Newsletter: Public Diplomacy in Europe, June 2008

U.S. State Department

Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs

Washington, DC

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In This Issue:

Albania: Wings for Doves

Ambassador Withers with Doves School and ICITAP staff member Leon Strigotte, May 2008. [Robert Manga, U.S. Embassy Tirana]

Albanian special-needs children are enjoying hot meals, new clothing and school supplies after efforts by U.S. Ambassador to Albania John Withers and a team from the Department of Justice International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP). The ambassador and ICITAP raised money for the Doves School by auctioning off the autistic students' artwork last November. To date, over $4,000 has been raised and the work of the international community got the attention of Raiffeisen Bank, who donated a large generator to the school. In May, Ambassador Withers returned to The Doves to find the 45 children enjoying heating and lighting year round.

Belarus: U.S. Embassy Presents Hollywood Classics Film Festival

Chargé Jonathan Moore at the film festival, held June 3- 6, 2008. [Alexander Krugliakov, U.S. Embassy Minsk]

An audience of over 2,000 Belarusians enjoyed American cinema at the third Hollywood Classics Film Festival thanks to the U.S. Embassy in Minsk and local partners Pobeda Movie Theater and NGO Kinoclub. The highly-acclaimed American films were showed in their original language with Russian subtitles, rare in Belarus. In his welcome remarks at the festival opening, Chargé d'Affaires Jonathan Moore emphasized that “Hollywood classics open the window into the art of film-making as well as into America itself.” The U.S. Embassy in Minsk's tradition of American classic film festivals first began in July 2003. This year’s program brought together four Hollywood movies: The Best Years of Our Lives; 12 Angry Men; West Side Story; and In the Heat of the Night. While several of these were known to viewers, some of them were shown on the big screen for the first time in Belarus.

Brussels Hub: Official Opening is a Success!

L-R: Paul Taylor (Thompson-Reuters), Jerry Hagstrom (The National Journal), DAS Graffy, and Senior Advisor Dan Sreeby cut ribbon to mark HUB’s official opening on May 29, 2008. [Marijke Hendrickx, USEU]

The Brussels Regional Media Hub officially opened its broadcast studio and new offices in a special event for 200 members of the media, European Union (EU) officials, diplomats, and journalists. The program included remarks by U.S. Special Envoy for EU Affairs C. Boyden Gray, who read a letter from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; a live broadcast from the Newseum in Washington, D.C. by U.S. political commentator and journalist Michael Barone; and a live audio interview with National Journal senior writer Jerry Hagstrom. Media activity was substantial: Dan Sreebny gave a studio interview to Turkish IHA News Agency, Deputy Assistant Secretary Colleen Graffy spoke on-the-record with Deutsche Welle, and Brussels Hub Director Susan Elbow gave an interview to a Turkish internet news organization.

Cyprus: 2008 Civil Society Forum and Awards Ceremony

Kim Foukkaris (third from right) hands out the awards, June 7, 2008. [Jennifer Baldassari, USAID]

There are many efforts underway to create concrete projects that will benefit both Greek and Turkish Cypriots while promoting tolerance and mutual understanding. One such example is the Cypriot Civil Society Strengthening Program, a series of open training courses for Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot civil society organizations (CSOs), supported by Action for Cooperation and Trust (ACT). ACT is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented by the United Nations Development Program. The training course recently finished with the International Civil Society Forum, "Civil Society and Policy Influencing: The European Context and Peace Building," which brought together CSOs, their stakeholders, members and associates, plus representatives from the private sector, the public sector, the European Union, and other interested parties. One organization from each community claimed an award for their contribution to social development in six unique categories: education and culture, environment, gender issues, health, youth, and social inclusion.

France: First Lady Laura Bush Celebrates Afghan and French “Rediscovered Treasures”

Laura Bush in Paris, June 11, 2008. [Patrick Maulave, U.S. Embassy Paris]

First Lady Laura Bush spoke about “Rediscovered Treasures” at a cultural evening celebrating international cooperation on the eve of the International Support Conference for Afghanistan. Throughout the event, various “rediscovered treasures” were highlighted, including masterpieces from the Afghan National Museum, a work by French composer Claude Debussy found in a U.S. library, and the renewed empowerment of women and children in Afghanistan. Guests viewed “Hidden Treasures of the National Museum, Kabul,” a National Geographic poster exhibit about women and girls’ empowerment in Afghanistan, and attended the premiere in France of Debussy’s long-lost four hand composition, Premiere Suite Pour Orchestre. First Lady Bush, Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, and the curator of the National Geographic exhibition all emphasized the importance of reconstruction in Afghanistan and working together internationally. After the moving speeches, renowned American pianist, Noel Lee, and French pianist, Alexandre Tharaud, performed the Debussy work.

Greece: World Environment Day Celebrated

Consul General Yee along with Thessaloniki official and resident participate in the bicycle ride, June 5, 2008. [Nontas Stylianidis, Photoreportage.gr]

As part of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs’ “Green Diplomacy” effort, the Consulate General in Thessaloniki co-organized an event with the City of Thessaloniki to encourage alternative means of transportation and celebrate World Environment Day. About 100 local officials, youth groups, representatives of NGOs, businesses and consulate staff participated in a bike ride along Thessaloniki’s waterfront, which had been closed to automobile traffic to raise awareness about how citizens can help protect the environment. The Mayor, Prefect, Regional Governor and other well-known officials participated in the inaugural ride, which was a joint initiative of the consulate, the Mass Transportation Authority and the City of Thessaloniki. The event received prominent media attention and Consul General Yee gave local TV and radio interviews on the consulate’s support for the bicycle path and on U.S. environmental policies.

