br />
the Adolf-Grimme Recognition Award for his “Tele-Mack” movie<br />
(1970), first prize in the International Competition of Light 79 in<br />
the Netherlands (1979), the Conferment of the Order of Merit of<br />
North Rhine-Westphalia, the Grand Culture Prize of the Rhineland<br />
Savings Banks Association (1992), the Grand Federal Cross<br />
of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his work and<br />
function as a Cultural Ambassador (2004) as well as the Prize oft<br />
he Cultural Foundation oft he City of Dortmund (2012).<br />
He was also awarded the Grand Federal cross of Merit with Star<br />
of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2011. In the summer of<br />
2015, the senate of the Arts Academy of Düsseldorf unanimously<br />
elected Mack as an honorary member. In 2016, the city of<br />
Düsseldorf bestowed the Jan-Wellem-Ring upon Heinz Mack.<br />
He received the Moses Mendelssohn Medal in 2017. In the same<br />
year, Mack received an award as Düsseldorfer of the Year 2017<br />
for his lifetime achievement.<br />
Heinz Mack’s works of art have been shown in 400 solo and<br />
numerous group exhibitions. His works are among the holdings<br />
of some 136 public collections. A multitude of books and catalogues,<br />
as well as two films document his work.<br />
The artist lives and works in Mönchengladbach, Germany and<br />
Ibiza, Spain.<br />
264<br />
265
FONDATION LINDA ET GUY PIETERS<br />
SAINT-TROPEZ<br />
JULIAN SCHNABEL<br />
WHAT ARE WE PAINTING AFTER ALL<br />
Julian Schnabel (b. 1951, Brooklyn, NY) is one of the most<br />
seminal and virtuosic artists working today. His multidisciplinary<br />
practice extends beyond painting to include sculpture,<br />
film, architecture and furniture. He is an award winning movie<br />
director but primarily a painter. His use of preexisting materials<br />
not traditionally used in art making, varied painting surfaces and<br />
inventive modes of construction were pivotal in the reemergence<br />
of painting in the United States in the late 1970’s and the rest<br />
of the world. In 1978, he began to make Plate Paintings, imagic<br />
works with sculptural surfaces produced by layering shards of<br />
broken dishes with thick applications of auto body putty, dental<br />
plaster and oil paint on wooden structures. His unorthodox,<br />
highly experimental approach to use of materials, gestures and<br />
form and large scale and shaped paintings have blurred the<br />
distinction between abstraction and figuration, making the battle<br />
between the two obsolete. Throughout his practice, he sustained<br />
the use of objet trouvé and chance-based processes, transforming<br />
painting and opening the door for new generations of young<br />
painters today.<br />
266 267
“Emerging from an American artistic tradition that deliberately<br />
challenged reigning ideas of surface and form<br />
in paintings, since the late 1970s the artist has sought<br />
to transform the realities and possibilities of the medium:<br />
what a painting is, what it can be, and how it can<br />
be done . . . Free of precisionist or calculated formulas,<br />
Schnabel’s works become receivers for a poetry that is<br />
both personal and universal. In his case, intentionally<br />
painting the unknowable yields a more faithful representation<br />
of experience than any attempt to realistically<br />
depict the physical world ever could.”<br />
“The surfaces look physically quite turbulent . . . That<br />
makes the surface restless and adventurous. They also<br />
seem impatient. Julian is an eager painter who cannot<br />
wait to finish a painting. Such urgency increases the restlessness<br />
of their appearance... I wanted to explain things,<br />
but forgot that an artist at work is not at all concerned<br />
with the state of art in general. That is art that already<br />
exists. Julian in his studio, however, was looking for a<br />
painting that had never been made before. Nothing less.”<br />
Rudi Fuchs<br />
Max Hollein<br />
FONDATION<br />
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PLACE DES LICES<br />
28 BOULEVARD VASSEROT<br />
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268 269
MICHAEL SCHMIDT-OTT<br />
I always try to give visitors in the exhibition<br />
a face and an idea of the person<br />
that is behind the artwork<br />
Michael Schmidt-Ott is a Vienna-based independent art consultant<br />
and founder of Fund-Art who devotes his free time to<br />
charity work, raising funds for hospices, education projects<br />
and others. His latest project was a charity art auction held on<br />
October 5 to support the dementia aid organization Desideria<br />
