FDC from Belarus／FDC du Bélarus

Flora-Endangered plants of Belarus／
Flore-Usines mises en danger de la Bélarus



On June 8, 2009 the Ministry of Communications and Informatization of the Republic of Belarus will issue 2 stamps depicting flowers “Scorzonera” and “Snowdrop anemone” from the series “Flora. Endangered plants of Belarus”.

Note: This FDC send to Taiwan via Austria, and Austrian Post has a yellow "R" tag affixed .

FDC from Japan／FDC du Japon

150th anniversary of Nagasaki port opening／
150ème anniversaire d'ouverture de port d'nagasaki

FDC from Japan／FDC du Japon

150th anniversary of Hakodate port opening／
150ème anniversaire d'ouverture de port d'hakodate

FDC from Japan／FDC du Japon

150th anniversary of yokohama port opening／
150ème anniversaire d'ouverture de port d'yokohama

FDC from Taiwan／FDC du Taiwan

First Anniversary of the Cross-strait Direct Mail Service Commemorative Postage Label／
Premier anniversaire de la Croix-détroit Direct Mail Service commémoratif Timbre de distributeur



To mark the first anniversary of direct exchange of mail service between the ROC and mainland China, Chunghwa Post is issuing a postage label on December 15, 2009.
Each individual label bears a serial number, which consists of two English letters (representing the roll number) and four Arabic numerals. A total of 800,000 labels will be issued.
To symbolize the exchange of direct mail, the label features a ship, a cargo plane, and a map featuring Taiwan's northern coast as well as the coastal areas of mainland China across the Taiwan Strait.
There also a rainbow set against a blue sky and white clouds, which gives a celebratory tone to the anniversary of this event.

FDC from Nagorno-Karabakh／FDC du Haut-Karabagh

Memorial of Nagorno-Karabakh War／
Mémorial de la guerre du Haut-Karabagh



The Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the small enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by the Republic of Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan. As the war progressed, Armenia and Azerbaijan, both former Soviet Republics, entangled themselves in a protracted, undeclared war in the mountainous heights of Karabakh as Azerbaijan attempted to curb the secessionist movement in Nagorno-Karabakh. The enclave's parliament had voted in favor of uniting itself with Armenia and a referendum was held, and the vast majority of the Karabakh population voted in favor of independence. The demand to unify with Armenia, which proliferated in the late 1980s, began in a relatively peaceful manner; however, in the following months, as the Soviet Union's disintegration neared, it gradually grew into an increasingly violent conflict between ethnic Armenians and ethnic Azerbaijanis, resulting in claims of ethnic cleansing by all sides.

Inter-ethnic fighting between the two broke out shortly after the parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh, an autonomous oblast in Azerbaijan, voted to unify the region with Armenia on February 20, 1988. The declaration of secession from Azerbaijan was the final result of a territorial conflict regarding the land. The circumstances of the dissolution of the Soviet Union facilitated an Armenian separatist movement in Azerbaijan. As Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union and removed the powers held by the enclave's government, the Armenian majority voted to secede from Azerbaijan and in the process proclaimed the enclave the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Full-scale fighting erupted in the late winter of 1992. International mediation by several groups including Europe's OSCE failed to bring an end resolution that both sides could work with. In the spring of 1993, Armenian forces captured regions outside the enclave itself, threatening the involvement of other countries in the region. By the end of the war in 1994, the Armenians were in full control of most of the enclave and also held and currently control approximately 9% of Azerbaijan's territory outside the enclave. As many as 230,000 Armenians from Azerbaijan and 800,000 Azeris from Armenia and Karabakh have been displaced as a result of the conflict. A Russian-brokered ceasefire was signed in May 1994 and peace talks, mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group, have been held ever since by Armenia and Azerbaijan.

La guerre du Haut-Karabagh désigne le conflit armé qui a eu lieu entre février 1988 et mai 1994 dans l'enclave ethnique du Haut-Karabagh, en Azerbaïdjan du sud-ouest, entre les Arméniens de l'enclave, alliés à la république d'Arménie, et la république d'Azerbaïdjan. Le 26 février 1988 défilent à Erevan un million de personnes, revendiquant le rattachement du Haut-Karabagh à l'Arménie. Le parlement de l'enclave, qui vote l'union avec l'Arménie le 20 février 1988, et un référendum accordé à la population déterminent un même souhait. La demande d'union avec l'Arménie, qui s'est développée vers la fin des années 1980, a débuté pacifiquement mais, ensuite, avec la désintégration de l'Union soviétique, le mouvement devient un conflit violent entre les deux groupes ethniques, aboutissant ainsi à des allégations de nettoyage ethnique par les deux camps.

Cette guerre est un des conflits ethniques les plus destructeurs ayant surgi après la décomposition de l'Union soviétique, en termes de nombre de morts et pertes de propriété. La déclaration de sécession de l'Azerbaïdjan est le résultat final d'un « ressentiment éprouvé par les membres de la communauté arménienne du Haut-Karabagh envers les limitations imposées par les autorités soviétiques et azerbaïdjanaises concernant la liberté culturelle et religieuse », mais, plus important, d'un conflit territorial.

