Netherlands-Suriname Relations: The Netherlands: Surinamese president to address Dutch parliament

Surinamese president Chan Santokhi will address the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, during his visit to the Netherlands next month. An address to parliament is a rarely awarded diplomatic honor in the Netherlands and marks the restoration of good ties with Suriname, Trouw reports.

Santokhi and part of his government will visit The Hague and Prime Minister Mark Rutte on September 8 and 9.

The relationship between the Netherlands and Suriname was under pressure for some time because of the presidency of Desi Bouterse, who was convicted of cocaine trafficking in the Netherlands. Restoration of this relationship between the Netherlands and one of its former colonies started when Santokhi won the election in May last year and got sworn in as president in

Read more at: Surinamese president to address Dutch parliament | NL Times

Russia- Europe: Towards Relations of Pragmatism And Responsible Interaction - by Igor Ivanov

The perpetual topic of Russia-Europe relations was one of the central themes at the recently concluded annual Munich Security Conference. It is no secret that these relations have, for a long time, been in a state of profound crisis. This was not only caused by the events in Ukraine, even though their significance and consequences for both Russia and Europe should by no means be understated. The roots are more profound, related to both parties being unprepared to develop optimal forms of their current interaction.

Nonetheless, speeches and discussions at the Conference showed signs that the involved parties are demonstrating a certain readiness to develop an optimal model for relations. In his opening speech, Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier clearly said, “Europe should not put up with the ever-greater alienation of Russia. We need other, better EU-Russia relations.” Most European leaders speaking at the Conference agreed, in one way or the other, with the notion that the current state of relations between Moscow and its western neighbours is unreasonable and needs to be revised. As always, it boils down to the matter of what specific, mutually acceptable parameters new relations could have.

Read more at: Russia- Europe: Towards Relations of Pragmatism And Responsible Interaction - Modern Diplomacy

CUBA -USA - White House in 'final stages' of plan to close Guantanamo prison

The White House is in the "final stages" of a plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, spokesman

Josh Earnest said Wednesday. President Barack Obama made the closure of the controversial offshore prison a priority when he took office in 2009, but the plan has faced numerous setbacks, including Congress blocking the transfer of detainees to US prisons.

"The administration is in fact in the final stages of drafting a plan to safely and responsibly (close) the prison at Guantanamo Bay and to present that to Congress," Earnest said.

"That has been something that our national security officials have been working on for quite some time, primarily because it is a priority of the president."

The operation of the center in Cuba is not an effective use of government resources, Earnest told reporters.
"This is complicated work, but we have made a lot of important progress," he added.

Note EU-Digest: Good initial move Obama Administration  - next step - return Guantanamo to Cuba.

Read more: Americas - White House in 'final stages' of plan to close Guantanamo prison - France 24