Guest speech: Ambassador of Philippines, H.E. Ms. Linglingay F. Lacanlale

As a continuation of the ASEAN - Guest Lecture Series of the IMC Export Department which are organized by, the Head of the Chair for International, Legal and Global Political Studies, Prof. Dr. Anis Bajrektarevic. We had the pleasure today to listen to the eloquent presentation of H.E. Ms. Linglingay F. LACANLALE, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Philippines to the Federal Republic of Austria, Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Vienna.

After a very warm welcome and a brief introduction given by the Chairman Bajrektarevic, Excellency LACANLALE accompanied by First Secretary Ms. Mariel Algabre and Attaché Mr. Raul Macapinlac opened her very friendly and comprehensive speech with an overview of the Philippines and their history which was very much influenced by the two regimes (Spanish and Americans). Furthermore Excellency LACANLALE talked about the Philippine economic performance which is highly dependent on the remittances of overseas Filipinos who send their salary back home and therefore contribute to the economic growth. The Ambassador was very friendly and the whole speech was unique. The complete event was accompanied by a very enjoyable, as well as relaxed, atmosphere.

After her the speech the time was given for a tour-de-table discussion. H.E. Linglingay F. LACANLALE comprehensively and kindly answered all the questions about the asked topics such as the economic development of the Philippines, the political instability, Organized crime and Terrorism but also about the bilateral relations between Austria and the Philippines. As usual many more interesting and challenging questions could have been raised during the discussion session.

After the official part of the event, H.E. Linglingay F. LACANLALE and Ms Algabre and Mr Macapinlac were warmly invited for a small cocktail which was an opportunity to continue the talks in less formal setting of the IMC PIA.

Summing up after the visit to Krems, Ambassador LACANLALE, First Secretary Ms Algabre and Attaché Mr Macapinlac stated that they were impressed by our university and that they would love to broaden the relation between the IMC and the Philippines either concerning Exchange semester possibilities or Practical training possibilities.

The 72nd event organized by the Chair for International Law and Global Political Studies was another great and successful opportunity for the students of the IMC to get to know outstanding personalities. We are very thankful that we got the chance to listen to such a great personality like Excellency Linglingay F. LACANLALE.

Photo: H. Maglock & Andrea K.
Text: Martina H.

The presentation of H.E. Ms. Linglingay F. Lacanlale can be found here.

Student visit to the Headquarters of OSCE in Vienna 2009

As a continuation of the one day study-visits, Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic, organized the 71st external event in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna for all 5th semester and master students of the Export-Oriented Management.

At 8:45 all students entered the OSCE after having passed the security check and were led into the “Rat Saal” which is an impressive meeting hall decorated with flags of all member countries. Brochures of the OSCE, writing material and refreshment were already prepared for all participants.

Susanna Lööf, the Press and Public Information Officer, opened the event in the “Rat Saal” with giving a brief introduction of the OSCE´s historical background, structure, financing, scope of work, its goals and mission.

To sum Susanna Lööf´s speech up, the OSCE works for stability, prosperity and democracy in its 56 member states through political dialogue about shared values and through practical work. The Organization´s members span the geographical area from Vancouver to Vladivostok and enjoy a legal status. The OSCE is the largest regional security organization in the world and it is a primary instrument for early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post- conflict rehabilitation. Furthermore it is engaged with a wide range of activities related to three dimensions of security: the Human, the Politico-Military and the Economic-Environmental. Actually it has 19 missions or field operations in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

After this detailed insight into the OSCE, students had the pleasure to observe the Permanent Council proceedings which take place on a regular basis, every Wednesday at 10 o´clock in the “Neuer Saal” in Vienna. The Permanent Council is made up by the ambassadors of the organization´s 56 members and 11 partners for Co-operation. The Permanent council is the political decision-making body and the forum for security co-operation where military and confidence-building matters are discussed.