Tout comme le mouvement sécessionniste parcourant les républiques baltes d'Estonie, de Lettonie et de Lituanie, le mouvement a favorisé et symbolisé l'implosion de l'Union soviétique. Lorsque l'Azerbaïdjan a déclaré son indépendance et a supprimé les pouvoirs exercés par le gouvernement de l'enclave, la majorité arménienne a voté sa séparation de l'Azerbaïdjan. Avec la progression des évènements, elle a proclamé la république du Haut-Karabagh.

Des combats de grande ampleur ont lieu vers la fin de l'hiver 1992. La médiation internationale de plusieurs groupes comme l'OSCE ne peut pas trouver une résolution du conflit qui satisfasse les intérêts des deux cotés. Au printemps 1993, les forces arméniennes s'approprient des régions à l'extérieur de l'enclave, soulevant des menaces d'intervention d'autres pays de la région. En 1994, vers la fin de la guerre, les Arméniens contrôlent non seulement l'enclave montagneuse, mais aussi 9 % du territoire azerbaïdjanais (14 % avec l'enclave). Le conflit a fait 400 000 réfugiés arméniens d'Azerbaïdjan et 800 000 réfugiés azéris d'Arménie et du Karabagh. Un cessez-le-feu est signé en mai 1994 avec la médiation russe. Des négociations entre les deux pays impliqués, sous la supervision du Groupe de Minsk de l'OSCE, ont eu lieu depuis lors.

FDC from Japan／FDC du Japon

The 60th Anniversary of Enforcement of the Local Autonomy Law- Ibaraki Prefecture／
Le 60ème Anniversaire de Mise en vigueur de la Loi d'Autonomie Locale - la Préfecture d'Ibaraki



Ibaraki Prefecture (茨城県, Ibaraki-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region on Honshū island. The capital is Mito.

Ibaraki Prefecture was previously known as Hitachi Province. In 1871, the name of the province became Ibaraki. The name of the prefecture is also occasionally misspelled "Ibaragi."

Ibaraki Prefecture is the northeastern part of the Kantō region, stretching between Tochigi Prefecture and the Pacific Ocean and bounded on the north and south by Fukushima Prefecture and Chiba Prefecture. It also has borders on the southwest with Gunma Prefecture and Saitama Prefecture. The northernmost part of the prefecture is mountainous, but most of the prefecture is a flat plain with many lakes.

Industries in the prefecture include nuclear and other energy, chemical, and precision machine. The Hitachi company was founded in the Ibaraki city of the same name.

Ibaraki's population is increasing modestly as the Greater Tokyo region spreads out.

Ibaraki is known for natto, or fermented soybeans, in Mito, watermelons in Kyōwa (recently merged into Chikusei), and chestnuts in the Nishiibaraki region.

Ibaraki is famous for the martial art of Aikido founded by Ueshiba Morihei, also known as Osensei. Ueshiba spent the latter part of his life in the town of Iwama, now part of Kasama, and the Aiki Shrine and dojo he created still remain.

There are castle ruins in many cities, including Mito, Kasama, and Yūki.

Kasama is famous for Shinto and art culture and pottery.

The capital Mito is home to Kairakuen, one of a trinity of Japan's most celebrated gardens, and famous for plum forest of over 3,000 plum trees of over 100 varieties.

Ibaraki (茨城県, Ibaraki-ken) est une préfecture du Japon.

À l'époque féodale, la province s'appelait Hitachi (常陸).

Durant la période Edo, elle était gouvernée par le clan des Tokugawa.

À l'est se trouve l'océan Pacifique, la préfecture est entourée au nord par la préfecture de Fukushima, à l'ouest celle de Tochigi, au sud celle de Chiba et celle de Saitama.

Le lac Kasumigaura, deuxième plus grand du Japon, s'y trouve.

FDC from Czech／FDC du tchèque

PRESERVE THE POLAR REGIONS AND GLACIERS／
PRÉSERVEZ LES RÉGIONS POLAIRES ET LES GLACIERS



The postage stamps issued in the form of a miniature sheet drawing attention to protection of polar regions and glaciers is a joint project of forty countries set up at the initiative of Finland and Chile. The common symbol of all issues is a crystal designed by the Finnish graphic designer Saku Heinänen. This project is unique mainly because the initiative of the two countries found response in dozens of postal administrations in different parts of the globe who aimed to address both the peoples and governments all around the world.

In the past decades global warming was most evident in polar regions where it has been the cause of thawing of continental glaciers as well as floating icebergs. This situation may soon lead not only to the rise of the sea level but also to global climate changes. Warming causes not only changes of sea currents but also growing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the air which are created by human activities which are often careless of the nature. The highest rise in temperature in this century by 2 to 6 °C is expected to occur in the arctic region. Temperatures have been rising also in the Southern polar regions. Antarctic ice has been disappearing as coastal glaciers split apart from the ice shelves. In March 2008 a cake of ice of a size larger than Prague separated from the collapsing Wilkinson ice shelf. Ice melting endangers also animal and plant species occurring in polar regions.

Water resources, agriculture and forest industry, energy production and human health are most affected by the global changes. The existing climatic changes should be slowed down and their impact reduced by better exploitation of energy resources and use of low carbon fuels and renewable resources. Further improvements could be brought by investments into new technologies and services and into research of polar regions.