Speeches & Editorials
225 YEARS OF DUTCH AMERICAN FRIENDSHIP
April 19, 2007
By Ambassador Roland Arnall
Op-ed in "De Volkskrant", April 21, 2007
On April 19, 1782, John Adams, one of America's founding fathers and later our second president, was invited by the government of the Netherlands to present his credentials as ambassador, and by doing so the Netherlands extended official recognition to the United States of America. Two hundred and twenty-five years – and 60 American ambassadors – later, our friendship remains a winning combination. The diplomatic ties between the United States and the Netherlands are the longest continuous ties between the United States and any other country in the world.
Without each other, the United States and the Netherlands would be different countries today. The first honorary salute of a U.S. vessel by the Dutch fortress on St. Eustatius in 1776 gave the United States the initial confidence to succeed as a nation. Dutch farmers and merchants not only settled Manhattan, but founded Brooklyn, Yonkers and Staten Island – all portions today of New York. Dutch immigrants lived and thrived in America – as Americans – and made an indelible mark upon the American Dream. Our friendship continues today, as strong as ever. Americans will not forget how the people of the Netherlands rushed to our side following the destruction of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Likewise, the United States has stood by the Netherlands in times of need. American soldiers fought and died beside Dutch resistance fighters to liberate the Netherlands from Nazi tyranny. The moving commemoration at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten – attended by thousands of Dutch citizens every year – reminds us all of these brave soldiers’ sacrifice. Following World War II, the United States helped the Netherlands and Europe rebuild through the Marshall Plan.
There is always concern, however, that old friends and close allies can take the transatlantic relationship – and one another – for granted. It is therefore appropriate that we pause from time to time to rededicate ourselves to the shared beliefs that define us and unite us as we face the future together.
Today, the Netherlands and the United States are two of the strongest advocates of the transatlantic relationship. We share a commitment to NATO – a defensive alliance but also a community of common values. We face formidable challenges together in Afghanistan through our mutual deployments under NATO’s International Security Assistance Force.
It is not necessary that we always agree, but rather that we are able to discuss our differences and resolve them in a spirit of mutual respect. Criticism by close friends is healthy and constructive. This week, as we recall the relations established by Ambassador John Adams over two centuries ago, we also look forward to many more centuries of friendship and cooperation, informed by the core values of intellectual and democratic freedom that both our nations cherish so dearly.