Official Visit Research Articles

The British, the Tudeh party and the 1947 World Federation of Trade Unions’ visit: battle for labour reform in Iran

ABSTRACTAfter the British-Soviet occupation of Iran during the Second World War, Iran became the key battleground for the international labour movement. The plight of the workers had become an important political issue with the Iranian government in conflict with the socialist Tudeh party for leadership over the trade unions. The Labour government in Britain was also deeply interested in the matter but regarded the Tudeh as too dangerous and too aligned with the Soviet Union to be supported. Within this climate, the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) made an official visit to Iran. With its international delegates, they represented different views over the Tudeh, which caused much conflict during the visit. This article sheds crucial light on this important visit and reveals how international the Labour questions were in Iran and how the WFTU visit brought the various tensions to light. This research will also show how the timing of the visit may have impacted on the removal of the Iranian strong-man Ahmad Qavam by the end of 1947. This work is of particular significance as it looks at the previously understudied role and interest of the British government on the Iranian labour.

Examining the Intersection of Extreme Poverty and Human Rights in South Florida and Beyond

I write on behalf of several community-based organizations in South Florida and the students in my International Human Rights Law and Advocacy class at the University of Miami School of Law to present you with several reports on the intersection of extreme poverty and human rights in South Florida and beyond, in anticipation of your official visit to the United States in December. These reports reflect partnerships between my students, working in collaboration with the Miami Law Human Rights Clinic, and leading regional public interest/social justice organizations, to address pressing matters of poverty in our community. The Miami Law Human Rights Clinic (HRC) works for the promotion of social and economic justice globally and in the U.S. The Clinic uses international human rights laws and norms, domestic law and policy, and multidimensional strategies, such as community organizing, political activism, and global networking, to draw attention to human rights violations, develop practical solutions to those problems, and promote accountability on the part of state and non-state actors.

STRATEGI KOMUNIKASI PARIWISATA KOTA BENGKULU Studi Unique Selling Proposition Program Visit 2020 Wonderful Bengkulu

This study aims to determine the communication strategy of the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) of Bengkulu city tourism for the Visit 2020 Wonderful Bengkulu program based on promotional mix theory which includes advertising, sales promotion, personal selling and public relations. Using a qualitative-interpretive approach, we collected data in the field through in-depth interviews with 9 informants, participant observation, and other document records. The results show that in promoting, ads have not highlighted the uniqueness of tourism potential and media placement of ads that are not distributed in all airlines. On the other hand, Bengkulu City tourism is also relatively promoted only privately and accidently, for example due to official visits by officials. Regarding the public relations strategy, we found inconsistencies between reality in tourism objects and the proclaimed regional government program. Based on these findings, we suggest a more strategic effort to maximize preparations to welcome the Visit 2020 Wonderful Bengkulu . To cite this article (7th APA style) : Ningrum, D. P., Adhrianti, L. & Gushevinalti (2018). Strategi Komunikasi Pariwisata Kota Bengkulu: Studi Unique Proposition Program Visit 2020 Wonderful Bengkulu [The Tourism Communication Strategy of Bengkulu City]. Journal Communication Spectrum, 8 (1), 45-55. http://dx.doi.org/10.36782/jcs.v8i1.1811

