Adress by Her Majesty the Queen on the occasion of the official visit of the President of Mongolia, The Hague, December 6, 1999
Mr President,
It gives my husband and me great pleasure to welcome you and Mrs Oyunbileg here today. We greet you as the highest representative of a distant, friendly nation - a nation the Netherlands hopes to have closer ties with in the future than the history of this century has allowed us. Your visit to our country, the first to be paid by a Mongolian Head of State, is a most appropriate occasion to mark the beginning of this new era.
Seldom will a host country have been able to prepare itself so well for a visit by the head of a friendly state as in your case. For this summer you had already sent us a unique collection of Mongolian art treasures which were on show in Amsterdam for four months and attracted many thousands of visitors. The name of the exhibition, "The dancing demons of Mongolia", was intriguing but did not fully do justice to the display. Visitors were rewarded with a much richer spectrum of tradition, religion, history, art and culture than the title suggested. The exhibition clearly put Mongolia on the map for many Dutch people - and for the foreign visitors who came to Amsterdam specially for this purpose. It was a worthy forerunner of your visit.
In the course of history empires have been built several times and in different parts of the world. However extensive their dominions were, few of them could compare with the empire established by the Mongols under the leadership of Genghis Khan and his descendants several centuries ago. At one time, this imperium's western border reached deep into Europe. Not only historians, but also travellers like Marco Polo have acquainted us with the great history of your country. Even in periods of isolation, Mongolia continued to inspire the imagination of many.
It cannot have been easy for a country with such an impressive past to have been compelled to live for several decades of this century in a forced association with a powerful neighbour. It is now ten years since that period came to an end and Mongolia regained its independence. In the long history of your country, one decade is but a brief chapter. Yet in that short time Mongolia has undergone a remarkable transformation. Through the rapid introduction of free elections, a free press and respect for private enterprise, it has succeeded in being admitted as a trusted and esteemed partner to the ranks of democratic states.
The change that took place ten years ago brought Mongolia a new-found freedom but also a dramatic economic recession. Despite this unfavourable start, your country has managed through radical reforms to prompt a remarkable economic recovery. This recovery, in which priority is given to combating poverty and unemployment, has also withstood the crises that have occurred since then in the countries around you. This has further strengthened the confidence of all those who support Mongolia in a bright future for your country. The Netherlands hopes to be able to continue to play a useful role in building that future.
Mr President,
Space is a wonderful asset. In this sense, your country, unlike ours, is richly blessed. The Przwalski horses that recently returned to their natural habitat in Mongolia after a long stay in the Netherlands can, I am sure, confirm this. Space offers your country immense possibilities, yet at the same time entails responsibilities for nature and the environment. It is gratifying to note that your government gives high priority to the protection of natural resources and moreover that in this area our two countries are cooperating successfully.
May I invite all those present to raise their glasses with me and to drink to your health, Mr President, to that of Mrs Oyunbileg, and to the growing cooperation in many fields between our countries and our peoples.