Japanese deputy chief of mission welcomed

Japanese Ambassador Takashi Kurai and his wife hosted a welcome reception at their residence for the new deputy chief of mission, Yusuke Shindo. The evening also provided an opportunity to bid farewell to the outgoing chief of mission, Takashi Harada, who had taken over the position after the death of Junya Matsuura early this year.

“Mr Harada has performed various functions at the mission in three years he has been here, as head of the economic section, head of the visa affairs section and as the deputy chief of mission and I would like to thank him for his service,” the ambassador said.

“Mr Shindo joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1986 and served as the director of the Southwest Asia Division in 2009, where he organised the Pakistan Friends Conference in Tokyo in 2009 which was attended by the then president of Pakistan. He is very familiar with the region and with Pakistan and has many friends here. I am sure you will all extend your cooperation to him,” he said.

Mr Harada said he was posted here in 2015 and that he has enjoyed his time here.

“Over the past three years, I have travelled all across the country and everywhere I went, everyone I met, whether it was a large businessman or a poor farmer, they have always invited me to dinner and prepared delicious dishes. The hospitality of the Pakistani people is incredible. One of the first Punjabi phrases I learnt was ruj ke khao - eat your fill,” he said.

Mr Shindo said: “While my last posting was as minister for the delegation of Japan to the Conference on Disarmament, it has been my dream to work in Pakistan and that has now become a reality. I look forward to working with all of you to further strengthen the positive and strong relationship between our two countries.” The evening ended with a spectacular spread of sushi, teppanyaki and Pakistani food.

Belarus celebrates Independence Day

Andrei G. Ermolovich hosted a reception at Marriott Hotel on the occasion of the Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus last week, marking the anniversary of the liberation of Minsk being liberate from the German ‘Wehrmacht’ on July 3, 1944. Belarus became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991, and since July 27 that year, the day of the Declaration of Sovereignty of Belarus has been marked.

The chief guest on the occasion was Roshan Khursheed Bharucha, caretaker minister for human rights, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Safron.

The event was well attended by diplomats, Pakistani officials and members of the private sector and civil society.

“Ambassador Andrei G. Ermolovich seemed indeed pleased with the event, and there is always something jovial and friendly about him,” said a Pakistani guest. She had visited Belarus a few years ago for medical treatment, which she had found excellent and not very costly.

“The capital Minsk is a very modern city and the country seems to do well,” she said.

Another guest suggested that the medium-size country in the heart of Europe also has some distance to go in order to improve its political and human rights culture, and reduce corruption.

“Then the country with 10 million people can also become a member of the Council of Europe and play a more important role at the border country with Russia, Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania. In the Germanic languages in Northern Europe, Belarus is named White Russia,” said the European guest.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2018