Russia and Bulgaria: From «Memorial Wars» to the Search for Common Past

The reference to history in the context of Russia’s foreign policy is considered as an appeal to the quasi-transcendence, whereby an ideal dimension is added to the practical (political, economic) aspects of international relations. It is noted that only in the 2010s Russian diplomacy began to pay special attention to such «symbolic games», designed to provide the moral basis for foreign policy through reference to the historical role that Russia plays on the international arena. This, in turn, leads to the dominance of performative practices, rather than to the building of dialogue spaces. In practice, the politicization of historical memory is conducted in two ways: inclusion in foreign policy discourse and by various symbolic practices of addressing to the common past during official visits. The author suggests distinguishing actual memory places and symbolic gestures aimed at their actualization. Russian-Bulgarian relations are characterized by asymmetry in the spaces of shared memory, memory places are mainly localized in Bulgaria. We outline main practices of turning places of memory into the common spaces of memory, but interpretations of these symbolic gestures in Russia and Bulgaria are structured by different national historical narratives. The memory of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 and the liberation of Bulgaria during the WWII are assigned greater importance in Bulgaria than in Russia. This asymmetry leads to the fact that a significant work of the Bulgarian authorities, Bulgarian and Russian public organizations on the arrangement of places of memory and setting up new memorials is invisible in Russia, while Russian foreign policy discourse is dominated by the emphasis on negative aspects (for example, actions of individual vandals to destroy the monument of the Soviet Army in Sofia). This deprives the ongoing work in the field of symbolic support and at the same time forms a myth of «Bulgarian ingratitude». The most striking example is the scandal during the 140-year celebration of the liberation of Bulgaria in March 2018, which is based on a different understanding of how the achievements of the Imperial period should be interpreted today.

China–ASEAN Relations April 2018 to June 2018: Chronology of Events

China–ASEAN Relations April 2018 to June 2018: Chronology of Events Chen Juan (bio) As a research institute based in Singapore, the EAI monitors developments in relations and interactions between China and the individual countries of Southeast Asia as well as the ASEAN grouping as a whole. This material is presented in the form of (i) a chronology of events and (ii) important documents. —the Editors APRIL 2018 1st–2nd Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in Hanoi, Vietnam for an official visit and meets separately with Vietnam’s General Secretary of the Communist Party Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong, President Tran Dai Quang and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Both sides agree to speed up the alignment between the “Belt and Road Initiative” and the “Two Corridors and One Economic Circle”. Wang also suggests that both sides should adopt a prudent approach when addressing sensitive matters such as maritime issues. 4th The Fifth ASEAN Occupational Safety and Health Network Conference convenes labour officials, private companies and other stakeholders from the ASEAN member states, as well as partners from the State Administration of Work Safety of China, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan, the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, the International Labour Organization, International Association of Labour Inspection, and the Asia Pacific Occupational Safety and Health Organization in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The conference discusses issues on occupational safety and health, as well as work injury compensation in the informal sector and rural employment. 6th–7th The seminar on “Migrant Workers’ Contribution to an East Asia Economic Community”, held in Siem Reap, Cambodia, convenes officials, academics and representatives from the private sectors of the ASEAN member states, China and Republic of Korea to participate in discussions on methods to improve the conditions of migrant workers engaged in low-income jobs and those without social protection. The seminar also touches upon overseas job opportunities, vocational training, reduction of migration costs, protection from abuses, labour inspections, and occupational safety and health, among others. Recommendations for actions are developed for the consideration of the ASEAN Senior Labour Officials Meeting. 8th Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong meets with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing during his working visit to China (Beijing, Hainan and Shanghai) at the invitation of Li. Both leaders jointly witness the signing of bilateral documents in fields such as cooperation in third-party markets, and people-to-people and cultural engagement. The foreign ministers of both countries also meet to discuss bilateral diplomatic relations as well as issues relating to China–US trade friction. 9th Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong meets with Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan. Wang expresses that “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” will guide China in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and heading for the second centenary goal. The concept of opening up in the new era has rich connotations. China will unswervingly expand opening-up at a higher level. China–Singapore relations are of strategic and forward-looking significance and bilateral cooperation will enjoy mutual benefits and win–win results. China is willing, together with Singapore, to learn from each other to promote all-round development in bilateral relations. Lee expresses optimism about a sound development in Singapore–China relations and China’s positive role in the building of a global governance system. The ASEAN–China Governors/Mayors’ Dialogue, held in Hainan, China, is a part of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2018. Representatives from China, the ASEAN region, Croatia and Finland participate in discussions on cruise tourism cooperation along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The dialogue focuses on the operation of international cruise routes, particularly the coordination of various sectors for infrastructure construction, development of policies and regulations, training of service and sales personnel, and relaxation of cruise visa policies. 10th Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is in China’s Hainan province to attend the Boao Forum. Both leaders witness the signing of cooperation documents. Xi points out that China–Philippines relations have undergone the “turnaround” stage to “consolidation” over the past two years, and the task for 2018...