For the 12th of November the following agenda was set:
• OSCE Representative to the Latvian-Russian Joint Commission on Military Pensioners
• Report by the Co-Chairmen of the Minsk Group
• Report by the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on the Conflict dealt with the OSCE Minsk Conference
• Review of Current Issues
• Report on the Activities of the Chairman-in-Office
• Report of the Secretary General
• Any other Business

In the third part of the study trip Kilian Strauss, the Senior Programme Officer, opened his speech about the OSCE´s Economic and Environmental Activities which have always been an integral part of the OSCE agenda, reflecting the organization´s comprehensive approach to security. He presented a general overview of Environmental Problems such as water management and Economic Problems like corruption, money laundering and financial terrorism, closed borders, illegal migration. In addition Kilian Strauss talked about the Economic & Environmental Forum and gave an insight into the Anti Corruption Activities and Mélange Disposal.

After the official part of the event, Susanna Lööf and Kilian Strauss invited the students to ask questions and answered all arisen questions about corruption, financing and current affairs. Finally the 71st study trip was closed with a group picture in the “Rat Saal” and in front of the Hofburg.

Text: Elisabeth S.
Photos: Petra H.

Student visit to the UN office and UNICTRAL in Vienna 2009

On Tuesday, October 20th 2009, Prof. Anis Bajrektarevic organised a one-day study trip to the United Nation headquarter in Vienna for all 5th semester full- and part-time students of Export-oriented Management, as well as for exchange students taking his course “International Law and Organisations”.

It was the 6th consecutive annual visit to the UN organised by Prof. Bajrektarevic, and overall the 70th event he organised for his Chair IL&GPS.

At 13:45 about 80 students and Prof. Bajrektarevic entered the UN building, separated into two groups and were given a tour through the impressive and artistic complex by two young, smart and very dedicated gentlemen.

Stopping in the center of the buildings, the Rotunda, decorated with the flags of all 196 UN member states, the groups were given an overview about the UN, its history, an insight into the way the UN works and most important: a description of the goals of the organization and what it stands for: Peace & conflict resolving and Human Rights.

Leaving the imposing court behind, the next stop was one of the newly constructed conference rooms, which can hold up to 800 people. The Viennese UN headquarter hosts approximately 2000 conferences a year, which are translated into the 6 official UN languages: English, French, Russian, Chinese, Arabian and Spanish.

The biggest organisation situated in the UN headquarter in Vienna is the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency. It happened that later that day, the conference about nuclear weapons in Iran was held, and as the tour led through the premises, it was possible to catch a glimpse on the preparations of the conference and talk with the guides about the process of such an event.

The second part of the study trip allowed the students to have the pleasure to listen to Mr. Jae Sung Lee, who works as a legal officer in the International Trade Law Division in the Office of Legal Affairs of the UNCITRAL (United Nations Commission on International Trade Law). He presented facts and data about the organisation, its member states, its difference to other trade organisations like the UNCTAD or the WTO and explained the three big areas in which the institution is separated in: UNCITRAL Commission, Six Working Groups (Procurement, Arbitration, Transport Law, Electronic Commerce, Insolvency Law, Security Interests) and UNCITRAL Secretariat.

Mr. Lee himself works in the Secretariat, which serves the Working Groups as it prepares texts and reports for them to work on.

After finishing his lecture and giving the students a deep and comprehensive insight into the working manner of one of the United Nations biggest organisations, Mr. Jae Sung Lee showed the students the webpage of UNCITRAL and the UN, and showed where to best find information, reports or case laws, which are ready to use for students for scientific papers and research.

As the Q&A session began, Mr. Lee was so kind to answer several questions and also talked about his personal past as e.g. when the question arose on how to qualify as a UN staff member, he spoke about his background, education and career.

Furthermore students were interested in the single-window idea, which is a concept for international trade, where all information and documents can be filled out simultaneously. Moreover he talked about the EUs role in the legal dispute of the arctic land claims.

In the meantime Prof. Dr. Bajrektarevic organised and collected information and material concerning the UN, the UNICTRAL and current issues the UN is working on, for free withdrawal for the students. The perfect closure, which concluded this magnificent excursion, was the group picture taken, again in the beautiful setting in the Rotunda in front of the massive UN complex.

