Luxembourg Ambassador visits Manila
I hosted a cocktail reception for Luxembourg Ambassador Beatrice Kirsch, who was recently in Manila for a visit. On hand to welcome Ambassador Kirsch, who is based in Tokyo, were members of the diplomatic and consular corps, business associates and close friends.
Located at the heart of Western Europe and bordered by Belgium, Germany and France, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a charming European country with a population estimated at 525,000 people, over 40 percent of whom are foreign residents. Its national language is Lëtzebuergesch while French and German are the administrative languages.
Not many know that this tiny nation, which has one of the highest GDP per capita in the world and is one of Europe’s major financial centers, is a founding member of the United Nations, the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation. Its strategic location has made it highly important to European powers dating from its origins during the 14th century when Henry VII became king of Germany and was crowned the emperor in Rome by the papal legate. Over the succeeding centuries, Luxembourg has gone through several turning points in its history, with the path to eventual independence far from smooth as the country suffered from invasions.
Diplomatic ties between Luxembourg and the Philippines began in August 1946 and over the years, relations have been very cordial between the two nations. In November 2013 following the onslaught of Super Typhoon Yolanda in Eastern Visayas, the government of Luxembourg through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately dispatched an emergency team that set up a satellite-based communication platform that enabled numerous aid agencies and relief organizations to become connected — saving numerous lives in the process.