Care, in partnership with three Rotary Clubs and Sotheby’s at the<br />
Palais Oppenheim in Cologne. To collect all the auctioned art, he<br />
travelled 25,000 kilometres. He explains why he did this and the<br />
vision behind his charity work to the co-founder of the <strong>Diplomatic</strong><br />
<strong>World</strong> Institute, Dieter Brockmeyer.<br />
THE CHARITY ART AUCTION YOU DID ON<br />
OCTOBER 5 SEEMS TO BE A HUGE THING.<br />
WHAT MADE YOU TAKE ON SUCH A TASK?<br />
I have been doing these charity projects for the last decade.<br />
For example, during this time I have raised over EUR 1.3 million<br />
for a hospice in Vienna. Then, by chance, I was approached by<br />
Desideria Care after meeting through my last charity project. We<br />
found out that we are very much alike in our approach. As such,<br />
we had to do something together. I started to collect artworks<br />
for that project. We went more and more international. We had<br />
artists from 53 different countries in this auction, from Australia to<br />
Benin, from Japan to Morocco and from Venezuela to Zimbabwe.<br />
YOU SAY YOU TRAVELLED 25,000 KILOMETRES<br />
TO GET ALL THESE ART PIECES TOGETHER.<br />
THAT WAS QUITE AN EFFORT.<br />
Travelling 25,000 kilometres by car is nothing you really want to<br />
do, but in this case, the Tour de Art is magical. However, shipping<br />
artworks from all the countries I mentioned earlier costs a<br />
fortune. It is impossible to pay for that. This is why I started the<br />
“Tour d’Art” in three parts. In the longest segment, I spent<br />
33 days on the road. The entire effort was 75 days travelling,<br />
visiting 120 Studios in 46 different cities in 14 countries across<br />
Europe to collect all the artworks. Together with the artists I<br />
decide which artwork we are selecting for the auction, and it is<br />
also great to meet the artists in person. It is always good to go<br />
in-person to their studios to understand what they do and what<br />
their work is about. When the exhibition started on 28 September,<br />
people came to me and ask who is (Ugandan artist) Collin<br />
Sekajugo or (Finnish ceramic sculptor) Kim Simonsson. I get to<br />
explain what they do, what their work is about and what they<br />
want to express. I always try to give visitors in the exhibition a<br />
face and an idea of the person that is behind the artwork.<br />
NOBODY IS WILLING TO PAY ANY MONEY FOR<br />
ART HE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND, I WOULD<br />
ASSUME.<br />
There are some artworks that explain themselves. Others do not.<br />
To give you an example, if you take a work from Kris Martin, a<br />
conceptual artist from Belgium, which consists of a white paper<br />
where he writes on it “Beat Us” at the top, repeating it all the<br />
way down the page, gradually shortening the distance between<br />
270 271
the two words – in the end you have “Beatus”, the Latin word for<br />
“happy” and the Victory sign formed in the background. To<br />
some people I have to explain because they may not understand<br />
at first glance. We always choose works that need some<br />
The mother of Desiree von Bohlen und Halbach (daughter of<br />
Princess Birgitta of Sweden) took over the patronage of the<br />
auction. Queen Sylvia, the aunt of Desiree, runs her foundation<br />
from Sweden. That’s why Desiree founded her organization in<br />
YOU ARE NOT ONLY DOING CHARITY AUCTIONS,<br />
AND DEFINITELY NOT FOR A LIVING. GIVE US A<br />
LITTLE BIT OF YOUR BACKGROUND.<br />
artworks for a good cause. It started in 2017 as a two-months<br />
pop-up project. It has been running since then.<br />
explanation. Of course, all art is about emotion, and what I feel is<br />
2017, focussing on the German speaking countries, Austria,<br />
This charity project is what I am doing in my so-called spare<br />
what I see. For those unable to come, all the information is in the<br />
Germany, and Switzerland. Sweden deals with dementia in a<br />
time. A project of that size takes about two years to organize,<br />
catalogue.<br />
totally different approach. You can get so much more support<br />
more or less. After the auction, all the unsold works go to stor-<br />
for the caretakers. And this is what Desiree wants to offer for the<br />
age, and we have to take care about transportation to get them<br />
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW THIS AUCTION<br />
WORKED.<br />
It works like an international auction. We also streamed the entire<br />
auction on the internet. There were several ways of taking part.<br />
German speaking countries, too.<br />
