The royal couple of the Netherlands in Athens and Lesvos – The program of the visit
The King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander and the wife of Queen Máxima will pay an official visit to our country, from Wednesday 16 to Friday 18 March, at the invitation of the President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou. On the last day of their trip to our country they will make Lesvos.
The visit of the royal couple comes to confirm the good bilateral relations between Greece and the Netherlands. For more than 40 years, the two countries have been closely linked as partners in the European Union. Their focus will be on issues such as cooperation on innovation, sustainability, migration and human rights, as well as cooperation between countries within the European Union.
Athens, Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 March
On Wednesday morning, they will lay a wreath at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma Square in Athens. Afterwards, they will be welcomed at the Presidential Palace by the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou. Immediately after, I will meet with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Palace.
The Royal Couple will then meet with the ombudsman and his Dutch counterpart at the Dutch Institute in Athens. The focus will be on issues related to the protection of migrants’ fundamental rights. In the afternoon of the same day, the King and Basel will make the Acropolis, where they will tour the Erechtheion and the Parthenon.
In the afternoon they will attend the inauguration of SDG House Greece, created with the help of SDG House Amsterdam, where local businesses and institutions can be inspired and share ideas on the application of the principles of sustainable development. Later, the President of the Republic will host a formal dinner in their honor.
On Thursday morning, the King will deliver a speech on sustainable agriculture and water use, as part of the Sustainability and Agriculture Session to be held at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC). This will be followed by a competition of innovative business ideas in the Book Tower of the SNFCC, organized by Orange Grove.
In the afternoon, the oncology clinic “Elpida” will start at the Children’s Hospital, where attention will be paid to the collaboration of the clinic with the Princess Máxima Pediatric Oncology Center. They will be guided to the clinic’s stem cell laboratory and talk to former patients about their experiences. Afterwards, they will attend the round table meeting on violence against women and the prevention of domestic violence at the “Greek World Cultural Center”. Next, King Willem-Alexander will complete a shelter for minor refugees and Queen Máxima a shelter for girls set up in 2020 with the support of the Dutch Government.
The second day of the visit ended with the performance of the Nederlands Danstheater at the Concert Hall. Representatives of the Dutch community in Greece will also attend.
Lesvos: Friday 18 March
The last day of the visit will take place on the island of Lesvos where he will focus on immigration issues. In the morning the royal couple will be completed at the Reception and Identification Center in Montenegro. They will talk to residents, employees of Dutch humanitarian organizations offering their services at KYT, childcare staff and Greek government officials.
Emphasis will also be placed on the work of the Dutch living on Lesvos. The visit to Lesvos will end at the University of the Aegean, where they will be informed about innovation issues.
They will be accompanied by Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra, Minister for Trade and Development Cooperation Liesje Schreinemacher, Minister for Immigration Eric van der Burg and Deputy Minister for Health, Welfare and Sport Maarten van Ooijen.
The visit was initially expected to take place at the end of 2021 but was postponed, after consultations with the President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.