Governor Greg Abbott today hosted a visit with Her Majesty Queen M?xima of the Netherlands, Dutch government officials, and business leaders at the Governor’s Mansion in Austin to discuss the State of Texas’ strong economic partnership with the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
After greeting Her Majesty on the front porch of the Governor’s Mansion, the Governor and First Lady Cecilia Abbott welcomed Queen M?xima inside for private discussion, where they were joined by Texas Secretary of State John B. Scott, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands H.E. Liesje Schreinemacher, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United States Andr? Haspels, and Executive Director of the Governor’s Economic Development and Tourism Office Adriana Cruz. During the discussion, the Governor and Her Majesty exchanged gifts from their nations, including two pairs of Texas cowboy boots, a porcelain State of Texas bowl, a signed framed photograph of Their Majesties, an appliqu? delft, and a Holland vase.
Following the meeting with Her Majesty and Dutch government officials, the Governor and the Queen invited members of the Dutch business delegation and business leaders to join them for a discussion on topics important to their two economies, including energy, semiconductors, technology, health sciences, international trade, and more.
Business executives joining the Governor and Queen M?xima included President and CEO of Port of Rotterdam Allard Castelein, NXP Netherlands Co-CEO Maurice Garaets, Arcadis CEO and Executive Board Chairman Peter Oosterveer, Philips North America Chief Market Leader Vitor Rocha, KLM Managing Director and CFO Erik R. Swelheim, and VNO-NCW President Ingrid Thijssen.
Before the Dutch delegation departed, Governor Abbott and Queen M?xima viewed the Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation between the Republic of Texas and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, entered in 1840, from the Texas State Archives.
“The First Lady and I were honored to host Queen M?xima of the Netherlands and other Dutch government and business officials at the Governor’s Mansion today to discuss the longstanding relationship between the State of Texas and the Netherlands,” said Governor Abbott. “The strong, historic economic ties between Texans and the Dutch have created hundreds of thousands jobs for families across Texas since the first trade treaty was signed between our state and the Netherlands in the early 1800s. Today, the Netherlands and Texas continue to share many economic interests, from our booming energy sector, a growing biomedical industry, an increased investment in semiconductor manufacturing, and more. The special relationship between the State of Texas and the Netherlands has played a major role in making the modern Texas economic juggernaut, and I thank Queen M?xima and each economic and government leader for joining the First Lady and me today to discuss ways we can continue fostering greater economic opportunities for both the people of Texas and the Netherlands.”