Text & Photos: Sarah J. & Barbara S. (rev. A.B.)

Guest speech: Ambassador of Sweden, H.E. Mr. Hans Lundborg

As a continuation of the EU Presidency - Guest Lecture Series of the IMC Export Department, under the auspices of the Chair for International, Legal and Global Political Studies, Prof. Dr. Anis Bajrektarevic invited H.E. Mr. Hans LUNDBORG, Ambassador of Sweden to Austria and the Swedish permanent Representative to the UN in Vienna.

After a very warm welcome and a brief introduction given by the Chairman Bajrektarevic, Excellency Lundborg (accompanied by the Second Secretary, Mr. Karl Nilsson) opened his speech with an insight into the priorities and future prospective of the Swedish EU Presidency 2009 (issues such as Global Climate Change, Reform/Lisbon treaty, Financial crisis, Baltic Sea, Stockholm program for enlargement. The whole talk was accompanied by a very enjoyable, as well as relaxed, atmosphere.

After closing his speech about Sweden’s EU Presidency time the time was given for a fruitful discussion round. H.E. Hans Lundborg comprehensively and kindly answered all the questions ranging from the Sweden’s position on Iceland’ possible candidature, Danish issue with Greenland, the final ratification and signing of the Lisbon treaty, post-Kyoto negotiations and positions of BRIK countries in it.

After the official part of the event, H.E. Amb. Hans Lundborg, Mr. Nelson and Ambassador’s wife were warmly invited for a small cocktail which was an opportunity to continue the talks in less formal setting of the IMC PIA garden.

Summing up after the half-day visit to Krems, the Ambassador and Mr. Nilsson stated that they were very impressed by our faculty’s interest in European Union affairs. The Ambassador also complimented the commitment and knowledge of our students as could be evident throughout the questions and discussion with him, and promised to come for the debriefing at the end of Swedish EU Presidency term.
This event was the 69th organised by the Chair for International Law and Global Political Studies. The 70th event scheduled for 20th October will be an external study visit, when the current 5th semester students are paying a visit to the UN Vienna.

Photos: Viktoria H. & Hermann Maglock
Text: A.B. (minutes taken by Theresa F.)

The presentation of H.E. Hans Lundborg can be found here.

Guest speech: H.E. Dr. Peter Jankowitsch, Minister of Foreign Affairs a.D.

Study Trip to the international organizations in Geneva and Paris 2009

A report about the Study Trip 2009 to Geneva and Paris can be found here.

Guest speech: Ambassador of S. R. Vietnam, H.E. Mr. Nguyen Ba Than

At the occasion of last May high-level state, when the Vietnamese State President accompanied with the Austrian President Fischer visited the IMC and addressed the IMC faculty audience, and also as the continuation of the ASEAN Experts - Guest Lecture Series of the IMC Export, under the auspices of the Chair for International Law and Global Political Studies, Prof. Dr. Anis Bajrektarevic invited H.E. Ambassador Nguyen Ba Than, current Ambassador of the S.R. Vietnam to Austria.

After a warm welcome and a brief introduction given by the Chairman Prof. Bajrektarevic, Ambassador Nguyen Ba Than started with a picture-show of the stunning and really impressive richness of Vietnam’s festivals (eg. Gia Lim, Thi Cam Rice Cooking Festival, Bamboo Dance, Ka Te Festival …) and world heritage (e.g. Halong Bay, Sung Sot Grotto, Titov Island, Son River, My Son world heritage and many more).

Afterwards H.E. Nguyen Ba Than held a very informative and comprehensive speech, which offered the listener a valuable, new view of Vietnam amidst booming Indochina and total Asian continent. Throughout the whole event a relaxed atmosphere prevailed created by Ambassador Nguyen Ba Than’s charismatic character. This added to the high quality of H.E.’s speech making it a very appealing event, which will be highly appreciated to come again.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Than began with briefly introducing Vietnam in general, which is located on the Indochina Peninsula and comprises a surface of 311.000 km2. It is bordered by China (North), Laos (Northwest), Cambodia (Southwest) and the South China Sea (East). With a population of over 86 million, the mountain- and forest-rich country is the 13th most populous country in the world. The two prevailing climate areas, 4-seasons in the North and Subtropical/Tropical climate in the South, still divide the country, which was reunited in 1975.

