Speech by King Willem-Alexander at a dinner on the occasion of the official visit of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, the Royal Palace Amsterdam
4 April 2014
Speech by His Majesty the King at a dinner on the occasion of the official visit of HM King Carl Gustaf and HM Queen Silvia of Sweden, 4 April 2014
Your Majesties, ladies and gentlemen,
Welcome to the Netherlands! My wife and I are delighted to receive you here in the Royal Palace Amsterdam.
Your Majesty, you have reigned over your vast and beautiful country, for over forty years. As a King whose reign is only just beginning, I have great respect for your impressive record of service.
The diplomatic ties between our two countries go back 400 years. You have been on the throne for no less than one tenth of that time! Yet you are, in every respect, young at heart and vital in spirit.
You have contributed in a very personal way to the friendship between our countries. A friendship that my wife and I have experienced at first hand, and that we cherish. Our bond with you both and with your family is a close one.
Friendship between countries can never be taken for granted. Like anything of value, it needs constant maintenance. Celebrating four centuries of diplomatic ties is an excellent opportunity to see more of one another and to deepen our partnership. In this way we cement our friendship,both now and in the future.
Anyone who looks back to the start of our diplomatic ties - and as a historian I can't help doing so - will find an element of enlightened self-interest on both sides. You could say that we helped to make each other's Golden Age possible. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Dutch Republic badly needed raw materials like copper and iron. You had them. The Kingdom of Sweden needed financial backing. We could provide that. In this way we found - and helped - one another.
The port of Göteborg - partly built by the Dutch - is living proof of this. A Swedish Amsterdam, with canals and waterways, raised from the swamps.
Our alliance helped Sweden and the Dutch Republic flourish as never before, to the benefit of many of our compatriots. The fact that we became rivals later in the seventeenth century doesn't change that.
Our relationship has seen storms and calm weather. Nowadays we are like-minded European partners who aspire to be front runners.
We in the Netherlands greatly admire Sweden's achievements. Whatever global rankings you look at, Sweden is almost always high up in the top ten. Whether it's competitiveness or innovation. International solidarity or transparency. Health or happiness. Yes, Sweden also has an excellent score on the World Happiness Index!
We count ourselves lucky to have a partner like Sweden, which inspires us in so many areas. And we're proud that you also look to the Netherlands for inspiration.
We know that we face many of the same challenges. Youth unemployment is a pressing problem. The integration of newcomers is often difficult. Many Swedish and Dutch citizens don't feel 'at home' in the European Union, and believe that their voices are not being heard. All these issues require our full attention.
The same applies to strengthening the international rule of law. Both our countries are firmly committed to this goal.
We know that this requires sacrifices. As Dag Hammarskjöld said, 'It is when we all play safe that we create a world of utmost insecurity.' These words encourage us to keep up our efforts to promote peace and justice.
Sweden and the Netherlands raise each other up. We're a perfect match! What could be finer in a friendship?
…Things could perhaps get a bit tense, now that both our countries are in the running for a temporary seat on the UN Security Council. But one thing's for sure: whatever the outcome, it won't affect our friendship at all.
On the eve of the four hundredth anniversary of that friendship, we have been treated to a special gesture by Sweden. Rembrandt's famous painting -The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis- has temporarily returned to Amsterdam and is on show in the Rijksmuseum. In the past 250 years the painting has only been exhibited twice outside Sweden, in 1925 and 1969. On both occasions in this city.
Here - in the building for which the painting was commissioned - a projection shows where it originally hung.
And so Stockholm and Amsterdam today also meet at the highest artistic level.
Your Majesties, tomorrow it is exactly 400 years ago that Sweden and the Netherlands concluded a treaty of partnership. The Hague became home to the first Swedish embassy in the world.
We are particularly proud of this fact and we hope that our close ties will endure for many years to come.
Ladies and gentlemen, may I ask you to raise your glass with me.
Your Majesties - to your very good health.
To the happiness of the Swedish people.
And to four centuries of friendship between our Kingdoms - friendship now and in the future!
Thank you.