Toespraak minister-president Schoof bij regeringslunch ter ere van staatsbezoek president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa van Portugal aan Nederland
De toespraak is alleen beschikbaar in het Engels.
President Rebelo de Sousa,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Mr President, it is my great honour to welcome you and your delegation to the city of The Hague.
And to one of its most beautiful venues: the Mauritshuis.
As an art lover, you’re probably aware that this museum is home to some of the most famous masterpieces of Dutch art history.
There can be no doubt that Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ is the star of the show.
But one painting in particular is of special interest in the context of your state visit to our country.
And that is the ‘View of Belem Monastery near Lisbon’ by the Dutch painter Dirck Stoop.
Unfortunately it’s in need of restoration, and therefore it can’t be displayed on this special occasion.
But this beautiful painting dates back to the time that Portugal and the Netherlands first established diplomatic relations in 1664.
So it represents a bond that was forged centuries ago.
The historical ties between our countries and our peoples go back even further, to the 14th century, when we already had maritime trade relations.
And over the centuries the bond between our two seafaring nations has grown stronger and stronger.
Today, of course, Portugal and the Netherlands are also connected in many other ways.
We have people-to-people contacts in all kinds of areas, from trade and energy to culture and tourism.
Politically, our countries have been EU partners and NATO allies for decades now.
And I think we can all agree that this is more important today than ever before.
In these uncertain times, with the war in Ukraine and geopolitical shifts taking place at lightning speed, our strength lies in unity.
Within the European Union, Portugal and the Netherlands have already been successful in building bridges between Southern and Northern member states.
And the new ‘four angles initiative’, launched together with Sweden and the Czech Republic, shows that we remain committed to this goal.
My government highly values these joint efforts.
And your visit to our country shows that the feeling is mutual.
Mr President, let us raise our glasses.
To the friendship between our countries and our peoples.
To our shared past.
And to working together towards a prosperous and peaceful future.