Toespraak Rutte bij het Holland Trade Dinner in Moskou

Toespraak | 19-10-2011

Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

In Holland we have a saying that goes, 'You are never too old to learn'. And it’s true. While preparing for this trip, I learnt that Russian shipping is full of words that come from Dutch. Take words like 'ankor', 'mast', 'botsman' and 'sjkipper'. That makes us quite proud. But more important, it shows that, ever since the time of Peter the Great, Russia and Holland have been linked by trade and shared knowledge.

This visit to Russia by me and my colleague Melanie Schultz, Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment, is part of that long tradition. It’s an honour to be in Russia and to join with Ambassador Ron Keller in welcoming so many guests this evening. A special welcome to you, Minister Nabiullina and Minister Levitin, and to you, Ambassador Kolodkin. Your presence at this trade dinner shows that you – like us – greatly value good Russian-Dutch relations. Thank you for coming.

Having said this, I think we all agree that this evening is not about government officials but about boosting partnerships between Russian and Dutch businesses. Melanie Schultz and I came here with representatives of 70 businesses and the CEOs of a number of world-class companies. Together they represent the best of what the Dutch economy has to offer. They are all entrepreneurs who see opportunities in Russia and who want to invest in even better trade relations. So I am delighted also to welcome the crème de la crème of the Russian business community this evening. I’m sure that this meeting will lead to great things.

For the Netherlands, Russia is a priority country because of its enormous potential. We see Russia as a growth market of over 140 million consumers and we warmly welcome the ambitious economic reforms undertaken by the Russian leaders. I hope to discuss this with President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin tomorrow.

As one of the leading investors and exporters worldwide and as the 7th most competitive country in the world, the Netherlands has what it takes to be an important partner in this process. Take our state-of-the-art logistics sector – perhaps the strongest in the world. Take our expertise in agriculture, where we are the world’s second-largest exporter. Take our strong life sciences sector. And, finally, take our innovative energy sector, with its specialist offshore know-how in the most extreme conditions. All these and many other sectors are represented here this evening.

As Russia’s largest investor, the Netherlands is open to more Russian investment in our country. Because we believe in open markets and cross-border partnership. We can offer Russian businesses a state-of-the-art, modern and outward-looking economy with, for example, the highest percentage of broadband connections in the world. But we also offer a spirit of enterprise based on centuries of experience and a tradition of reliability. Because in international commerce, reliability is key. So in the Netherlands a deal is a deal, and we do what we promise.

I’m glad to say that, after a sharp dip in recent years, trade between Russia and the Netherlands is recovering well. In fact, it will soon reach pre-crisis levels. Holland is the number one destination for Russian products, with exports reaching 14 billion euros in 2010. In that same year, Dutch exports to Russia were around 6 billion euros. These are impressive figures that should encourage us to do even better in the future. We have come here believing that even greater success is within reach, for both Dutch and Russian businesses. So let us seize the opportunities before us – opportunities from which both our countries will benefit.

Which brings me back to the aim of this dinner. I wish you an enjoyable meal and a highly productive evening that, hopefully, will lead to many new successful business ventures. And to underline this, I would like to propose a toast: to the friendship and partnership between Russia and the Netherlands.

Na zdaróvje.