AND THAT IS WHY YOU JOINED HER IN SUPPORT-<br />
ING HER TASK?<br />
back to the artists.<br />
I guess the project will be finished by the beginning of next year.<br />
I can only do that because I am working in the art industry. I’m<br />
an art consultant. So, I have the network. I know the people, I<br />
know how to approach artists, and I can use that for my busi-<br />
Of course, the easiest way is on site at the Palais Oppenheim by<br />
I think she’s doing a great job. And I think what this organization<br />
ness background as well. Going to the studios is also part of my<br />
signing up on the website. You could do telephone bidding that<br />
does is really what this society needs. We try to bring dementia<br />
professional job.<br />
means we call you one or two minutes before your lot is offered.<br />
out of the dark and get people to talk about it. Just take Germa-<br />
A member of staff works through with you through this auction<br />
ny. We have 1.8 million people suffering from dementia. Officially,<br />
I started my first charity project in 2012. Before that I had been<br />
process, which might take just one two or three minutes because<br />
the numbers that we at Desideria Care think about are three to<br />
working on different other things. I started charity as a child.<br />
an auction with 200 lots is pretty fast. You also could do a classi-<br />
four times higher, because many people do not get diagnosed.<br />
My parents used to send me to the Red Cross at the Christmas<br />
cal written offer.<br />
People are afraid of going to the doctor. And you can say that<br />
market in my hometown.<br />
each and every person suffering from this horrible disease has<br />
YOUR AUCTION HAD STRONG SUPPORT. THE<br />
CHAIRWOMAN IS CONNECTED TO THE ROYAL-<br />
HOUSE OF SWEDEN. DESIDERIA CARE HAS AN<br />
ORIGIN IN THE FOUNDATION OF QUEEN SYLVIA<br />
OF SWEDEN.<br />
on average three people around him or her taking care. Based<br />
on the official figures alone that makes 5.4 million people who<br />
are caretakers. They need support because the person you have<br />
been living together with for 20, 30 or 40 years suddenly is not<br />
the person he or she used to be before.<br />
We were selling raffle tickets. This was always fabulous for us<br />
kids, because we were running around the town hall selling raffle<br />
tickets to, of course, mostly people we knew.<br />
Nowadays I am a gallerist without a gallery, and I have another<br />
charity project, the “Challery”. This is a charity art gallery selling<br />
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TINTIN<br />
THE IMMERSIVE ADVENTURE<br />
In the autumn of 2023, an unprecedented exhibition devoted<br />
to the most famous Belgian comic strip characters will be held<br />
at Tour & Taxis, Brussels: ‘TINTIN / KUIFJE, THE IMMERSIVE<br />
ADVENTURE’.<br />
Extending over a 1,600 m2 projection surface, the digital exhibition<br />
will enable children and adults to immerse themselves in the<br />
world of Tintin. The fruit of a close collaboration between Culturespaces<br />
and Tintinimaginatio, the event was a huge success<br />
in Paris in 2022.<br />
The transfer from paper to digital is but a short step, which<br />
the two partners decided to take by combining their expertise.<br />
Tintinimaginatio, the exclusive holder of the world rights for the<br />
exploitation and representation of Hergé’s work, is collaborating<br />
with Culturespaces, a pioneer in the production of immersive<br />
exhibitions that are unique in the world.<br />
From the first edition of Tintin in the Land of the Soviets in 1929<br />
to the most recent publications, ‘Tintin: the Immersive Adventure’<br />
pays tribute to the famous reporter with the powder puff, an<br />
inveterate traveller whose voyages around the globe have been<br />
part of popular culture for almost one hundred years. A unique<br />
interpretation of Hergé’s work, this immersive exhibition enables<br />
both young people and adults, ‘from 7 to 77’, to (re)explore the<br />
creative and fictional world of one of the 20th century’s greatest<br />
cartoonists.<br />
The entire ‘paper family’ of the famous saga is present in the<br />
exhibition: Tintin and Snowy (Milou), as well as the faithful ‘family’<br />
made up by Captain Haddock, the Thompson Twins, Professor<br />
Sunflower, Castafiore, and many others. Not to mention, of<br />
course, the disagreeable – but truly indispensable – villains.<br />
COMPOSED OF 8 CHAPTERS, A PROLOGUE AND<br />
AN EPILOGUE, THE EXHIBITION INVITES THE<br />
VISITOR TO DIVE INTO THE WORLD OF TINTIN<br />
© Culturespaces / C. de la Motte Rouge / © Hergé - Tintinimaginatio - 2023<br />