Furthermore, Ambassador Nguyen Ba Than briefly explained the Vietnamese History, stating the Vietnamese region as one of the cradles of civilization. After admitting mistakes in Vietnam’s economic and sociopolitical past, Mr. Nguyen Ba Than elaborated on the reform policy introduced in 1986, a milestone in establishing Vietnam as an equivalent trading partner for more than 170 countries. Since then Vietnam embarked on a steep economic uprising. The industrial sector eg. expanded from 22% of GDP in 1990 to 42% in 2005. Furthermore, the structure of services sector changed remarkably towards higher quality and unrestricted availability. These developments helped raise the living standard and great efforts were taken to fight poverty and analphabetism, also resulting in the implementation of compulsory primary education.

Moreover, H.E. laid further emphasis on the two most important economic topics for Vietnam at the moment, FDI and Tourism. On that note, Ambassador Nguyen Ba Than named four reasons making Vietnam an excellent business partner: its being part of the dynamic Asian economies, its young, well-educated workforce and relatively low wages, its greatly extended safety measures and, of utmost importance not only for Austria, its high amount of skilled employees with professional experience in German-speaking countries who understand German mentality. Concerning tourism, H.E. mentioned the ample variety of recreation possibilities Vietnam offers and its extensive cultural richness.

The last point covered in the formal part addressed the current financial crisis, which took a double-hit in Vietnam due to its situation as an exporting and developing nation. The explosion of the world’s oil price led to a steep fall of Vietnam’s economy, resulting in stagnation and inflation of up to 20%. However, a sound economic stimulus package helps in the normalization process and first signs of recovery could already be observed.

The lecture was followed by a discussion in which H.E. Nguyen Ba Than kindly shared his expertise with us and conveyed valuable first-hand information on all topics raised.

Firstly, bilateral relations were discussed with the short briefing on the outcome of the recent visit of Vietnamese Vice Prime Minster to Austria. Ambassador Ba Than Nguyen mentioned Vietnam’s strengthened relations with China, France and the US. The latter belongs to Vietnam’s most important trading partners and is the single biggest FDI investor. He emphasized that it is vital to leave behind the past and start looking ahead into a future characterized by increased cooperation. Other topics that were brought up for discussion included labor costs, FDI, the Paracel Islands, human rights, freedom of opinion and living conditions prevailing in Vietnam. Ambassador Ba Than Nguyen stated that there are differences in mentality and everyday life of people living in the North and those living in the South of the country, however, differences have declined over time and living standards are rising.

Further topics dealt with during the discussion included the Vietnam war and its impacts on the country’s economy.
Finally, possibilities regarding education and work placements in Vietnam were addressed. In the last few years, more than 100 new universities and colleges have been established.

The official part was followed by a cocktail and students were given the opportunity to discuss further topics of interest with Ambassador H.E. Nguyen Ba Than.

The Guest Lecture of Ambassador H.E. Ba Than Nguyen was the 65th event organized by Chairman Prof. Dr. Anis Bajrektarevic. The next in-house event will take place on 13th of May when the IMC EXP is hosting H.E. Ms. Eva Biaudet, former Finland’s Minister & Special OSCE Representative (Topic: “The Dark side of Trade – Human Trafficking / Recent Developments”).

Photos: Marketing, C. Neuherz & K. Fletzberger
Text: M. Weichselbaum (rev. A.B.)

Study Visit to the Representation of the EC/E Parliament in Vienna & the National Parliament of Austria 2009

On April 21, 2009, the yearly visit to the to the Austrian Representation of the European Commission and European Parliament located in Vienna took place under the auspices of Prof. Dr. Anis Bajrektarevic, Chairman for International Law & Global Political studies. The representative team of the European Commision and European Parliament functions as a link between local individuals and organizations and Brussel-based insitutions and persues the objective of achieving a greater responsiveness and proximity to Austrian citizens.

