Adress by Her Majesty the Queen on the occasion of the official visit of the President of Brazil, The Hague, October 9, 2000
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Mr President,
It gives my husband and me great pleasure to greet you and Mrs Cardoso here this evening and to welcome you to our country. It is remarkable that this is the first official visit by a President of Brazil to the Netherlands, although our countries have maintained relations for many centuries. You yourself visited this country several times in an earlier phase of your career. Furthermore, our son visited Brazil twice in nineteen ninety-eight. Like so many others, he was impressed by the beauty of your country and by the overwhelming hospitality, the calor humano, of your people.
Our shared history began in sixteen twenty-four, when a Dutch expedition in the service of the West India Company captured Bahia. They were not the first Europeans to set foot in Brazil; the Spanish, Portuguese and French had arrived before them. That happened around fifteen hundred; ties between Brazil and Europe have therefore existed for more than half a millennium.
The Netherlands played a significant role for only a short time in this five-hundred year history. In the first half of the seventeenth century part of north-east Brazil was occupied by the Dutch and renamed New Holland. This episode lasted for less than twenty-five years, but occupies a special place in our historical accounts. In your country, this period is regarded as an important phase in the birth of the Brazilian nation, in particular because of the governorship of Count Johan Maurits of Nassau-Siegen. He founded not only the first zoo on American soil, but also - perhaps even more important - the first parliament. The paintings made by Eeckhout and Post still evoke a picture of the Brazil of that time for millions of museum visitors throughout the world. The sumptuous folios by Barlaeus and others, which Johan Maurits had printed on his return to the Netherlands, served for a long time as the standard works on Brazil.
Ever since the arrival of the first Europeans, wave upon wave of newcomers have joined the indigenous inhabitants. Some came against their will, like the many Africans who were shipped to the New World as slaves. The Netherlands too - it cannot be denied - was responsible for a significant share of that evil trade. However, most immigrants, including many from the Netherlands, came of their own free will. They were attracted by the ample opportunities offered by that rich and virtually limitless land. Their arrival - from Asia, Europe and Africa - helped to make Brazil into a uniquely diverse society, a society which is open and tolerant and in which differences are accepted as a matter of course. This laid the foundations for a democratic system, which obviously demands tolerance, mutual respect and a sense of community. In his farewell speech in Recife in sixteen forty-three, Johan Maurits of Nassau said: "Do not think that the citadel of government consists of walls and ramparts: it lies in men's inmost hearts. Moreover, the true greatness of states cannot be measured by vast plains, landed estates and power, but by the loyalty, goodwill and respect of their inhabitants."
Your personal contribution to the strengthening of democracy, which was doubtless also shaped by your own experiences, is well known and compels widespread respect. Democratic institutions and the principles of the rule of law are gaining prominence in your country. Interesting experiments are being undertaken in the field of local and regional democracy. All this merits our admiration, particularly in view of the major economic problems and considerable social tensions of recent years. We are pleased that economic recovery is proceeding more rapidly and is stronger than many had expected. We realise, however, that this adjustment process involves serious social problems and imposes a heavy burden on many. The great progress that can be seen in the areas of health and education is therefore all the more reason for satisfaction.
Mr President,
A country like yours occupies a central position in the continent to which it belongs, if only because of the extent of its territory and the size of its population. Nothing that happens in South America can be a matter of indifference to you and nothing that you do is without significance or consequences for the other countries in the region. You realise - and you accept - the responsibility that stems from this position. The many initiatives launched by Brazil, in the present and in the past, aimed at consultation and greater regional cooperation, clearly mark the leading role that your country plays in South America.
We in the Netherlands are of course further away than your neighbours, but we too follow developments in your country with intense interest and sympathy. Furthermore, the chair of Brazilian studies at the University of Leiden guarantees that the scientific knowledge of your country receives a great deal of attention. We feel deeply involved in the important environmental efforts that you, as the guardian of the tropical rain forest, have taken upon yourself. But we are equally interested in the modern architecture of your country, which has gained a worldwide reputation. Your writers are often translated into Dutch and are read and appreciated here. Many in the Netherlands are fascinated by your unique multicultural society. The inspiring message of such spiritual leaders as Dom Helder Câmara and Paulo Evaristo Arns has resounded in our country too. It is perhaps also thanks to their inspiration that in recent years many in Brazil, have dedicated themselves to building a more equal society, an aim which you too have made your own.
Mr President,
May I invite all those present to join me in a toast to your health and that of Mrs Cardoso, and to the future of your country and your people. May I also express the wish that the relations between our two countries will always be warmed by the celebrated Brazilian calor humano.