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Sat, May 26 2012
Henriette van Lynden-Leijten, former Dutch ambassador to Bulgaria, dies
Baroness Henriette van Lynden-Leijten with President Georgi Purvanov, in July 2005, on the day she was awarded Bulgaria's highest honour, the Stara Planina first class.
Photo: Julia Lazarova
Baroness Henriette van Lynden-Leijten, formerly The Netherlands ambassador to Bulgaria, died on November 5 2010 at the age of 60, Dutch media reported.
Van Lynden-Leijten had been serving as ambassador to the Holy See. She presented her credentials to Pope Benedict XVI on October 2 2009.
A graduate in social science with a specialisation in philosophy and in Arab languages, she was ambassador in Sofia from 2001 to 2005, having previously served in Dutch foreign ministry posts in Cairo, Beirut, London and Brussels.
Among the achievements for which she is remembered in Sofia is the poetry wall project, which saw several buildings in the capital city adorned with poetry in co-operation with other embassies. In July 2005, President Georgi Purvanov conferred on Van Lynden-Leijten Bulgaria's highest order, the Stara Planina first class, for her work in developing relations between Bulgaria and The Netherlands.
After Bulgaria, she was the foreign ministry's director for North Africa and the Middle East, before becoming ambassador to The Vatican.
She was married to Aernhout, Baron van Lynden, a veteran journalist who lectured in journalism at the American University in Bulgaria. According to Dutch media reports, Van Lynden-Leijten died as a result of cancer.
A book of condolences will be open for signing at the embassy, 15 Oborishte Street Sofia, on November 9 and 10 from 9.30am to noon and from 3pm to 5pm.
Van Lynden-Leijten had been serving as ambassador to the Holy See. She presented her credentials to Pope Benedict XVI on October 2 2009.
A graduate in social science with a specialisation in philosophy and in Arab languages, she was ambassador in Sofia from 2001 to 2005, having previously served in Dutch foreign ministry posts in Cairo, Beirut, London and Brussels.
Among the achievements for which she is remembered in Sofia is the poetry wall project, which saw several buildings in the capital city adorned with poetry in co-operation with other embassies. In July 2005, President Georgi Purvanov conferred on Van Lynden-Leijten Bulgaria's highest order, the Stara Planina first class, for her work in developing relations between Bulgaria and The Netherlands.
After Bulgaria, she was the foreign ministry's director for North Africa and the Middle East, before becoming ambassador to The Vatican.
She was married to Aernhout, Baron van Lynden, a veteran journalist who lectured in journalism at the American University in Bulgaria. According to Dutch media reports, Van Lynden-Leijten died as a result of cancer.
A book of condolences will be open for signing at the embassy, 15 Oborishte Street Sofia, on November 9 and 10 from 9.30am to noon and from 3pm to 5pm.
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UN anniversary event
FOREIGN Minister Solomon Passi has welcomed proposals for United Nations reform adopted by UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, saying that they hold out hope for a "true revival" of the UN. Passi was among speakers at an international conference held in Sofia on May 30, entitled "The United Nations 60 Years On: The Global Challenges of the 21st Century".
EU assurances
THE FRENCH no vote on the European Union constitution, and similar votes in other countries, will have no impact on Bulgaria's accession to the European Union, French ambassador Yves Saint-Geours has told The Sofia Echo. And the Netherlands ambassador, Baroness Henriette van Lynden, has said that if Bulgaria's EU accession was to be delayed, it would not be because of a no vote on the EU constitution.
A SALUTE TO NETHERLANDS: A changing picture
IN an interview with The Sofia Echo to coincide with the Netherlands national day in April 2004, ambassador Baroness Henriette van Lynden described Bulgaria as not that well known as Dutch investors; now, she says, that picture has changed. Speaking to The Echo this month, she noted the heightened interest that had been shown by business people during a recent visit to the Netherlands by Economy Minister Milko Kovachev.
Diplomatic Dispatches - The Dutch ambassador discusses the transition from national and multilateral diplomacy to public diplomacy.
Ambassadors used to have a scent of mystery, secrecy and even of romance about them. High on their pedestals, in striking uniforms, they would represent their countries, engulfed in delicate negotiations and dancing the night away with the beauties of this world, and with the best of wines and delicacies at their fingertips.
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The Sofia Echo
What a glorious woman of many talents
It shows in this photograph
Everyone who knew her will miss her
Dear Stoyan,
You are mistaken. The poetry project was utterly her brainchild.
I didn't know Henriette in person, but I was a student of her husband's (Aernout). He told us the story of how they first met, and I still remember it.
Rest in peace, Henriette.
A visible diplomat at the time and rightly given Bulgaria's highest honour. Notwithstanding, the poetry project was not really hers, but the brain child of the former first or second secretary, if I am not mistaken
May Henriette rest in peace.