PROLOGUE: THE GENESIS OF TINTIN<br />
or the terrifying Rascar Capac who plunges the visitors into a<br />
The immersive creation opens with the famous covers of all the collective hallucination. We see strange creatures of the Cigars of<br />
albums in The Adventures of Tintin, gradually coming to life<br />
the Pharaoh, mirages of black gold, gigantic mushrooms of The<br />
before our very eyes. The clear line of the famous reporter<br />
Shooting Star…<br />
and his faithful companion Snowy will evolve over the albums,<br />
first in black and white in Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, then TO ADVENTURE AND BEYOND<br />
rapidly in colour with The Shooting Star.<br />
Constantly pursued, our heroes take the visitors in a rocket going<br />
to the Moon, in the jungle of the Picaros and in the cabin of flight<br />
TINTIN, THE GREAT REPORTER<br />
714. Tintin and his faithful friends happily emerge victorious and<br />
Tintin is above all a great reporter. Our young hero takes the visitor<br />
along with him, travelling thousands of kilometres and using<br />
always celebrate the triumphant end of their adventures.<br />
all means of transportation on land, air and even under the sea EPILOGUE<br />
with the famous bathyscaphe, a shark-shaped submarine.<br />
‘Tintin: the Immersive Adventure’ ends on the famous blue endpapers<br />
of the Adventures of Tintin albums, before giving way to<br />
Hergé drawing his favourite character one last time.<br />
CAPTAIN HADDOCK AND THE ENTOURAGE<br />
Regardless of the adventure, who would be Tintin without his<br />
faithful friends? There is Snowy, his most faithful companion, as<br />
well as Captain Haddock and his fiery temper, Professor Calculus<br />
TOUR & TAXIS<br />
as a dizzy genius, the clumsy policemen Thomson and Thompson,<br />
among many others.<br />
From 27 September 2023 to 7 January 2024<br />
Book your tickets:<br />
THE BIG BAD GUYS<br />
www.tintin-immersiveadventure.com<br />
Tintin and allies must also thwart the plans of unscrupulous characters<br />
such as the dreadful Rastapopoulos, the vile Mitsuhirato<br />
© Culturespaces / C. de la Motte Rouge / © Hergé - Tintinimaginatio - 2023<br />
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PRINCESS<br />
LELLI DE ORLEANS E BRAGANÇA<br />
BERKO FINE PAINTINGS<br />
KNOKKE-HEIST<br />
All Photos: Berko Fine Paintings<br />
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MAISON LEEA<br />
FURNITURE THAT TRANSCENDS TRENDS<br />
AND STANDS THE TEST OF TIME<br />
WHAT DEFINES MAISON LEEA?<br />
Maison Leea’s commitment to excellence lies in the meticulous<br />
hand craftsmanship, attention to detail, fusion of form and function,<br />
implementing boat design elements in the aesthetic present<br />
in the furniture pieces.<br />
Using a wide range of rare materials, Maison Leea is executing<br />
bespoke creations that seamlessly meet the demands of<br />
exclusive properties and boat world with a contemporary nautical<br />
aesthetic. This ensures their owners can enjoy the perfect fusion<br />
of form and function, where style is never compromised.<br />
Through Maison Leea, I aim to create a synergy between the<br />
interior and exterior aspects of houses and boats, blurring the<br />
boundaries and ensuring a harmonious design flow.Each piece of<br />
furniture is carefully curated to enhance the ambiance of the interior<br />
spaces, creating a luxurious retreat that reflects the owner’s<br />
individuality and personal style.<br />
DOES YOUR INTERNATIONAL BACKGROUND<br />
PROVIDE AN ADVANTAGE IN THE ART SECTOR?<br />
It is a great privilege for Maison Leea to be featured alongside<br />
iconic artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Tom<br />
Wesselmann, Keith Haring, Robert Indiana, and Alex Katz<br />
thanks to the partnership with Wynn Fine Art Gallery and Aktion<br />
Art in Palm Beach. This highlights the success of our efforts to<br />
create furniture pieces that would seamlessly integrate within<br />
the art realm.<br />
Maison Leea’s ultimate goal for these pieces was to complement<br />
and harmonise with the revered icons exhibited in the gallery.<br />
Its discerning clientele, who are art connoisseurs themselves,<br />
appreciate and collect art, choosing to proudly display their<br />
pieces within their residences. Consequently, they seek furniture<br />
that exhibits the same level of distinction and artistic sensibility<br />
to enhance their curated collections.<br />
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Our clients consistently express their admiration for our furniture.<br />
Each piece undergoes thoughtful and meticulous handcrafting,<br />
