Speech by Minister Caspar Veldkamp; opening Dutch embassy Yerevan, Armenia

Ambassador Monroy,
Foreign Minister Mirzoyan,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Colleagues,

‘We are few, but we are called Armenians.’

Some of you will surely recognise these words from a poem by the renowned Armenian poet Paruyr Sevak.

They form the refrain of a long ode to Armenian identity, which also includes the following lines:

‘…wherever we reached, wherever we went,
everywhere we left an indelible trace…’

This is undeniably true in the Netherlands, where Armenians have made a significant mark.

The ties between our nations pre-date official diplomatic relations, as Armenian merchants settled in the Netherlands centuries ago.

A notable and visible testament to this history is the Armenian Church in Amsterdam, which was established in 1713.

And the vibrant Armenian diaspora in the Netherlands continues to make a valued contribution to our society.

Hopefully Armenia, in turn, will benefit from its Dutch residents – such as its new national football coach John van ’t Schip, and his assistant Aron Winter.

We’ll see how that unfolds after their first match in charge, on the 20th of March…

Beyond these historical and personal ties, our diplomatic relations continue to deepen.

They were established in 1992, not long after Armenia gained independence from the Soviet Union.

For the first couple of decades, the Dutch embassy in Tbilisi represented our interests in Armenia.

However, driven by a strong commitment to the developments in and around Armenia, the Dutch government ultimately decided to open a mission in Yerevan.

So, in 2020, our first ambassador to Armenia, Nico Schermers, took up residence at the Marriott Hotel – a decision that soon proved valuable.  

Without a doubt, having an ambassador in situ has helped intensify the collaboration between our countries.

Our economic relations are steadily growing, we hold regular political consultations, and the Netherlands supports Armenia in key areas such as strengthening public institutions and the justice sector.

We’re also grateful to be able to support programmes for migrants from Nagorno-Karabakh.

And I’m confident that our relationship will go from strength to strength, in line with our cabinet’s policy agenda.

In this agenda, our government clearly expresses its commitment to supporting Armenia, both bilaterally and at European level.

The strategic partnership statement we’ve just signed provides us with a solid foundation for this collaboration.

I want to thank everyone here at the embassy who has contributed to these efforts and continues to do so.

Your work is recognised and truly appreciated.

We’re especially pleased that all this work no longer has to be done from a hotel, but from this beautiful office instead.

It’s a great honour to officially open this chancery today, alongside my esteemed counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan.

Although it may be a small mission, the Armenian people remind us that a small yet proud community can accomplish great things.

I hope you will all enjoy working in this building. And I look forward to continued strong collaboration between our countries.

Thank you.