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Unresolved colonial past clouds Dutch royal visit
Officials have promised an itinerary with a heavy emphasis on economic issues, but unresolved demands from those affected by past war crimes still loom large over the monarch's visit.
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This file photo taken on September 19, 2017 shows Dutch King Willem-Alexander delivering his 'Speech from the Throne' next to Queen Maxima in the Ridderzaal (Knights' Hall), during 'Prinsjesdag' (Prince's Day) in The Hague. (AFP/Koen van Weel / ANP )
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utch King Willem-Alexander is due to arrive in Indonesia for a state visit next week, the first time since his inauguration in 2013.
Officials have promised an itinerary with a heavy emphasis on economic issues, but unresolved demands from those affected by past war crimes still loom large over the monarch's visit.
King Willem-Alexander is expected to arrive in Jakarta on March 9 accompanied by Queen Maxima, four Dutch cabinet ministers and a business delegation of about 130 people, the Foreign Ministry has announced.
On March 10, the Dutch delegation will commence a three-day visit with stops in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan and Lake Toba in North Sumatra.
Hans de Boer, the president of Dutch business and employers' organization VNO-NCW, will lead the economic trade mission in Indonesia, which boasts representatives of 135 major and medium-sized companies from the Netherlands, ranging from defense and shipbuilding giant Damen to Verstegen, a spices and sauces company.
“There is already a very good relationship [...] But if we want to step it up and to develop projects which would also be, let say, examples to the rest of Southeast Asia then we need a further commitment,” de Boer told reporters in the Hague during a media program last month. The economic trade mission events will take place in Jakarta and Surabaya, East Java.
According to Statistics Indonesia, Indonesian trade with the Netherlands is currently in decline. In 2019, Indonesia recorded a US$2.3 billion trade surplus with the Netherlands. The volume of two-way trade between the two countries was $4 billion last year, a decrease of 21 percent from 2018.
