Today I am pleased to welcome Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands to Canberra on their first official visit to Australia since taking the throne.
Their visit, marking the 400th anniversary of the landing of Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog in Western Australia, is a significant milestone in our countries’ shared history.
Their Majesties have already spent time in Perth, and will travel to Sydney and Brisbane. They will be joined by Dutch Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Economic Affairs, and a commercial delegation of around 90 companies.
Today our respective Foreign Ministers will be signing a Declaration of Intent on a Strategic Dialogue between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Netherlands to reflect contemporary issues in the relationship and the breadth of our cooperation.
The Netherlands is one of Australia’s closest European partners, and the relationship has deepened following the MH17 tragedy. We share fundamental values and common interests in promoting international peace and security, sustainable economic growth and shared prosperity.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the Netherlands for its continuing leadership of the response to the MH17 tragedy and reaffirm our strong commitment to pursuing justice for all the victims and their families.