Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Germany’s Post

La Russie veut encore étendre son territoire, les Européens s’inquiètent Summary 🌍 New Maritime Borders Proposal: Russia unveiled a draft law to redefine its maritime borders in the Baltic Sea, aiming to expand its territorial waters. This move has caused significant concern among European nations, particularly NATO members. ⚖️ International Reactions: Lithuania and Finland, both NATO members, expressed strong objections. The Lithuanian Foreign Minister described the move as a tactic to spread fear, while the Finnish Foreign Minister warned of hybrid influence operations by Russia. 📜 Legal and Strategic Implications: According to international law, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, any changes to maritime borders require negotiations. Russia's unilateral attempt to redefine these borders could have strategic and geopolitical consequences, particularly in relation to NATO's influence in the Baltic region. 🔍 Historical Context: This is not Russia's first attempt to alter maritime borders. A similar proposal concerning the Arctic Sea resurfaced after years. The strategic importance of the Baltic Sea, especially regarding access to Kaliningrad, makes this a critical issue. 🌐 Broader Geopolitical Impact: The Baltic Sea, now often referred to as "NATO's lake" due to the alliance's significant presence, is a key area of contention. The expansion of NATO with new members like Sweden and Finland increases tensions with Russia, which seeks to maintain influence in the region. https://lnkd.in/eA_bFh5y ## Quiz ### Test your knowledge of the video "La Russie veut encore étendre son territoire, les Européens s’inquiètent" 1. **What was Russia's recent proposal regarding its maritime borders?**   - A) To expand its territorial waters in the Baltic Sea   - B) To reduce its territorial waters in the Arctic Sea   - C) To establish new land borders with NATO countries   - D) To create a new naval base in the Mediterranean Sea 2. **Which countries are directly affected by Russia's proposed changes to maritime borders in the Baltic Sea?**   - A) Estonia and Latvia   - B) Sweden and Denmark   - C) Lithuania and Finland   - D) Poland and Germany 3. **What international law governs the changes to maritime borders?**   - A) The Geneva Conventions   - B) The Hague Conventions   - C) The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea   - D) The Paris Agreement 4. **Why is the Baltic Sea strategically important to Russia?**   - A) It is rich in oil reserves.   - B) It provides direct access to Kaliningrad.   - C) It is a major fishing ground.   - D) It connects Russia to the Atlantic Ocean. 5. **What was the reaction of Lithuania's Foreign Minister to Russia's proposal?**   - A) He supported it as a strategic move.   - B) He downplayed its significance.   - C) He called it a tactic to spread fear.   - D) He suggested diplomatic negotiations.

The recent victory of Ukraine in the Euros 2024 brought to my mind the on-going suspension of the Russian Football Union from all UEFA and FIFA competitions, a consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This situation presents an interesting paradox in international relations and sports governance. While organizations like the United Nations and its agencies often struggle with complex geopolitical issues due to conflicting interests and bureaucratic challenges, it’s noteworthy that sports governing bodies like UEFA and FIFA took swift and decisive action. Despite their own history of controversies and questionable practices, these organizations demonstrated a clear stance on this particular issue. This raises questions about the role of international sports in global politics and morality: 1. Can athletic organizations sometimes be more effective than traditional diplomatic channels in responding to international conflicts? 2. What does it say about our global systems when athletic associations appear to take a stronger moral stance than some governmental bodies? 3. How does the exclusion of Russian teams from international competitions impact cultural diplomacy? 4. Is the UN relevant at this point in time when Security Council members have a veto and consequently the UN cannot take a stance that UEFA, FIFA and the IOC have so easily taken? It would be an overstatement to claim that international football, soccer for you North Americans, is the ultimate arbiter of morals. However, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia certainly highlights the complex interplay between sports, politics, and ethics in our fractured world. It also underscores the potential of sports as a platform for expressing international solidarity and enforcing consequences for actions deemed unacceptable by the global community. Slava Ukraini. #Ukraine #Russianinvasion #UEFA #FIFA #UN

