The President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and his wife, Marisa Letícia toured the Haag, Amsterdam and Rotterdam whilst on a two-day state visit to the Netherlands this week. As part of the pomp and cermony, they were toasted at a state banquet at Noordeinde Palace by Queen Beatrix on April 10th.
Below is the entire text of Queen Beatrix’s speech at Noordeinde Palace at the state banquet in honour of the president of Brazil."Mr President,"
"It gives me great pleasure to receive you and Mrs Lula da Silva as my guests here this evening and to welcome you to the Netherlands. I look back with particularly warm feelings on the visit that I paid to your country five years ago, together with my son and daughter-in-law, and on the personal contacts we then had."
"That visit was my first encounter with Brazil. I was able to visit many different parts of your vast country and to familiarise myself with various sectors of society. One group that comes to mind are the descendants of the Dutch farmers who succeeded in building new lives there many years ago. They were not the first Dutch people to travel to those distant shores. Our interest in Brazil goes back to the seventeenth century. For a number of years the Netherlands in fact ruled a part of your country. This fascinating episode is well known to Brazilians and is also receiving more attention here now. Researchers from both countries are together studying the documents relating to this period that are held in Dutch archives. History thus gives the relations between our two nations a special dimension."
"Mr President,"
"Much has happened in the five years following our visit to your country. On the basis of a consistent macro-economic and monetary policy, you have initiated a large-scale programme of social reform. This programme, whose central elements are social development, education and reducing the great differences between rich and poor, is now beginning to bear fruit. It is in line with the Millennium Development Goals adopted in the year two thousand by the United Nations. In this regard, it is interesting to see how, by attaching conditions to financial support from the government, you are encouraging people to be self-motivating and to accept their own responsibility. Particular attention is paid to good nutrition for the groups that need this kind of help – in the unique Fome Zero project – and to health care, in particular the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS. The success of this approach can be seen as a model for other countries. Your re-election shows that the Brazilian people have confidence in you and in this policy."
"An interesting aspect of your country is its energy policy. Brazil is a pioneer in the field of biofuels, having started production many decades ago. Consequently, large numbers of vehicles are nowadays using these fuels and even an experimental aircraft, built in your country, is powered by biofuel. However, there are also disadvantages to the use of biofuels. But there is enormous interest in our part of the world in the way in which your country is contributing to tackling the great issues of our time: the production of renewable energy, sustainable development and climate change."
"Mr President,"
"Due to its immense size, large population, economic performance and balanced diplomacy, Brazil occupies a central position in your part of the world. Your country has undertaken important initiatives and played an indispensable role in strengthening and expanding Mercosul and in establishing the Union of South American Nations: Unasul. We follow these developments with great interest, particularly since a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is closely involved with events in South America."
"Furthermore, Brazil is extremely active in the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation, where it defends the standpoint and interests of the South vis-à-vis those of the North. There are divisions between these two parts of the world which are not easy to bridge. Yet the populations of developing and developed countries also have many major interests in common. Above all, they inhabit the same planet. That is why they should join together in seeking solutions to the serious problems confronting us all."
"The European Union therefore attaches great value to cooperation with Brazil, also in the context of the strategic partnership. The summit soon to be held between the EU and Latin America in Lima will offer new opportunities for a productive dialogue and fruitful consultation."
"Mr President,"
"The ties between our two countries are closer than one would expect on the basis of their geographical location. We welcome your visit as an important contribution to strengthening those ties. Brazilian and Dutch researchers are studying our shared past, while Brazilian and Dutch politicians and entrepreneurs are working to build a shared future."
"May I invite all those present to raise their glasses with me and to drink to your health, Mr President, to that of Mrs Lula da Silva, to a bright future for your country and to the friendship between our two peoples."
Photos: Marcel Antonisse and Frank van Beek