The Political Economy of China–Thailand Development Under the One Belt One Road Initiative: Challenges and Opportunities

China has prospered and turned into a world superpower due to the rapid economic growth in the Old Silk Road era. President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China, being aware of this fact, has the desire to revitalize the Silk Road and, thus, on his official visit to Kazakhstan in September 2014, declared the commencement of the “Belt and Road Initiative,” or “One Belt One Road (OBOR)” strategies aiming to develop bilateral and multilateral economy. Under the concept of this New Silk Road, or OBOR, China has the intention to connect and develop the infrastructure leading to central Asia and Europe. This will also cover the Southeast Asia region. Thailand, having much better geopolitical and geo-economic conditions than other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, has been foreseen to be the hub that will link the countries both inside and outside the ASEAN region. The objective of this paper is to investigate and discuss the challenges and opportunities for Thailand under China’s OBOR strategy framework. It can obviously be viewed that China’s OBOR conforms to Thailand’s international trade strategy as being the center of connectivity with the countries both inside and outside ASEAN. And this will result in the long-lasting growth of the economy of Thailand. China’s OBOR strategies, especially the promotion of OBOR through the Southeast Asia region, will encourage cooperation between China and ASEAN in various aspects, for example, transportation, trade, investment, energy, and regional cooperation, which will directly and indirectly benefit ASEAN nations including Thailand, whose geo-economic advantage makes it suitable to be the center of the other ASEAN countries.

Japan’s Diplomacy towards Member Countries of Pacific Islands Forum: Significance of Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM)

As an island country in the Pacific region, it is natural for Japan to have diplomatic relationships with neighboring island countries. By the early 1970s, Japan started to provide Official Development Assistance (ODA) to two individual island countries in the Pacific region, and, in the mid-1980s, when most of the island countries had achieved independence, Japan’s diplomacy expanded to additional countries. In 1985 then Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone made an official visit to two of the island countries, and, in 1987, official policy expressing support for the Pacific island countries’ independence, regional cooperation, political stability, economic development, and people-to-people exchange was issued. In October 1997, the “Japan-SPF Summit Meeting” with participants of leaders from Japan and 14 South Pacific Forum member island countries/regions and government representatives of Australia and New Zealand was held in Tokyo. The 8th Pacific Islands Leaders meeting held in May 2018 is symbolic of Japan’s diplomacy toward the Pacific Islands Forum member countries. This article is the author’s personal observation of Japan’s diplomacy toward Pacific Islands Forum member countries and the significance of Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting.

Overview of foot-and-mouth disease awareness among farmers and veterinarians in France

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is of major concern in most countries including Europe, where no outbreaks have occurred since a decade. Indeed, the risk of FMD introduction from infected countries is...

“Military Engagement with a Responsible Stakeholder: The Taft Administration and Qing Imperial China”

In the early 20th Century, the Taft administration and the Qing Empire developed a working relationship that went beyond transactional “Dollar Diplomacy” to include military engagement. Military and official visits, arms contracts, and opportunities for military education signaled a shift away from both President Theodore Roosevelt’s pro-Japanese policies and the Qing Empire’s isolation from the international order. The massacre of over three hundred Chinese at Torreon, Mexico in May 1911 inadvertently assisted this rapprochement, which presented the Qing Dynasty with an opportunity to demonstrate power and influence when it dispatched the cruiser Hai Qi to the Caribbean. The swift response to the massacre shows that Qing diplomats were capable of using an integrated and mutually reinforcing set of legal, diplomatic, and military tools to attain their political objectives. The incident also demonstrates that the Taft administration was willing to allow a foreign military vessel to coerce Mexico for monetary gain in a direct violation of the Monroe Doctrine. The Qing Empire’s very effective use of gunboat diplomacy revealed a highly competent Chinese government, as well as how u.s. officials arranged a sophisticated rapprochement with Imperial China in the 1909–1912 period.