Ireland: Ambassador Foley Discusses RESPECT with Children

RESPECT pupil with Ambassador Foley, June 2008. [Sheila Paskman, U.S. Embassy Dublin]

U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Thomas C. Foley was greeted by 50 students waving American flags as he arrived for a visit at the RESPECT school for disabled children. At the school, the ambassador was serenaded by the junior and senior choruses and visited classrooms at three different levels. He discussed their school work with the children and encouraged them to try their best with their subjects. Administrators at the school commented that the visit was the highpoint of the year for the children. They thanked the ambassador and the U.S. Embassy for "being the only embassy to show concern for their school." The school has students of all different ethnic backgrounds with learning disabilities. In the past 15 years, Ireland has seen a rapid increase in the numbers of people from different cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds. The embassy has an active program to show support for integration and multiculturalism, especially in the educational system, and the ambassador has visited several schools.

Macedonia: USAID-Funded School Highlights Democracy Efforts

Ambassador Milovanovic applauds the graduates of SEEU, June 6, 2008. [Gazmend Ilazi, U.S. Embassy Skopje]

U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia Gillian Milovanovic addressed the graduating class of South East European University (SEEU), a multi-ethnic college created with more than 20 million dollars of U.S. Agency for International Development funding and located in the largest Muslim city in Macedonia. She congratulated the students on their accomplishments and challenged them to take an active role in helping their country achieve its Euro-Atlantic aspirations. She stressed that the recent turbulent elections proved that democratic rights could not be taken for granted and that they needed to be defended every day by everyone. Her speech received wide media coverage as did her earlier comments to media election reruns to be free, fair and democratic.

Moldova: U.S. Elections Expert Supports Free and Fair Elections

Speaker Karyn Strickler encourages women to become candidates, June 11, 2008. [Sharon Ketchum, U.S. Embassy Chisinau]

U.S. elections expert, Karen Strickler, promoted the skills and knowledge to manage free and fair elections in a ten-day visit to Moldova. Among her meetings with government, media and civil society representatives, she held consultations with the leadership of nearly all eight major political parties, and trained women political leaders, youth and NGOs on grassroots campaigning and how to develop clear and compelling messages. Additionally, she provided two seminars for media on effective campaign coverage "beyond counting the status of the horse race" and led a roundtable discussion with local elected officials on how to become more influential in their national parties. A trip to Cosnita provided a rare opportunity to consult with NGOs and elected officials from the Transnistrian region. A dinner salon hosted by Deputy Chief of Mission Kelly Keiderling closed the week with a spirited discussion of factors impacting American elections and their relationship to next year's Moldovan contest.

Poland: Ambassador Ashe Opens Young Learners Resource Center

Ambassador Ashe speaks at the opening of the Young Learners Resource Center, June 2, 2008. [Magdalena Wacisz, U.S. Embassy Warsaw]

U.S. Ambassador to Poland Victor Ashe and the Mayor of Bialystock, Tadeusz Truskolaski, participated in the opening ceremonies of the new Young Learners Resource Center in Bialystock along with local government officials and the media. Ambassador Ashe and Mayor Truskolaski cut the ceremonial ribbon, gave speeches, and signed an agreement of cooperation to open this new center, located at the Municipal Center for Methodology Advising. Maria Ambrozej, the Director of the Municipal Center for Methodology Advising, Margaret Cholodecki, English Teaching Fellow from Georgetown University, and Ewa Prokopowicz, who will be in charge of the new Young Learners Resource Center, also spoke at the opening describing the unique resources for teachers that will be available free of charge at the center. After the event, Ambassador Ashe had the opportunity to speak to the local press about regional economic development issues, U.S. visa policy, and U.S.-Polish relations.

Russia: Broadway Comes to Vladivostok with "Cultural Envoy" Program

A rehearsal session at the Far Eastern State Academy for the Arts, June 2008. [Evgheniya Diamantidi, PAS Vladivostok]

Professor Bud Coleman of the University of Colorado at Boulder recently visited Vladivostok in advance of his September 2008 ECA-funded "Cultural Envoy" program. Coleman, a choreographer and dramatic arts expert, made a week-long visit to the Far Eastern State Academy of Arts to prepare for the program in fall, together with costume designer Clare Henkel of the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. This program will support a recently signed memorandum of understanding between U Colorado at Boulder and the Far Eastern National University's Academy of Fine Arts. Coleman also gave a presentation at the Vladivostok American Corner, titled "A Celebration of Women who Created American Musical Theater."

Slovakia: Embassy Supports NGO’s Efforts to Strengthen Afghan Women’s Rights

Residents from the local community, as well as from the self-governing region participate in training Laghman. June 2008. [Marcela Ondekova]

With help from a U.S. Embassy in Slovakia grant, the People in Peril Association (PIPA), a Slovak NGO, recently completed a one-year project in rural Afghanistan in conjunction with the Afghan Women's Resource Centre (AWRC). The project increased the effectiveness of the existing advocacy unit at the AWRC by assisting with the education of local Afghan men, boys, and community and religious leaders on a number of pressing issues, including women and children's rights, community development and civic participation, and health and environmental issues. In total, over 1,000 local men directly took part in the monthly training sessions at various sites throughout five rural Afghan provinces.

Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
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