Short remarks by Queen Máxima at the meeting with Lt. Governor Kounalakis and MoU signing, Salesforce Tower, San Francisco, California
Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis,
Mrs Newsom,
Thank you so much for the warm welcome here in California. It is a great pleasure to finally make a visit to the Golden State. Regretfully, my husband hasn’t been able to join me, but he is very involved and sends you his best wishes.
We both greatly appreciate the strong ties and the friendship between California and the Netherlands. It feels like home here. And it is a great pleasure and a privilege to meet you both: Mrs Kounalakis, the first woman elected Lt. Governor of California, who is so passionate about childhood development and equal economic opportunities for all. And first partner Jennifer Newsom, who is such a strong advocate of gender equality.
California and the Netherlands have a great affinity with each other, based on similar values when it comes to human rights, diversity, inclusion and equitable development. Both of you, Lt. Governor Kounalakis and Mrs Newsom, have been great promoters of these values for a long time.
And we share high ambitions on climate as well, working closely together for over 10 year as frontrunners. This ambition was demonstrated again very recently.
Recent years have demonstrated that we are increasingly being faced with global crises. Only by working together can we overcome these challenges effectively.
We Dutch are happy that we can speed up our cooperation in the transition towards a circular economy. During my visit to California, we are also celebrating our joint projects in the areas of climate adaptation, smart mobility and sustainable agriculture.
The Dutch are excited to be teaming up with the best and California has a lot of the best. Your start-up ecosystem is the number 1 ecosystem in the world. Dutch companies and institutions have a lot to offer as well. Our connections are growing stronger every year, to our mutual benefit.
Currently, our economic relations are responsible for more than 75.000 Californian jobs. And my country is a proud host of the European headquarters of several Californian corporations.
Let us cherish and expand this special relationship. And today, I am so pleased that we are committing ourselves to an even closer cooperation. California and the Netherlands is a partnership that really works!
Thank you.