eschewing mass production in favour of a bespoke approach.<br />
This allows us to cater to the unique vision of every interior we<br />
curate, ensuring a seamless alignment between our furniture and<br />
the art it accompanies.<br />
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO DELVE IN THE WORLD<br />
OF FURNITURE DESIGN?<br />
After studying in art school, I immersed myself in the world of<br />
architecture. This groundwork established a solid foundation for<br />
my comprehension of design principles and played a pivotal role<br />
in shaping my artistic vision in creating interiors and furniture.<br />
HOW DID YOUR DIVERSE BACKGROUND IN<br />
BUSINESS, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, ARCHITECTURE<br />
AND ART DRIVE YOU TO ESTABLISH MAISON<br />
LEEA?<br />
Having degrees in international business and entrepreneurship<br />
my path was somehow decided, but I was advised to not just do<br />
it’s the result of me wanting to encompass everything I know in<br />
a brand of high-end furniture for a high end state of spirit.<br />
WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU CURRENTLY<br />
WORKING ON?<br />
Through its unwavering dedication to impeccable craftsmanship<br />
business but to follow my passion, so did I.<br />
Currently we are engaged in an exceptional project in Palm<br />
and artistic sensibilities, Maison Leea establishes a profound<br />
Living on a boat for quite a while, played a big role in making me<br />
Beach, completely redesigning a grand property among our<br />
connection to the art world. It offers furniture that not only em-<br />
realise that the interiors of yachts have a unique charm and ele-<br />
But by having been studied architecture before, that was a pas-<br />
portfolio of bespoke projects. Our team has embarked upon a<br />
bodies creativity and functionality but, most importantly, serves<br />
gance that is very distinct from traditional home interiors. I loved<br />
sion that could not be forgotten. Subsequently, I embarked on a<br />
comprehensive reimagining of the interior spaces, using the<br />
as a perfect complement for the art collections of its clientele<br />
the lines present in the yacht aesthetic, that inspired me to create<br />
journey of studying international business and entrepreneurship,<br />
Maison Leea’s style. It is our esteemed clientele’s preference to<br />
with a sharp ability to perceive and distinguish quality, value.<br />
the Maison Leea’s furniture pieces and interiors concepts.<br />
in Switzerland and in the UK (London and Oxford).<br />
have the style of their boat present in their residences too.<br />
Having a multilingual background, I have the possibility of connecting<br />
with people from various cultural backgrounds, understanding<br />
their unique preferences. Ultimately, this process grants<br />
me a deeper comprehension of clients and their requirements,<br />
Furthermore, this passion extended beyond the confines of the<br />
sea, inspiring me to reinterpret these concepts and seamlessly<br />
incorporate them into traditional houses as well.<br />
Drawing upon my educational background in business and my<br />
artistic inclinations, together with my team, I embarked on a<br />
mission to bring a new style in furniture defined by impeccable<br />
handcraftsmanship and boat aesthetic lines.<br />
WHICH ARE THE LEADING FORCES IN YOUR<br />
VISION FOR A FURNITURE DESIGNER?<br />
taking into account not only their aesthetic vision but also their<br />
As a furniture designer and entrepreneur, I believe in the power<br />
unique backgrounds, ensuring that their wants are brought to life<br />
I started by designing the interior of my personal home, that led<br />
of passion and following one’s personal vision. By venturing<br />
through Maison Leea’s bespoke creations.<br />
me to more projects that ultimately, on this passion flow, would<br />
into the niche market of high end furniture, I have been able to<br />
make me create Maison Leea, which is a combination of my<br />
combine my love for interiors with the beauty of boat design, and<br />
backgrounds on business, entrepreneurship, architecture and art,<br />
more important with the influence that art has had in my life and<br />
280 281
still does. Maison Leea strives to bring a breath of fresh air in the<br />
employing a dedicated team of over 200 skilled individuals.<br />
In addition to our furniture line, Maison Leea has extended our<br />
We firmly believe that every piece of furniture we create should<br />
conventional approach to furniture, revolutionising the way we<br />
Each factory focuses on a specific aspect of production,<br />
