Queen Beatrix Toasts the President of Brazil

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

Queen Beatrix Welcomes the President of Mozambique

The President of Mozambique, Armando Emílio Guebuza, visited the Netherlands from February 27th to February 29th. The gala dinner was held at Noordeinde Palace on Wednesday.

Below is the entire text of Queen Beatrix’s speech at the gala dinner in honor of the President of Mozambique on February 27th.

"Mr President,"

"It gives me great pleasure to welcome you and Mrs Guebuza on the occasion of your official visit to our country."

"You are the third President of Mozambique to visit the Netherlands. And our country is anything but unknown territory to you, since in both nineteen eighty-three and nineteen eighty-nine, you accompanied your predecessors, first as Minister of the Interior, and later as Minister for Transport and Communication. I also recall the visit you paid to the Netherlands in two thousand and four, when you were a presidential candidate. In brief, Mr President, you are no stranger to our country – and therefore all the more welcome."

"Despite the fact that your country has existed as an independent state for only a few decades, it has had a turbulent history. The long civil war that afflicted Mozambique seriously impeded rapid development. Only after nineteen ninety-two could reconstruction begin."

"Nature too has sometimes proved to be hostile. In 2000, my son, Prince Alexander, saw the appalling consequences of the devastating floods that had overwhelmed your country. And less than two months ago, floods once again took the lives of a number of people and made many more homeless. This time, fortunately, the measures taken by your country to cope with the violent forces of nature proved capable of limiting the impact of this disaster."

"Despite these setbacks, a clear process of economic development can be observed in your country. To a large extent, this is based on Mozambique's own potential, and on the raw materials and energy resources that it possesses. Increased agricultural productivity – your ‘Green Revolution’ – plays an important part in this respect. Furthermore, development is supported by countries that have Mozambique’s future at heart. Cooperation with these countries focuses primarily on poverty reduction and structural development, whereby improving education, health care, and access to clean drinking water and good sanitation are the main priorities. The choice of Mozambique as one of the countries where the United Nations intends to implement its new efficiency plan, entitled Delivering as One, will further support the achievement of the Millennium Goals in your country."

"In addition, we see how your Government endeavours to improve governance and strengthen democratic structures. An important factor here is the multi-party system, now a feature of your country, of which you yourself have always been the most prominent advocate. Our country is proud to be able to play a role in this process of democratic development, decentralisation and support for political parties and civil society – and will be happy to continue to do so."

"Mr President,"

"As you know, the history of our interest in Mozambique is a long one. Our trade relations date from the early eighteenth century, and flourished in the nineteenth. In the twentieth century, solidarity movements sprung up here that sympathised with Mozambique's struggle for independence, and with the long battle your country fought as a front-line state against apartheid. All this has led to close cooperation between our two countries in a variety of fields. I have only mentioned a few. The successes that have been achieved are gratifying and hold a clear promise for the future."

"I’d like to invite all those present to raise their glasses with me and drink to your health, Mr President, to that of Mrs Guebuza, and to a bright future for the people of Mozambique."

Photo: ANP

Prince Willem-Alexander Awards the Erasmus Prize

This year, the Erasmus Prize was awarded to Hungarian filmmaker Péter Forgács for his contributions to European history. In a speech at Noordeinde Palace, the Prince of Orange congratulated him for his innovative documentaries and said, “you have created a remarkable oeuvre. We see European history revitalised and shaped by your artistic imagination and skill. Your work brings events to life that are easily forgotten, placing private lives in the context of the storms of twentieth-century history.”

The Erasmus Prize is awarded by the Praemium Erasmianum Foundation “to a person or institution which has made an exceptionally important contribution to culture in Europe.”

The Prince of Orange’s entire speech from the Erasmus Prize event can be read here.

Photo: ANP