Major Speeches by PRC Presidents, Vice Premier & NPC Chief in Official Visits to the HKSAR

Major Speeches by PRC Presidents, Vice Premier & NPC Chief in Official Visits to the HKSAR

Ukraine – Vatican: Interstate and inter-church relations (1991–2005)

The article examines the stages of the formation of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and the Vatican in the 1990s. The chronology of official meetings and visits of officials was followed, the causes of difficulties with delaying the opening of the Ukrainian Embassy in the Vatican were identified. The Vatican was interested in a close relationship with Ukraine, where the Catholic Church was granted equal rights alongside other denominations, which served as a basis and example for further in-depth dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). The papal mission in Ukraine aimed to protect the status of the Catholic Church and to ensure religious freedom. The Vatican's policy towards an independent Ukraine, its support in the state's aspirations for European integration are analyzed. The importance of the visit of Pope John Paul II and his dialogue in Ukrainian society for the development of inter-church cooperation, inter-confessional dialogue, Ukrainian-Polish reconciliation in matters of historical memory was established. The disconnection of inter-denominational disputes smoothed out the activities of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, whose work was judged to be attended by the Pope. In his speech to the audience of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, the Pope emphasized the multicultural space of Ukraine. The framework of cooperation between Ukraine and the Vatican in humanitarian policy, social and educational programs is traced. Cooperation between the two countries has contributed to the growth of the moral authority of Ukraine, as a European state with Western European values. Countries seeking to join the European Union (among them Ukraine) paid great attention to the spiritual factors of European integration, attending various forums and meetings held by the Vatican. Keywords Ukraine, Vatican, Roman Catholic Church, diplomatic relations, ecumenism.

The 1717 Journey in the Long Run of French History

This article analyses Peter I’s visit to Paris in a long-term historical perspective (la longue durée; from the late fourteenth to the early twentieth century) and in juxtaposition with those of other sovereign monarchs of Europe, including Russian emperors who visited the French capital after Peter I. Due to all the difficulties in determining the place of the Russian tsar in the hierarchy of Christian princes and despite many problems in bilateral relations, the French court was obliged to render Peter I honours equivalent to sovereigns of the “first rank” (such as a military escort, royal carriages, and royal residences, the palaces of the Louvre, Versailles, Trianon, and Marley). When communicating with the regent, Duke Philip of Orleans, the latter showed priority honours to his crowned counterpart, which was not usually done for secondary monarchs. At the same time, in order to prevent etiquette embarrassments and not to lower the honour of the French royal house, the visit of Peter the Great was styled as a semi-official one, with some elements of an incognito visit. The usage of royal titles, which was a sensitive issue for traditionalist Moscow diplomacy, was also curious. Avoiding problems with the translation of the title “Grand Duke” (grand-duc), equivalent in the Western tradition to the title of a minor sovereign, the French began to use the title “Majesty” (Majesté), comparable with the Latin title “Caesarea Majestas”, applicable to German emperors. It is particularly noteworthy that Peter I became the founder of a certain etiquette tradition, which later, in the 19th century, was reproduced by other monarchs. He laid down a kind of protocol route through the landmarks of the French capital with a mandatory visit to the Mint, where they coined a commemorative medal in memory of the visit. Finally, the organisation of the Russian tsar’s stay in Paris became a model for official high-level visits. Peter the Great’s journey of 1717 should be placed in the long sequence of royal and princely visits to France from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Comparisons with the ceremonial of previous royal sojourns help us understand the tsar’s aims and the intentions of the French court toward its guest. The 1717 visit was neither completely “incognito” nor totally official but secured the advantages of both solutions for Peter.

