Toespraak ter kennismaking met het Corps Diplomatique
Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you all for being here. I am delighted to have the opportunity to introduce myself to you tonight, so that at least you know who I am – it will be a while before I get to know all of you in person. Please give me some time: we will most definitely see much more of one another in the months to come.
Over the past decade, I have been politically active, as a Senator for the VVD, the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy. I am a convinced liberal and, in terms of the traditional distinction between moralists and realists in international relations, I would define myself as more on the side of the realists. That is the angle from which I will approach Dutch foreign policy.
Your Excellencies,
We are also here to say goodbye to my predecessor, Maxime Verhagen. I don’t say ‘farewell’, because Maxime has certainly not disappeared from the political stage! He is our new Minister for Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, as well as Deputy Prime Minister. So you will still see him quite often.
Maxime, I would like to express my deep appreciation for the way you have shaped Dutch foreign policy. You have always called for the Netherlands to contribute actively to the world around us, arguing that we depend on our international environment for our prosperity and security. I fully agree: to defend Dutch interests in the world, we need to play a global role. That is why this government will continue to be a reliable partner. The Netherlands will continue to bear its share of international responsibilities. In the European Union, in NATO, and at the United Nations.
Having said that, we will have to be more selective, focusing on what is most important to our country and on what we do best. Dutch foreign policy will be framed more in terms of our national interest, making sure that our efforts overseas contribute to our economic strength and our security.
The Dutch people are working hard to overcome the effects of the financial and economic crisis. This government intends to facilitate entrepreneurship and innovation. We do not want to pass the bill for this crisis on to the next generation. We have agreed on severe budget cuts, one-third of which will have to come from the public sector itself.
Including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are taking a close look at our diplomatic missions abroad. Budget cuts are only one part of the story; we will also be looking at a reallocation of resources. We should be well aware of what diplomacy really means in the context of – literally – a worldwide web, in which we are confronted with new geopolitical realities.
We will consider how we can adapt our diplomacy so that it continues to meet the requirements of the 21st century. This means a new orientation towards dynamic diplomacy, public diplomacy, and, last but not least, parliamentary diplomacy. In this respect, the crisis should also be seen as a genuine opportunity. Of course, we will keep you posted on these developments.
Your Excellencies,
I am well aware that some of our partners abroad have expressed concern about this new government, which has a minority in Parliament but is supported on certain issues by Mr Wilders’ Freedom Party. There is no reason for such concern.
The issues on which the PVV and the coalition government have reached agreement are clear: budget cuts, care for the elderly, immigration and asylum policies. But it is also clear where we have agreed to disagree. The Dutch government does not share the PVV’s views on Islam. The parties of the coalition, the VVD and CDA, consider Islam to be a religion, whereas the PVV sees it as mainly a political ideology. So this is where the question of agreeing to disagree arises. Let me assure you once more – although the statement is really superfluous – that the Netherlands is a parliamentary democracy that is solidly based on the rule of law. This is not about to change. The Dutch government will not breach the international legal order that we so proudly promote abroad. Pacta sunt servanda. But where international obligations stand in the way of securing our national interest, we will seek adjustments.
The Hague is nicknamed the legal capital of the world. Many representatives of legal and other international organisations are here tonight. This fills us with pride. The Dutch government will continue to do its best to be a helpful and reliable host to all the international organisations that are based in our country.
Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
In his book The Post-American World, Fareed Zakaria writes that ‘foreign policy is a matter of costs and benefits, not theology’. I couldn’t agree more with this up-to-date version of realism in our international relations. I do not favour one country over another because of its geographical position or its cultural background. I do not value one colleague more than another because of where they come from. The value I place on countries and colleagues is based on how well we can work together, on the basis of mutual respect and shared interests. In that sense, I look forward to constructive cooperation with you all.
Thank you.