Address by Her Majesty the Queen on the occasion of the state visit to Chili, 19 March 2003
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Mr President,
This State visit - to which I have been greatly looking forward - is overshadowed by the serious events now taking place elsewhere in the world. However, in spite of the international situation, we decided to proceed with the State visit to your country. Although our attention will be focused on our bilateral relations, these days our thoughts will often go to the events in the Middle East. I know that we share our worries, but we also feel the importance of mutual understanding very strongly.
It gives me great pleasure to be able to visit your country and, to be your guest here tonight with my son and daughter-in-law. A hundred and seventy-six years ago diplomatic relations were established between our two countries. That is not, in itself, a remarkable number. But if we had come to Chile one year earlier, as initially planned, we could have celebrated the hundred and seventy-fifth anniversary of our relations here today. However, we trust you will understand that we gave priority to the wedding of Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima.
In geographical terms, a great distance separates our two countries, but in the past hundred and seventy-six years our relations have not suffered because of this. Indeed our ties go back even further. As early as the end of the sixteenth century Dutch ships appeared off your coast. The fact that they did not shrink from making the grim and dangerous journey with all its storms, and sailed on to Chile, "the land where the earth ends", demonstrates to what pains they were prepared to go, in order to explore this region. Their motives were both political and economic in nature. On the one hand, the aim was to undermine the power of Spain, with which we were at war. On the other hand, the Dutch were seeking new products for their ever-growing trade activities. Dutch cartographers mapped much of your country; their maps and atlases were of great significance for knowledge of this part of the world.
Two centuries later, your country also came into conflict with Spain and consequently gained independence. The Netherlands sought contact very rapidly with the new nation and sent a ship to these waters. Once again, our motives were primarily commercial. It was no coincidence that the king who dispatched the ship was nicknamed the "merchant king". Those first Dutch visitors were much impressed by this country, praised the orderliness, thrift and domesticity of the Chileans and they even thought this reflected some of their own qualities. It is not so surprising, therefore, that Dutch people, albeit on a modest scale, emigrated to this country where they hoped to find good prospects for themselves and their children. The flow of migrants strengthened our ties. This was clearly expressed in nineteen fifty-three (exactly fifty years ago) after the terrible floods that hit our country so hard. In response the Chilean Government made the generous gesture of inviting a thousand Dutch farming families to come and settle here.
That we in our turn were later able to take in a considerable number of Chileans was the result of problems of a totally different nature that arose in your country thirty years ago. The Dutch people followed the events in Chile very closely and felt deeply involved. Church organisations played an important role in assisting Chileans who had fled their country. Many of those who came to the Netherlands have since returned. Yet others remained and have enriched our country with their talents and their dedication.
The world witnessed with admiration how, after the difficult and often tragic events of the seventies, the transition to new relationships in your country was accomplished in a peaceful manner. Of course, not all the wounds have healed. Feelings of pain and lasting sorrow certainly still exist, but your resolute common quest for new structures and restored relationships is a remarkable achievement. Democracy has triumphed and has resumed its rightful place. Chile is nowadays known for its respect for human rights and civil liberties and, as a result, is held in high regard all over the world. Chile's place in the international community, into which it is again fully integrated, is of increasing prestige.
Favourable economic developments have been of great significance in all this. As an associate member of MERCOSUR and a party to other free-trade agreements, Chile has become one of the most open economies of South America. The economic integration process that is taking place in this part of the world is being followed with great interest in our country. The recent Association Agreement between the European Union and Chile is a good example of close cooperation. Growing prosperity has also contributed to a notable reduction in poverty in your country. This is a very impressive achievement on the part of the Chilean Government.
Numerous contacts exist between our two countries. We work closely together in various areas within international organisations, particularly the United Nations. We share the same values, such as regard for the international rule of law, respect for human rights, and concern for the environment. The seat on the Security Council which you have occupied since the beginning of this year is of great importance in this connection.
Mr President,
Your country is famous for its impressive landscape and its economic, social and political accomplishments. Chilean products are very popular in the Netherlands and elsewhere. Your wine is well-known and much appreciated. Chilean fertiliser is even known in our country as Chilean saltpetre.
Major cultural successes on the part of your compatriots attract international attention. Your great poets, Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral, who both won the Nobel Prize for Literature enjoy worldwide renown. Various other Chilean authors have been translated into Dutch and are widely read and highly esteemed. These are but a few examples of the achievements of your people and the riches of your country, whose acquaintance we are now privileged to make in person.
May I invite all those present to raise their glasses and drink with me to your health, Mr President, and that of Mrs Durán de Lagos, and to a bright future for the Chilean people.