Bilateral Cooperation between China and Congo-Brazzaville: The Other Side of the Ledger

The relation forged between China and Africa during these recent years has been and remains topical at this time. Researchers coming from all over the world say that it is rich, solid, well-rounded, dynamic, ambiguous, win-win, tenuous, etc. Despite all of these paradigms which characterize this South-South approximation, numbers made Beijing a powerful economic partner for Africa nowadays. A relation that has shown a diversified and variable cooperation per country and geopolitical area. In that case, Congo-Brazzaville was one of the first nations in Central Africa to create fraternal relationship with the Middle kingdom. A bilateral cooperation that evolved over time. With this in mind, 53 years later, it would be interesting to make a global assessment of the ties developed between this Asian giant and that small state, sixth oil producer in Africa. Therefore, our main aim will be to carry out a thorough research and to propose some practical ideas to make this bilateral cooperation better. In order to reach this goal, we are going to conduct a desktop study by collecting and analyzing documents and audio-visual materials through a qualitative approach. Besides, we will also report conferences, seminars, interviews and official visits of heads of states including both parts.

Future of Indonesian-Ukrainian Relations

In this interview, Yuddy Chrisnandi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to Ukraine, expresses his gratitude to every person engaged in celebrations of the 73rd anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia in Ukraine, in the course of which there was an exhibition of goods which can potentially enter the Ukrainian market. The Ambassador pays much attention to the rejuvenation of economic and sociocultural cooperation. Ukraine has hosted more than 20 official visits of Indonesian delegations from various governmental agencies specialising in such realms as IT, pharmaceuticals, and food industry. The Ambassador is of the opinion that the paramount task is to preserve friendship and cultural appreciation between our countries. Specifically, the Embassy has finished the construction of Indonesian pavilion and garden in the Hryshko National Botanical Garden. The curriculum for studying the Indonesian language at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv favours strengthening of contacts between the people of Ukraine and Indonesia. One of the means of strengthening contacts and cultural cooperation between the two nations is to examine various opportunities for cooperation, namely through the establishment of sister cities in Indonesia and Ukraine. The Ambassador met mayors of big towns and heads of the administrative offices of regions of Ukraine to deepen regional cooperation in different domains. The Ambassador is looking forward to enhancing cooperation in the spheres of management and tourism. Over the last two years, the number of Ukrainian tourists in Indonesia has doubled thanks to the non-visa regime for citizens of Ukraine. The Ambassador hopes that citizens of Indonesia who are eager to see Ukraine will have an opportunity to travel to the country without visas. Ukraine has many attractions to draw attention of Indonesian tourists, including its beautiful nature and rich history. Keywords: Indonesia, Ukrainian tourists, Ukraine, Indonesian language, strengthening of contacts, visa-free regime.

The First King of Hollywood: The Life of Douglas Fairbanks by Tracey Goessel (review)