The visit was intiated with an informative presentation on the scope of work of the EU legislative institutions by Karl Doutlik, Representative of the EC. Later on the series of high-quality speakers was continued by Wolfang Hiller, InfoB. of the European Parliament and Bernhard Kuhr.

The study visit organized under the auspices of Prof. Dr. Anis Bajrektarevic, Chairman for International Law & Global Political Affairs at the IMC Krems, was concluded by visiting the a plenary in the National Parliament and taking family photos in front of parliament.

Text: Marlene K. / Christian S.

Guest speech: Ambassador of Russian Federation, H.E. Mr. Alexander Zmeyevskiy

As a continuation of the Guest Lecture UN Series, and at the occasion of today’s opening of the G-20 summit in London, under the auspices of the Chair for International Law and Global Political Studies, Prof. Dr. Anis Bajrektarevic invited H.E. Alexander Zmeyevskiy residential Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the IAEA and other Vienna-based IOs to pay a visit to the IMC FH Krems and hold a guest lecture to the University fellows.

Chairman Bajrektarevic warmly welcomed the ambassador by giving a brief introduction of the Ambassador’s former and current fields of occupation. H.E. Ambassador Zmeyevskiy graduated from the Moscow Institute of International Relations. Amongst others he served at the International Law Department of the Foreign Ministry, as Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN in New York and currently, since February 2007, he is Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the International Organizations in Vienna.

After Prof Bajrektarevic introduced H.E. Zmeyevskiy and Dr. Shishlov to the audience, the ambassador opened the floor. His Excellency’s main goal during the lecture was to make clear the current position of the Russian Federation on the global political arena. H.E. Ambassador Zmeyevskiy started his speech by explaining the three diplomatic missions in Vienna. He also spoke about the international organizations, such as UNIDO and UNODC, and commented on the Russian involvement into those organizations. Mr Zmeyevskiy described Vienna as headquarter for international energy organizations. Apart from the IAEA it’s also the OPEC which has its headquarters there. His Excellency mentioned that, for instance, UNIDO it is dealing with industrial development to assist primarily developing countries but also non-developing countries. Additionally, in this respect he has brought several examples, one of which was dealing with the Russian Company AVTOVAZ. This company is producing spare parts in Samara, but approximately 3-4 years ago AVTOVAZ had insufficient funds. The ambassador stressed that UNIDO has found money in Slovenia to support AVTOVAZ; no one knows how the UNIDO team managed to do it. At the moment the company is prospering, if not to take into consideration the current financial crisis. His Excellency noticed that a team of real professionals is working for UNIDO. Therefore, the ambassador advised the students to study more about this organization.

When mentioning UNODC, His Excellency pointed out that the politicians should try to make the production of drugs senseless. The main task is to prevent its production. On the other hand, this office is also dealing with the corruption issue and Mr Zmeyevskiy thinks that there should be an integrated approach in dealing with this problem, as it is definitely solvable. The main goal in this aspect is to demotivate people to be involved in corruption. Additionally, His Excellency briefly spoke about the project between Norilsk Nickel and UNODC. Companies should be shown their own interest in certain projects, and then it is possible to step behind.

Moreover H.E. Ambassador Zmeyevskiy referred to the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) which is an international research organization in Laxenburg near Vienna, as an institute where a lot of outstanding businessmen/women are doing researches on environmental, business, technological and social issues. Many Russian academicians pass by this institution.

Regional organizations are gaining more and more power on the international level. The ambassador believes that in future there will be more regional organizations. Moreover, the idea of creating standard atomic plans was discussed during today’s guest lecture. Russian approach is pragmatic but on the other hand cooperative.
Additionally, one of the former Russian ambassadors to Austria and simply a very important Russian Knyazh and diplomat was mentioned by Mr Zmeyevskiy. His name is Lobanov-Rostovskiy and recently Mr Zmeyevskiy has got a chance to meet his granddaughter.

