Speech by His Majesty King Willem-Alexander at the dinner on the eve of the NATO Summit, Huis ten Bosch Palace, The Hague
Distinguished guests,
After eighty years of war, peace was agreed...
This room bears witness to it.
I’m talking about the Peace of Münster, signed in 1648 by Spain and the Netherlands.
Behind me you can see one of the leaders of the Dutch struggle for independence, Prince Frederik Hendrik. The paintings in this room, the Oranjezaal, were commissioned in his honour. And above him is a Latin motto: ‘The greatest victory is the triumph of peace’.
This motto seems to me a perfect fit for our alliance too, almost 80 years after the founding of NATO.
The Queen and I are delighted to be hosting you tonight in this particular room.
In 1899, my great grandmother Queen Wilhelmina made the Oranjezaal available for the First Hague Peace Conference. Representatives of 26 countries attended, including the initiator of the conference: Tsar Nicholas the Second of Russia. The participants were filled with a sense that peace would be everlasting. But behind the scenes, the first signs were already emerging of the arms race that would ultimately lead to the First World War.
Peace, freedom, democracy and the rule of law are our highest ideals.
And yet, history has taught us how fragile these values are if they are not protected.
Where would we be without strong organisations that stand up for the defence of international stability, peace and freedom? Where would we be without NATO’s firm resolve?
For 76 years – a timespan of three generations – in the North Atlantic Treaty Area we have collectively, harmoniously and successfully defended what we treasure the most. At the start, our alliance had 12 countries. Then we grew. Today we are an alliance of 32, with Finland and Sweden being our newest members.
In the future, NATO will remain open to new members that share our values. We can’t stand still. Events since 1989 have taught us that.
Ours is fundamentally a defensive alliance. Others may call it aggressive, but that’s only because they reject fundamental rights and freedoms and fear that their citizens may one day demand them.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands will never forget the immense sacrifices needed to win back freedom once it has been lost.
We have been keenly aware of this ever since the horrors of the Second World War. And we will be forever grateful to the many who fought for our freedom – and in doing so, laid down their own lives.
The ties that were forged back then can never be broken. They remain tangible and personal.
Last month I attended the memorial service at the American Cemetery in Margraten, in the south of our country. All the graves of the fallen are lovingly adopted by Dutch families who honour their memory.
Mr President, it means so much to us to welcome you in our home tonight. We cherish the bonds of friendship that will always unite our nations.
Our friends and partners in the Indo-Pacific region are welcome in our circle as guests. And Ukraine – which for years has been embroiled in a daily struggle, making great sacrifices to defend its freedom and ours – is welcome too. The people of Ukraine, with whom we feel such close ties, deserve our continuing support.
It’s impressive to see how we, as NATO countries, have succeeded in forming a shield, behind which peace and freedom can flourish. A shield that is providing more and more people with protection.
At the same time, every successful organisation must always remain alert and have the courage to ask itself critical questions.
Are we properly equipped for the challenges we face today?
Is the division of costs and benefits among us sufficiently well balanced?
How can our alliance operate more efficiently and effectively?
These questions are especially relevant now that the threat posed by Russia and other hostile countries is taking on unprecedented new dimensions: on land, at sea, in the air and in cyberspace.
It is rightly argued that we need to make sufficient investments in our security and that there must be balance in the financial contributions made by the members of the alliance. There can be no solidarity unless everyone shoulders their own responsibility.
Perhaps, besides Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, there needs to be more focus on Article 3. The provision that says that ‘parties, separately and jointly, (…) will maintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack’.
These subjects are bound to come up in your discussions tomorrow. I know that you will address them with wisdom and I have every confidence that the outcome will be a NATO that is stronger than ever.
May future historians recognise the 2025 summit as a milestone. The summit where we made groundbreaking decisions and where we took responsibility together for the preservation of peace, freedom and the rule of law.
Let us stay focused on what for 76 years has been the key to NATO’s success. Our unshakeable unity. And our mutual confidence that we can always count on one another.
The world must know that we remain as committed as ever to the undertakings enshrined in the NATO Treaty: “We are determined to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilisation of our peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. And we are resolved to unite our efforts for collective defence and for the preservation of peace and security.”
As long as we uphold this commitment, we can overcome any challenge.
May I now ask you to raise your glasses with me.
To our Alliance!