Reviewed by: The First King of Hollywood: The Life of Douglas Fairbanks by Tracey Goessel James H. Krukones Tracey Goessel, The First King of Hollywood: The Life of Douglas Fairbanks. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2016. $34.95. 581pages. Tracey Goessel has written a richly detailed and eminently readable biography of the most popular male star in silent film. In restoring Douglas Fairbanks (1883–1939) to his proper place in the silver screen firmament, she has also cast her own light on that seminal era before movies began to talk. Fairbanks was born in Denver, Colorado. In later years he insistently depicted his family background as entirely respectable, maintaining silence about the several previous marriages of his mother and father. His father was Jewish, another fact about which the son kept mum. The acting bug bit him early and, while a teenager, he joined Frederick Warde’s troupe and toured the country for a couple of years. Fairbanks’s Broadway debut occurred in 1901, and he continued to appear on the legitimate stage (and sometimes in vaudeville) for more than the next decade, mostly in less than distinguished fare. Captivated by D. W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation in 1915, he started appearing in films that same year. In transitioning to the movies, he brought with him his boundless energy, remarkable athleticism, and million-megawatt smile. His screen personality also had a sense of humor and even self-mockery. Success came quickly, so it was natural that the U.S. government should recruit him to raise money for the Red Cross and sell Liberty Bonds during the First World War. In 1920, Fairbanks began making big-budget swashbucklers, and the ensuing years saw the release of the films for which he is best known, including The Mark of Zorro (1920), The Three Musketeers (1921), Robin Hood (1922), and The Thief of Bagdad (1924). These were event pictures, exhibited on a roadshow basis, and acclaimed by both critics and audiences. Each movie had to top the one before it. By the end of the decade, however, the public’s taste for these films, and for Fairbanks in particular, seemed to wane. His last movies—now featuring sound—represented a return to the more modest scale of his early ones, but, for the most part, they flopped at the box office. No biography of Fairbanks would be complete without considering Mary Pickford, the love of his life and a film star fully his equal in fame and determination. Goessel gives their relationship its due. “Doug and Mary” were the couple of the 1920s, mobbed by adoring fans all over the world. Their seeming inseparability was reflected in the name of their estate, Pickfair, an invitation to which was as much sought after as an official visit to the White House. Unfortunately, the fairy tale did not last. Seven years of marital bliss were followed by seven more of growing mutual suspicion, leading to their divorce in 1936. Fairbanks wed one more time; his third wife, the English-born Sylvia Ashley, comes off here as something of a gold-digger. His last years were devoid of both personal happiness and professional accomplishment. Goessel’s portrayal of her subject is balanced. Fairbanks insisted on performing almost all of his own stunts, which he also choreographed, but he sought to challenge himself as an actor, too. He experimented with new film technologies, such as sound and two-strip Technicolor. With Pickford, Griffith, and best friend Charlie Chaplin, he founded United Artists, which granted greater creative control to film artists by serving as the distribution arm for their production companies. He took an active stand against censorship—which, at the time, was exercised mostly on a regional basis—and its threat to the development of cinema. He also helped establish the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1927 and supported the [End Page 64] creation of the first academic film curriculum at the University of Southern California. Most of his colleagues found Fairbanks a pleasure to work and play with, but the author also explores his less appealing side; for example, his extreme jealousy, his social climbing, and his indifference toward parenting (although...

Q&A: An Interview With Ecuador's Minister of Hydrocarbons Carlos Pérez Garcia

Q&A On a recent official visit to the United States, Ecuador’s Minister of Hydrocarbons Carlos Pérez Garcia was interviewed by JPT Features Editor Joel Parshall. Pérez was appointed to his position in May. Over the previous year, he was the owner and general manager of PEMEC Energy Consultants in Quito, Ecuador. From 1999 to 2016, Pérez held various positions at Halliburton, including geographic integration manager, new ventures advisor, Ecuador senior country manager, and human resources manager. Previously, he worked at Schlumberger and NASA. Pérez has also served as president of the SPE Ecuador Section. The following transcript of the interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Oil is critical to Ecuador, given the amount of national export income and government revenue that the oil industry generates. What are the biggest needs of your upstream sector? Mainly we’re looking for private investment for companies to come in and develop additional resources and infrastructure for the industry. So that is part of the agenda of this trip to interest companies in going into the country and investing in areas. We want to diversify our portfolio a little bit because we’re nowadays a little heavily loaded toward the Chinese investment, and we would like to see additional investment from US companies in the country. Are there specific technology needs in upstream that would especially benefit Ecuador? Yes. One of the things that we are looking for is IOR [improved oil recovery] and EOR [enhanced oil recovery] technology to be implemented. Our fields are starting to require secondary and tertiary recovery, so we need to increase our recovery factor. Some of them have been producing for over 40 years. And in addition to that, something that the country has very little experience in is the fracturing business. And there are companies, such as the major service companies—especially in the US—with quite a bit of experience in that area. So we’re looking at tapping into that type of knowledge. We’ve done a few things here with good results, and I think that if companies come in with that expertise, certainly it will help. Ecuador’s known hydrocarbons in place are essentially conventional resources. Are you mostly interested in fracturing to develop those or to start unconventional development? We want to apply fracturing in existing fields. There are certain fields where we have tight limestones where we require that type of work. We have not looked at unconventionals yet. I’m pretty sure that there are some, but it’s not our primary area of interest.

