Speech by President Tony Tan Keng Yam at State Banquet hosted in honour of Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands

Your Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

Your Royal Highness the Prince of Orange

Your Royal Highness Princess Maxima of the Netherlands

Excellencies

DIstinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

        Good evening. It gives me great pleasure to welcome Your Majesty and your distinguished delegation to Singapore. It is my privilege and honour to host Your Majesty on the first State Visit from the Netherlands.

        Singapore and the Netherlands share a special and longstanding friendship that goes back to the 19^th century, when intrepid Dutch traders first arrived at our shores. Their business activities helped to build up Singapore’s reputation as a trading post, laying the foundation for Singapore’s economic development.  When Singapore achieved independence in 1965, the Netherlands was one of the first countries that recognised our independence and established diplomatic relations with us. We owe a huge debt to Dr Albert Winsemius, a Dutch economist who served as Singapore’s Chief Economic Advisor from 1961 to 1984 and set Singapore on its path of economic prosperity. Indeed, the Netherlands is not only one of Singapore’s first friends, but also one of our most steadfast friends.  

        Today, this friendship continues to endure and flourish, underpinned by our shared interests as small, outward-oriented and forward-looking countries. Our bilateral cooperation has steadily expanded and now span a wide range of fields, including politics, trade and investment, defence, water management, arts and culture, education, and research and development.  We also enjoy excellent cooperation in the international arena, where we share similar interests and perspectives on many global issues. Indeed, the scale of our bilateral cooperation belies the distance that separates us and the relatively small sizes of our two countries.

        Our close friendship can be seen in the frequent contacts and exchanges at the leaders’ level. Most recently, Singapore’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan visited The Hague and Rotterdam in April last year to learn more about the Netherland’s approaches to flood control and climate resilience. Your Royal Highness the Prince of Orange, is a good friend and regular visitor to Singapore, having visited Singapore twice in 2010: once for the Singapore International Water Week, and again for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games. I am confident that Your Majesty’s State Visit will once again provide a new boost to our robust bilateral ties.

        As outward-looking and pro-trade countries, it is no surprise that economics form the key pillar of our partnership. The Netherlands is Singapore’s third largest European trading partner and second largest foreign investor. Over 1000 Dutch companies have established operations in Singapore, including leading Dutch firms such as Philips, ASM Technology and the Royal Dutch Shell group. Likewise, many Singaporean companies have set up operations in the Netherlands, including Accord Express Holdings, Keppel Offshore & Marine, Trek Technology and Haw Par. 

        Singapore companies are not only interested in the potential of Dutch markets, but also keen to learn from the enterprising and pioneering spirit of Dutch companies that have made many of them world leaders in their respective fields. In this regard, I am delighted that Your Majesty has brought along a distinguished business delegation. I trust that the CEO Roundtable and the SME event this afternoon have provided excellent opportunities for our business people to network, exchange ideas and explore new areas of collaboration. 

        I am also pleased that Singapore and the EU have concluded substantive negotiations on the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA) last month. This is a significant milestone in Singapore-EU relations. I am confident that the EUSFTA will further deepen our economic linkages and bring about greater flows of trade and investment between Singapore, the EU and the Netherlands once it enters into force.

        In recent years, our two countries have also made significant strides in water management and environmental cooperation, to address common challenges that face our two countries. For example, the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources collaborated with Dutch company Deltares to develop water quality models and operational tools to manage the Marina Reservoir. Two Dutch scientists, Professors Mark van Loosdrecht and Gatze Lettinga, were awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize in 2012 and 2009 respectively for their breakthrough contributions in used water treatment. In my previous capacity as Chairman of the National Research Foundation, I had also personally led a study visit to the Netherlands on environmentally sustainable practices back in 2007.

        Singapore’s water agency PUB, the National University of Singapore and Deltares also came together in 2010 to establish the Aquatic Science Centre, a collaborative water research initiative. I am pleased that this centre will soon be renamed the Van Kleef Centre after Mr Karl Willem Benjamin Van Kleef, a Dutchman who settled in Singapore in the late 19^th and 20^th century. He bequeathed the net proceeds from his entire estate to Singapore, and his generosity funded the construction of the Van Kleef Aquarium in 1955, which became Singapore’s first aquarium. Many of my friends and I fondly remember the aquarium, which used to be an iconic haunt for many young students and families. The Van Kleef Centre will be a fitting tribute to his legacy and love for Singapore, and an enduring symbol of the friendship between our two nations.

        Our partnership in the field of arts and culture has similarly blossomed. For example, Singapore was honoured that the Netherlands Dance Theatre made Singapore its only Asian stop in July 2011. The Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) also collaborated with the National Museum of Ethnology (NME) in Leiden, on the Sumatra: Isle of Gold exhibition in 2010. Over 300 artefacts from the collections of the NME, the ACM and the National Museum of Indonesia, as well as from private donors, were displayed. I am confident that these collaborations will facilitate greater understanding of the cultural heritage between our two countries, and bring our two peoples closer together.  

        Indeed, it is perhaps in our people-to-people ties where we can find the strongest bonds between our two countries. When the Dutch traders arrived in Singapore in the 19^th century, they not only shaped Singapore’s economic development but also left behind important legacies that remain evident till today. For example, the Malay language spoken in Singapore continues to be heavily influenced by the Dutch language, having loaned many words such as “buku” (book), “lampu” (lamp), “nanas” (pineapple), and “rokok” (cigarette). Singapore and the Netherlands are also linked via the international language of football. Singapore's favourite football son Fandi Ahmad, described by the Dutch media as "the man with the Johan Cruyff touch", was the first Asian ever to play in the Dutch Eredivise with FC Groningen in 1983. I understand that Fandi scored 10 goals in his debut season and was voted the most popular and skilful player by the Groningen fans.

Your Majesty

Your Royal Highnesses

Excellencies

Ladies and Gentlemen

        The close friendship between our two countries is founded on our shared history, common interests, and rich cultural exchanges. I am confident that Your Majesty’s visit to Singapore will provide new momentum to our robust bilateral cooperation, strengthen the deep bond of friendship between our two countries, and bring our two peoples even closer together. 

        May I now invite you to rise and join me in a toast to:

·                The continued good health and success of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix, His Royal Highness Willem-Alexander, the Prince of Orange and Her Royal Highness Princess Maxima; and

·                The enduring and close friendship between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Singapore