Ambassador Popolo,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
First of all: congratulations on the 250th birthday of the United States.
With their Declaration of Independence, the American people transformed a dream of freedom into a way of life that has inspired countries around the globe.
It was a defining moment, which changed the course of history.
So this truly is a historic year for all Americans, and indeed for the world as a whole.
And we in the Netherlands are proud and grateful that we have been a friend and partner to the United States ever since the First Salute sounded from the Dutch island of St Eustatius on the 16th of November 1776.
A date we hope to celebrate later this year – together.
Ever since then, the stories of our countries have been intertwined.
There’s a line that runs directly from the First Salute to the Leiden University graduate and first US ambassador, John Quincy Adams, to the foundation of Holland, Michigan, and to the American War Cemetery in Margraten, the Netherlands Carillion at Arlington, and last year’s NATO summit in The Hague.
The transatlantic relationship is, and always has been, very close to our heart.
It’s important to us.
And over the past few weeks, Dutch soccer fans and their American hosts have been busy forging new bonds.
Mr Ambassador, I understand that you yourself saw some 20,000 of our ‘Oranje’ fans moving left to right on the streets of Dallas.
That must have been quite a sight.
And thousands of Texans also dressed up in orange to watch the game in the stadium.
An equally beautiful sight! As you know, we Dutch people think orange is the greatest.
And despite the crushing disappointment of our World Cup exit, that’s not going to change anytime soon.
As we reflect on the strong ties between the US and the Netherlands, we could easily go back much further in history.
Back to the earliest days of New York, and all the way to the Pilgrim Fathers.
But one thing characterises our relationship above all else: we are both forward-looking nations.
We both know from experience that our shared past is a strong foundation on which to build a better future.
And now, together, we are working to bolster our safety and security: by future-proofing NATO, and by making sure that Europe does its part when it comes to military spending and defence capabilities.
Together, we are supporting Ukraine in defending itself against Russian aggression, because this war is also about our own freedom and security.
And together we continue working to build strong economies on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Netherlands is the biggest EU investor in the US. And the economic ties between our countries support more than a million jobs in the US.
That too is something we should build on.
Of course, even longstanding friends and allies don’t always agree on everything.
And that’s not something we need to shy away from.
After all, when we disagree, we know that the best way forward is to sit down and discuss our differences.
As we’ve been doing for 250 years now. Because we both know there’s far more that unites us than divides us.
So, Ambassador Popolo, I’d like to propose a toast: To the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.
To the friendship between our peoples.
And to the next 250 years of our partnership.
Thank you.