According to the IMC’s guest, the Vienna agenda has a great potential for positive development. Topics are discussed in a positive fashion. Vienna gives a lot of opportunities to promote constructive strategies.

One of the most significant topics of this guest lecture was the recent meeting between President Medvedev and President Obama. The ambassador said that there were positive statements from both sides, which is a good sign for the future cooperation between Russia and the United States. Both countries recognize positive changes and both recognize that they were moving wrong directions in the past. For instance, Russia and the former USSR lost a lot during the transformation periods, but Mr. Zmeyevskiy believes that Russia has good future opportunities. Generally, he encouraged the peoples of the whole World to think about the future.

The final part of the lecture was reserved for students’ questions. Professor Bajrektarevic opened the question-answer session with an issue concerning the meeting of G20 in London. In response, the ambassador expressed his optimistic views concerning the current financial crisis. He has cited the Chinese approach: “In every crisis there is a possibility”. There is always an opportunity to reconsider economy. It is important not to be dependent on exports, to diversify and to realize what the limits of protectionism are.

Referring to the current financial crisis, Mr Zmeyevskiy mentioned that it is needed to minimize the consequences and the risk to prevent future crisis. Therefore a solution, which satisfies everybody, is needed. He emphasized the importance of the young generation which is studying at the moment. Their knowledge, research and development as well as a needed breakthrough can contribute to a change.

The extensive question-answer session was an opportunity to hear the views on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, state-of-art in bilateral US-Russia relations, on Ukraine, Kosovo, Georgia, Chechnya, on Russia’s positions towards Arctic, the EU–Russian relations, 3-party and 6-party talks, currents in the IAEA Board of Directors, new technologies and Russian role in the CERN, ITER and Outer Space applications, on energy security and delivery issues, etc. The ambassador shared with the students his opinion and experiences in this concern. Mr Zmeyevskiy showed himself as a very optimistic person.

The official part of the Ambassador’s visit was closed with a cocktail and a family photo. Due to the fact that H.E. Zmeyevskiy was in a rush to meet with an Italian Ambassador, after the official part students were approaching Dr. Alexander Shishlov, Counsellor of the Russian Federation to the International Organizations in Vienna. In rather relaxed and atmospheric setting, the IMC students had the opportunity to discuss with him further questions.

The Guest Lecture with Ambassador H.E. Alexander Zmeyevskiy was the 63rd event organized by Chairman Prof. Dr. Anis Bajrektarevic. The next in-house event will take place on 22nd of April when Prof. Dr. Bajrektarevic is hosting H.E. Mr. Ba Than Nguyen, Ambassador of the S.R. Vietnam to Austria and the UN & Vienna IOs with following topic: “Booming Indochina – opportunities and obstacles seen from the Vietnam perspective.” IMC Students are looking forward to another insightful event.

Photos: H. Maglock & S. Waldbauer
Text: M. Sukhotinova & M. Pravec (rev. A.B.)

Guest speech: Ambassador of Czech Republic, H.E. Mr. Jan Koukal

As a continuation of the EU Presidency - Guest Lecture Series of the IMC Export Department, under the auspices of the Chair for International, Legal and Global Political Studies, Prof. Dr. Anis Bajrektarevic invited H.E. Mr. Jan KOUKAL, current Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Austria.

After a very warm welcome and a brief introduction given by the Chairman Bajrektarevic, H.E. Ambassador Koukal opened his absorbing speech with the objective to give the IMC students and lecturers an insight into the priorities and future prospective of the Czech EU Presidency 2009. The whole talk was accompanied by a very enjoyable, as well as relaxed, atmosphere.

The first main issue discussed by Ambassador Koukal was the three E’s (Economy, Energy and European Union) which have before been the three G’s (Gas, Gaza and Georgia). The Ambassador gave us a brief summary of steps that have been taken at the end of the year 2008, as the EU Council conclusions of the full application of all internal market freedom. The actual market freedoms contain four scopes: the free movement of capital, services, workers and energy.