The Outcomes of Cooperation of Kazakhstan and Turkey in the Field of Education

Official relations between and Kazakhstan were established in December 1990. The Minister of Culture Namik Kemal Zeybek and the Kazakh State Culture Committee signed an agreement for the carrying out of common cultural work between two countries in education system, research projects, exchange experience of experts and scholars in the practice. This agreement regained cultural ties interrupted long time ago. The official visit of the head of the Kazakh State Culture Committee paid to the January 31, 1991, and the cooperation agreement signed by the Minister of Health February 14 of that year strengthened cultural relations between the two countries. Before gaining the independence of Kazakhstan the official visit of the Turkish President Turgut Ozal to Kazakhstan March 15 and signing the agreement on the relationship of Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic and the Republic of Turkey led to the strengthening friendship Kazakh-Turkish relations and further development in this direction.

Polish-Ukrainian Interstate Relations in the Light of Recent Challenges and Risks (2015-2017)

Polish-Ukrainian interstate relations covering the period beginning with the presidency of A. Duda and followed by the victory of the radical-right political party «Law and Justice» in the parliamentary elections have been analyzed. The main attention is focused on the key trends of their development and the factors affecting them. The consequences to the relations between the two countries of the emphasis that official Warsaw makes on issues of the common past, mainly Volyn tragedy, the interpretation of which on Ukrainian and Polish sides are far from identical, have been found out. The attention is drawn to the adoption of the law «On the legal status and honoring the memory of the fighters for Ukraine’s independence in the twentieth century» by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (April 9, 2015), wich caused an active discussion on the part of the official Warsaw, as well as to the similarly met in Ukraine resolution of the Sejm «On establishing the 11 of July the Memorial Day of Poles, the victims of genocide committed by the UPA» (22 July 2016). The provocations on both sides of the border organized by the interested in worsening of the relations between Warsaw and Kyiv have been highlighted. However, іt has been proven that despite the tensions caused by the often highprofile steps of the Polish and Ukrainian authorities, the strategic partnership between the two countries remains relevant. And while the first official visit of President A. Duda t to Ukraine took place only in December of 2015, the fact is, that the presence of the Polish head of state at the ceremony in Kyiv on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence on August the 24th of 2016 only six months after the election is an eloquent testimony of the importance of cooperation with Ukraine for the official Warsaw. Precisely then the presidents of the neighboring states signed a Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership.

Framing Diplomatic Relations

Malaysia and China have been enjoying cordial relations since 1974. In 2015, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang paid an official visit to Malaysia at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Abdul Razak. This study aims to examine the framing of Malaysia–China relations as well as Premier Li’s visit to Malaysia by the mainstream Malay, English and Chinese-language newspapers in Malaysia, as well as the mainstream press in China. The findings indicate that the newspapers reported the topic with differing intensity and prominence, while employing different news sources. Economics and trade was found to be the most salient frame in the coverage by both the Malaysian and Chinese newspapers. In addition, this study also found that both Malaysian and Chinese newspapers mostly used neutral valence in reporting about Malaysia–China diplomacy and Premier Li’s visit to Malaysia. The frame built by the newspapers can be attributed to the fact that they have the inclination to serve the political and economic vested interests of their own countries.

From the land of the rising sun to the nation of the crescent moon: a visit to Turkey by a Japanese training fleet

ABSTRACTIn this study, we analyse a visit by two Japanese cruisers (the Izumo and Yakumo), commanded by Admiral Yamamoto, to Turkey in 1926. Although the visit's aim was overstated at the time, its contribution to Turkish–Japanese relations cannot be disregarded. Ambassador Obata and Admiral Yamamoto's emphasis on and discourse in relation to Turkish–Japanese friendship demonstrate that the Japanese imposed different meanings on the trip, the most important part of which was to Istanbul, where visits to official departments, programmes for naval students and familiarizing Istanbulites with Japan were important activities. The Istanbul press published news about the Japanese guests and their daily activities. After Istanbul, the delegation went to Ankara for official visits. However, these visits were little reported in Turkish news columns or the press of the period. In fact, the visit is reflected in just one or two sentences in the pages of history.