production to encompass a comprehensive range of other inte-<br />
not only exude elegance but also embody durability. Our dedi-<br />
perceive and experience this essential aspect of our lives, but<br />
including wood craftsmanship for intricate marquetry, upholstery,<br />
rior essentials, including carpets, curtains, lighting and outdoor<br />
cation to excellence extends beyond the present moment and<br />
never losing sight of the artistic one. Furthermore, I am motivated<br />
chair manufacturing and accessory production. This strategic<br />
furniture. We believe that every element of interior design contrib-<br />
serves as a guiding principle for our future endeavours.<br />
by the desire to leave a lastly impact. I want to create furniture<br />
move has allowed Maison Leea to leverage the expertise and<br />
utes to the overall ambiance and aesthetic of a space, and thus<br />
that transcends trends and stands the test of time. Designing<br />
craftsmanship found within Romania’s furniture manufacturing<br />
we strive to offer our clients a holistic experience.<br />
With every furniture piece that leaves our factories, we aim to<br />
pieces that have a timeless appeal and continue to bring beauty<br />
heritage. It enables us to have the highest quality standards<br />
provide our clients with a lasting sense of satisfaction and pride,<br />
and utility to people for years to come is a fundamental aspect of<br />
my vision as a furniture designer.<br />
TELL US ABOUT THE PRODUCTION PROCESS<br />
In the beginning production was taking place in England, more<br />
exactly in Surrey as I wanted to be able to have a hands on pro-<br />
while ensuring efficient production that bring our exquisite<br />
designs to life.<br />
With the main focus on keeping the highest standard, Maison<br />
Leea sources raw materials from Italy, Brazil, and Iran, while incorporating<br />
systems from Germany into our production process.<br />
This global approach ensures that we have access to the finest<br />
quality materials and technologies to create exceptional furniture<br />
CAN YOU PROVIDE A FEW WORDS UPON THE<br />
FUTURE YOU ENVISION FOR MAISON LEEA?<br />
In the future, I envision expanding Maison Leea’s reach, not only<br />
in the realm of interior spaces and boat furniture, but also in the<br />
field of aircraft interiors. By staying true to our commitment to<br />
simplicity, exclusivity and impeccable design, Maison Leea aims<br />
knowing that they have acquired a truly remarkable piece that<br />
embodies not only our vision, but their needs also. Our pledge to<br />
quality is a testament to our constant pursuit of ideal, ensuring<br />
that Maison Leea will bring refinement to any curated interior.<br />
ABOUT LEEA A. STEFANESCU<br />
cess approach as I was living in London, however valuable ad-<br />
pieces.<br />
to become synonymous with elegance and sophistication in the<br />
Leea A. Stefanescu is the founder of Maison Leea. Originally<br />
vice led me to explore the rich furniture manufacturing tradition in<br />
world of high-end furniture.<br />
from Transylvania, she was brought up in Switzerland, following<br />
my home country, Romania, dating back to <strong>World</strong> War I.<br />
At our production facility, each piece undergoes a meticulous<br />
her education path in London getting two university degrees in<br />
crafting process, involving over 60 precise steps. From the initial<br />
Regardless of what lies ahead, one thing remains unwavering:<br />
International Business with French, one Master in Entrepreneur-<br />
As a result, we made the strategic decision to relocate produc-<br />
design concept to the final finishing touches, our skilled artisans<br />
our commitment to maintaining the highest level of quality and<br />
ship and afterward continuing expanding her economics horizons<br />
tion to Romania, where we collaborate with established manu-<br />
work on each detail to achieve our standards for design, func-<br />
design. At Maison Leea, we understand that quality and differ-<br />
at Oxford. Speaking five languages, Leea’s diverse linguistic<br />
facturers boasting over 25 years of experience in the industry.<br />
tionality, and durability.<br />
ent design are the cornerstones of our success and the keys to<br />
skills enable her to connect with a global audience and navigate<br />
Our furniture is now hand crafted in four specialised factories,<br />
exceeding the expectations of our clients.<br />
international markets with ease.<br />
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MAISON LEEA<br />
FURNITURE THAT TRANSCENDS TRENDS<br />
AND STANDS THE TEST OF TIME<br />
WWW.MAISONLEEA.COM