Abu Dhabi
A new premises of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Abu Dhabi was officially inaugurated on Tuesday evening, marking the growing relationship between the Netherlands and the UAE.
Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development and Martin van Rijn, Minister for Health, Welfare and Sport of the Netherlands, jointly inaugurated the premises in the presence of senior Emirati and Dutch officials and other dignitaries.
The ministers unveiled a calligraphy artwork done by an Abu Dhabi-based artist, which showcased merged skylines of the Netherlands and Abu Dhabi, representing the Dutch-Emirati friendship.
The UAE is one of the Netherlands’ main export partners in the Middle East, and the Netherlands and the UAE cooperate on counterterrorism in the region. The Netherlands considers the UAE as trend-setting country, which is an important ally in economics, politics and security, according to the Dutch officials.
Martin van Rijn said: “It is very impressive to see how the UAE has evolved over the past 56 years, and it is exciting to see for myself the results of the UAE’s ambitions. Our countries are important partners. Our bilateral trade amounts to almost 4 billion euros (almost Dh16 billion). The UAE is the largest export partner of the Netherlands in the GCC, and after Turkey, even the largest export partner in the whole Mena region,” van Rijn said.
Frank Mollen, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UAE, said: “This year we celebrate 45 years of formal bilateral relations between the Netherlands and the UAE. In those 45 years, the relations between the UAE and the Netherlands have become strong and successful. As a result, we have also outgrown our previous embassy,” the envoy said. The new premises of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands have been set up as a showcase for Dutch design, with art and design from renowned, as well as upcoming Dutch designers.
The interior includes objects by celebrated artists such as Marcel Wanders, Erwin Olaf and Gijs Bakker. Themes that are prevalent in the art works are connected to topics that are important to both the Netherlands and the UAE. The Embassy’s interior design plays with how the Netherlands are perceived by other cultures, and how the Dutch contribute to preserving and strengthening their natural environment. The interior Design also showcases the Dutch way of working — a ‘new world’ which aims to encourage teamwork through large, open spaces and as much flexibility as possible for each individual employee.
Minister Van Rijn is on a 5-day visit to Abu Dhabi and Dubai until Friday together with 30 Dutch companies from the Dutch life sciences and health sectors.