Following that interesting introduction Ambassador Koukal, who has served as a mayor of Prague 1993 to 1998 and is still a deputy in the parliament of the ruling right-wing political party, the Civic Democratic Party, in the Czech Republic, informed us about the idea of implementing a 5th movement - the freedom of knowledge, which would mean promoting EU research projects, as well as supporting educational projects, as in the point of view of the Ambassador Koukal human capital is the most valuable of all.

Furthermore the priorities for the Czech Republic in coherence with the EU in the world were discussed. As stated by our guest their priority is the Eastern European and Balkan partnership. With regards to this the Czech Republic is not only supporting Croatia to become a member of the European Union, as they are close to this step, but also Macedonia and Serbia by pushing them to reach the EU membership.

The next point reviewed was the good bilateral relations between the Czech Republic and Austria. According to Ambassador Koukal, who has prior worked at the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, there are many co-operations and investments in the economy of both sides, so the economic relationship can be seen as absolutely positive. At the moment there are but still there is some room left for improvement since the Czech Republic is trying to establish a network between research institutions and they have to put more interest on the educational side.

Based on the appeal of our host Prof. Dr. Anis Bajrektarevic, the final part of the content substantively and very informative two-hour lecture comprised the personal view of Ambassador Koukal on the G20 and the current financial crisis, as well as a very lively question and answer session in which questions, such as the monitoring of the radars or the first governmental break down since 1993 in the Czech Republic, have been addressed and answered by our guest H.E. Ambassador Jan KOUKAL.
In spite of the content-intensive and very comprehensive speech Ambassador Koukal accomplished to create a very familiar and relaxed atmosphere during his whole talk, which made it to an absolutely memorable event.

The official part of this extraordinary event was closed with a cocktail and a family photo, which was taken in the gorgeous inner courtyard of the IMC Krems, where the IMC students had the unique opportunity to address further questions to The Excellency in a friendly, relaxed and familiar atmosphere.

Summing up after the half-day visit to Krems, Ambassador and his assistant Dr. Jaroslav KNOT, Embassy Secretary for the Political and EU Affairs stated that they were very impressed by our faculty’s interest in European Union affairs. The Ambassador also complimented the commitment and knowledge of our students as could be evident throughout the questions and discussion with him.

As a possible follow up Prof. Bajrektarevic and the Ambassador discussed the Czech Republic as a venue for the IMC EXP planned focused double degree programs with the similar schools in Czech Republic this year.

The Guest Lecture with H.E. Ambassador Jan KOUKAL was the 62nd event organized under the auspices of the Chairman Prof. Dr. Anis Bajrektarevic. The next event will take place on the 2nd of April 2009, when Prof. Dr. Bajrektarevic is hosting Alexander Zmeyevskiy, the Russian Ambassador to the IAEA and other Vienna-based IOs.

Photos: L-M. Kronreif & H. Maglock
Text: V. Schwarzbraun (rev. A.B.)

Guest speech: Ambassador of Malaysia, H.E. Mr. Dato’ M. H. Arshad

As a continuation of the ASEAN guest-lecture series, the IMC Export under the auspices of the Chair for International Law and Global Political Studies, Prof. Dr. Anis Bajrektarevic invited Dato’ M. H. Arshad, Ambassador of Malaysia to Austria, to the IAEA and other Vienna-based IOs.

With the objective to give the IMC students and lecturers an understanding about Malaysia’s past and present geopolitical role in Asia and the rest of the world, Ambassador Arshad accompanied by two officers Mr. I. Salam, Minister Counsellor and Ms. O. Osman, 2nd Secretary centered his discourse on five main points.

“Today we are coming back home. Six years ago when I started with these events, the very first guest lecture was at that time Malaysian Ambassador. It’s my great pleasure to announce that after 60 successful events over past years we are returning to Malaysia today!”, with these words Chairman Bajrektarevic opened today’s guest lecture in the overcrowded PIA hall. Encouraged by warm welcome, Ambassador on his side managed to create a very relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. This general tone even added to the high quality of Ambassador Arshad’s speech and made this event not only one that will be remembered but also one that will be desired to come again.