Will you be watching the Olympic Games or the European Football Championships this summer? Events like these can play a pivotal role in shaping diplomatic relations, however, their potential as a soft power tool is often overlooked. In light of this, UNITAR is delighted to announce the launch of "Beyond the Game: a free open webinar series on Sports Diplomacy". Our renowned experts will discuss how sports are linked to foreign policy, promoting human rights, cooperation among nations, and more. The registration link to attend is in the comments below ⬇️ #Olympics #Euro2024 #Paris2024 #SportsDiplomacy

🇸🇲 An honour to represent Belgium at the inauguration of the new Captains Regent of #SanMarino Filippo Tamagnini II and Gaetano Troina I. 🇧🇪 #Belgium has close ties with the Most Serene Republic: 🇺🇳 We’re close partners in the #UnitedNations 🇪🇺 We share the same values of #peace, respect for #HumanRights and have the joint ambition of concluding an association agreement with the #EuropeanUnion! 📌SPF Affaires étrangères, Commerce extérieur et Coopération au Développement, Représentation Permanente de la Belgique auprès de l'Union européenne

Swiss model for Bosnia and Herzegovina

10 years since ruZZian invasion and annexation of Crimea (Feb 20, 2024). 2 years since the full-scale invasion (Feb 24, 2022). How is the civilized world doing collectively with the existential threat of ZZ-fascism breaking through Ukrainian gates into Europe? Not well I would argue. Perhaps, hitting 5 on the scale of 10. Some countries like the Baltic states, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, Czech Republic, and the UK are all in. Others are “doing something” instead of “doing everything” as President Zelensky summarized it in Munich a week ago. Here is a good illustration of business as usual by Follow the Money: European football clubs are doing business with Putin’s gang that owns ruZZian football clubs. Characters like Chechens’ mobster Kadirov. “Sport has nothing to do with military affairs or politics” some naive (or corrupt) Westerners would argue. Of course, and here is the evidence: “Gazprom's subsidiary Gazprom Neft – whose board chairman Alexandr Dyukov still holds a seat on UEFA's executive committee – reportedly runs at least one private army fighting in Ukraine at the behest of Russia’s defence ministry”. Can you believe this? If not, go to the UEFA website and check it out. It is hard to believe that after 10 years of war that things like this are happening and being normalized. It is even harder to accept the fact that we are collectively “doing something” when our house is on fire 🔥 And I don’t think we should accept it. Please, think about what you can do to get to 10 when watching beautifully lighted up in blue and yellow 🇺🇦buildings in your capital today. #standwithukraine #stoprussia

Diplomats in a foreign country represent their homeland in every action they make abroad. Because of this heavy burden all the nations on planet earth decided that Diplomats stationed in a foreign country with specific duties directly linked to their homeland's political strategy and security enjoy "diplomatic immunity". Of course we are all human so given certain "freedoms" it doesn't take long for us to test the boundaries but most individuals make those transgressions a couple of times at the most and then return to their exemplary behavior. Of course this is not the case with Russian Diplomats. They act like they really are untouchable in every way one can think of thus can do whatever and behave however they like. The same way the Russian military acts invading sovereign country Ukraine and acting to the local military and people defending their land. This way it is no longer a question if Russians are Criminal and Terrorists if most Russians behave like true Criminals and Terrorists where ever they are?! As is it should no longer be a question if a country like Russia should be sitting at the table of the UN as one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council while the Russians across the board act irresponsibly outside all (international and local) Laws, Rules, Convenants, Conventions, Agreements. Globally Russians send the wrong signals, certainly not exemplary to any individual on planet earth! The question to Governments and bodies like the UN is: when is enough really enough and do we hold "them" (individuals and country/government) accountable by facing them finally with the consequences (kick them out of the UN and other international organizations dealing with political/humanitarian concepts)! You clearly act like a PARIA so we will treat you like a PARIA staring with naming you a PARIA! The world has sanctions on Iran and North-Korea specifically on firing and trading weaponry and both countries sell and deliver weapons to Russia which are being used in the Russian War in Ukraine! The idiotic in these events are always that "the people" know all these things long before the Government bodies do. Government bodies always need to investigate while the proof is right in front of you! It is this SOFT APPROACH what is being abused by these Criminal/Terrorist Countries! It is not for fun that we all (Criminal/Terrorist countries included) decided to work within a framework of (international and local) Laws, Rules, Convenants, Conventions, Agreements. As soon as these Criminal/Terrorist countries are confronted in such a way that it is apparent that they eventually will lose, then suddenly the want to be supported by the same (international and local) Laws, Rules, Convenants, Conventions, Agreements they earlier deliberately breached. These countries will continue this behavior until they are brutally stopped in their tracks and are held accountable to their actions! "When is enough finally enough?"

"Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to unpaid liabilities of many Ukrainian companies. This is now more visible than in any other armed conflict in recent years." In a piece for GGI | Global Alliance, Co-Head of Dispute Resolution Daniel Klementewicz and Head of Tax Piotr Prokocki join forces to describe the situation of many Ukrainian companies and how it is impacting business. #penteris #poland #ukraine #ukrainerussiawar #liabilities #business #law #taxadvisory #taxadvice

Diplomat warns of high risk of provocations against Russians at Paris Olympics According to Alexey Klimov, "the statements of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo that Russian athletes will not be welcome are indicative of the sentiments disseminated by official structures" MOSCOW, May 29/ There is a high probability of provocations against Russians at the Paris Olympics given France’s unfriendly course and Russophobia in the French media, Russian Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department Head Alexey Klimov told TASS. "As for the possibility of provocations against Russian citizens, unfortunately, it should be taken into account when deciding to travel to France," the diplomat pointed out. "The current French authorities are pursuing a generally unfriendly course towards our country, and the French media are deeply affected by aggressive Russophobia, which cannot but have a negative impact on the general atmosphere in France towards Russia and its citizens," Klimov said. "As for the Olympic Games, I would like to remind you that French representatives have repeatedly declared a ban on the demonstration of Russian symbols at the Games," he pointed out. "So far it is still hard to say how meticulously this ban will be implemented, for example, not in the stadiums, but on city streets, however, we cannot exclude the worst." According to Klimov, "the statements of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo that Russian athletes will not be welcome are indicative of the sentiments disseminated by official structures." "Such an environment is, of course, a breeding ground for the emergence and activation of all kinds of provocateurs," the diplomat emphasized. #business #finance #financialservices

Interpreting the hype. “Sport is one of Australia’s strengths,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said. “The Albanese Government is using all elements of national power to increase Australia’s influence in an ever more competitive world.” https://lnkd.in/gPcXaG8A #Australia is not a sporting nation. Australia is a sport watching nation. People sit around watching sports on television. That doesn't make it a national strength. And even if it did, that would be a really sucky strength for a nation. Ok, so what's really going on here is that the #Australian #government is throwing money around hand over fist in south east Asia to rent friends. This stems from the decision to steadfastly follow the #USA in adopting an adversarial relationship with most of the world, but particularly #China. So in keeping with that deliberate isolation plan, Australia is trying to rent friends in south east Asia, asking them to be best buds with Australia at the expense of mutually beneficial relations with China. How is the #Aussie government handing over vast sums of money? By calling it sporting grants and community investments. Like giving #PapuaNewGuinea AU$600 million for a rugby team. No, it's not really for a rugby team. It's to rent #PNG's friendship. #PennyWong has taken on the job of putting lipstick on this pig. "Oh, we're Aussies, we are so sporty, we love sport, so here's a truck load of money for country X, and country Y, and country Z..." Renting friends is not exactly a new strategy. But it's a short term strategy, and in the service of a long term goal which can not benefit Australia. #politics #news #southeastasia #asean #internationalrelations #auspol #auspol24 #auspol2024