H.E. Ambassador Arshad opened his intriguing talk with brief comments on the general situation of Malaysia. He started off mentioning the enormous cultural and religious diversity of his country and its sound economic development during the last 50 years. Ambassador then moved on to explain the changes in Malaysian foreign policy from pro-western anti-communist in the years between 1957-1969 towards non-alignment and neutrality from 1969 onwards.

Following that introduction Ambassador Arshad briefly spoke about social and economic policies that were realized after riots in the 1970s of native Malays, who protested against the ever growing economic power in “non-Malay” hands.

The next point discussed concerned the Austro-Malaysian bilateral relations As stated by our guest this field yet leaves a lot of room for improvements since Austria is a very EU focused country and tends to prioritize its relationship with Europe. However, regular official visits take place and trade between the two countries continues to grow.

With regards to scientific and educational exchange between Malaysia and Austria and the EU, respectively, Mr. Arshad proudly informed the audience that Malaysia has become a new centre of educational excellence, currently with 66,000 foreign students.

The subsequent part of the lecture was entirely devoted to the Asian financial crisis of the 1990s and Ambasador Arshad described its origin in Thailand, the role of foreign exchange speculators and its effects on Malaysia as well as on the rest of Asia. Unlike many other countries in these times of economic downturn, Malaysia did not opt for the IMF way out of the crisis but rather opted for the “unorthodox approach”. This approach basically consisted in taking own measures against the trouble such as fixing the national currency exchange rate, encouraging government spending and the establishment of Danaharta, an investment holding arm of the Government of Malaysia entrusted to hold and manage the non-performing loans of banks and commercial assets of the government and to undertake strategic investments.

According to our guest, many lessons were learned due to this crisis and these lessons also will help handling the current financial crisis which is, says Ambassador Arshad, not a global crisis, rather an American induced Wall Street crisis and one that affects all of us because of the global interdependence of countries.

The last part of the content-intensive two-hour lecture was devoted to a question and answer session in which students had the opportunity of addressing issues of specific interest like Singapore-Malaysian bilateral relations (and the water supply issue), disarmament, the situation on the Indian subcontinent, the Iran nuclear issue, etc.

Closing the official part of event with cocktail and family photo, the IMC students had additional opportunity to engage the eloquent and charming Malaysian delegation in substantive conversation in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

Although his speech was very comprehensive and substantive in content, His Excellency still managed to create a very relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. This general tone even added to the high quality of Ambassador Arshad’s speech and made this event not only to be well remembered but also one that will be desired to come soon again.

Summing up after the half-day visit to Krems, Ambassador and his delegation stated that they were very impressed by our faculty’s interest in ASEAN and Asian affairs. The Ambassador also complimented the commitment and knowledge of our students as could be evident throughout the questions and discussion with him.

As a possible follow up Prof. Bajrektarevic and the Ambassador discussed Kuala Lumpur as a venue for the IMC EXP planned focused seminar “Business Focus ASEAN” scheduled for late summer this year.

Besides this memorable event, it is worth of mentioning that the Malaysian Foreign Ministry has honoured the IMC by inviting its professor for a public lecture at the Malaysian Diplomatic Academy (IDFR). Late November 2008, prof. Bajrektarevic has addressed the senior diplomats of Malaysia and ASEAN countries in the Ministry’s historic TREATY ROOM by speaking on the subject of “Diplomacy of Sustainable Development”.

This was the 61st event organized under the auspices of the IL&GPS Chair. The next event falls under the EU Presidency series and is scheduled for Wednesday 25 March, when Prof. Bajrektarevic is hosting the Czech Ambassador HE. Jan Koukal. (PIA, Baroque Hall 09.30-11.00)

Photos: D. Schuler
Text: S. Albrecht (rev. A.B.)

Guest speech: Ambassador of Italy, H.E. Mr. Massimo Spinetti

The script of the speech of H.E. Massimo Spinetti can be found here.