Washington, D.C., May 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima are to travel to the United States for a working visit to the states of Georgia and New York. The visit will take place from Monday, June 10 to Thursday, June 13 2024. In Georgia the King and Queen will visit Atlanta and Savannah, and in New York they will visit Albany and New York City.
During their visit to Georgia, the King and Queen will be accompanied by the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, Mark Harbers. In New York State they will be joined by the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Liesje Schreinemacher. Also participating in the visit will be Aruba’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Communication and Sustainable Development, Geoffrey Wever and its Minister of Tourism and Public Health, Danguillaume Oduber, as well as Curaçao’s Minister of Economic Development, Ruisandro Cijntje.
The working visit will highlight the strong bilateral ties between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United States, and its economic relations with Georgia and New York State. The US is the Netherlands’ biggest non-EU partner in regard to economic and security cooperation. These close transatlantic ties are essential in safeguarding the Netherlands’ prosperity. This partnership is based on a shared history that goes back four hundred years. With more than five million Americans tracing their roots to the Netherlands, there are close personal and cultural links between our countries. Georgia is currently the Netherlands’ 10th-largest US trade partner, a ranking that is rising fast. State capital Atlanta is a key logistics hub, both for the European and for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. Atlanta has long been a key logistics hub, and its airport is one of the world’s largest, as well as being among the most efficient and busiest in terms of the passenger numbers it processes. On the Georgia coast lies the Port of Savannah, the fourth-largest and fastest-growing port in North America.
For the Netherlands, New York State is a key trade and investment partner, alongside California and Texas. The state is home to leading knowledge institutions that are driving innovation on global challenges such as the climate and energy transition and the digital transformation.
To further broaden and deepen economic and knowledge cooperation, a CEO delegation from the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW) will attend certain parts of the program, and a mission from the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), led by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, will join the visit to the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.
The Netherlands will also be sending a business mission to New York State consisting of companies and knowledge institutions in the semiconductor and photonics sector (the field of photonics involves the generation, detection, transportation and manipulation of light).
Monday, June 10 – Atlanta, Georgia
Morning
Reception by Governor and meeting with CEOs
On Monday morning, the King and Queen will be received in the State Capitol in Atlanta by the Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp. They and members of the Dutch CEO delegation will also talk with the Governor about economic cooperation between the Netherlands and Georgia, primarily in the area of sustainable logistics.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change
The goal of the historic King Center, which opened in 1968, is to promote Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s methods and philosophy of nonviolence. The Royal couple will visit the museum and lay a wreath at the grave of Dr. King and his wife Mrs. Coretta Scott King, along with their youngest daughter, Dr. Bernice A. King. In the adjacent Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King preached, they will meet with representatives of the church community and attend a seminar with young people led by Rev. Bronson Woods.
BeltLine and meeting with Mayor
The Atlanta BeltLine is a network of public parks and multi-use trail and transit infrastructure, built on the site of a 35-kilometer former railroad corridor. The BeltLine is one of the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment programs in the United States and is designed to improve the links between the city’s neighborhoods and communities. The King and Queen will take a walk through the BeltLine accompanied by Atlanta’s Mayor, Andre Dickens. They will receive a briefing on the themes of a healthy living climate and affordable housing, and will discuss opportunities for partnerships with the Netherlands.
Afternoon
Hip hop
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will visit Patchwerk Recording Studios, a famous Atlanta studio where artists such as Outkast, 2PAC, Beyoncé and Madonna have recorded albums. Hip hop is a major cultural and economic force in Atlanta.
NewCold
In the afternoon, King Willem-Alexander will open the Atlanta premises of Dutch company NewCold, an automated cold-storage warehouse. After speaking with logistics professionals at a network event, the King and Queen will receive a guided tour of the facility.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will next visit the headquarters of the CDC, where they will meet with researchers and scientists to discuss health issues relating to the changing climate. During their tour of a laboratory they will be briefed about the latest research on the malaria mosquito.
Evening
High Museum of Art
In Atlanta’s High Museum of Art the Royal couple will receive a guided tour of the exhibition ‘Dutch Art in a Global Age’, which features over 100 paintings, prints, maps and decorative art objects from the 17th century and first half of the 18th century, by key Dutch artists from the period including Rembrandt, Jacob van Ruisdael and Frans Hals. The works on display are considered in the context of global exchange and colonialism. After the tour the King and Queen will attend a reception at the museum, where they will meet American companies that have operations in the Netherlands, as well as key local partners. King Willem-Alexander will deliver a speech during the reception.
Tuesday, June 11 – Savannah, Georgia
Morning
Reception by Mayor
In Savannah the King and Queen will be received by Mayor Van Johnson at City Hall.
SCAD
In Savannah’s Historic District , representatives of the Savannah College of Arts and Design will tell the King and Queen about the challenges facing the city’s old town, and opportunities to breathe new life into the area.
Savannah State University
Here, at the first public historically Black university in the state of Georgia, the Royal couple will be received by Interim President Cynthia Alexander. In the university’s Marine Science Center they will see a number of student presentations, before speaking with students and Black entrepreneurs about enterprise and international ambitions. In parallel with their visit, a conference on artificial intelligence will be taking place – a collaboration between Dutch and US universities. The visit will conclude with a cultural performance.
Afternoon
Port of Savannah
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will next visit the Port of Savannah, the fastest-growing and fourth-busiest container port in the United States. After a tour of the terminal they will attend the closing session of a business seminar on sustainable port development and hinterland connectivity.
Reception at Telfair Museums
The royal visit to Savannah will conclude with a network event at the Telfair Museums.
Wednesday, June 12 – Albany, New York State
Morning
Reception and meeting with Governor and CEOs
The King and Queen will begin their visit to Albany with a reception by New York Governor Kathy Hochul at the Governor’s Mansion. They and the Governor will then meet with the CEOs of Dutch companies that are active in Albany, a major US technology hub.
Afternoon
NY CREATES
After lunch, the Royal couple will visit NY CREATES, a New York tech hub and one of the world’s key centers of semiconductor research and development.
During their visit, the King and Queen will receive a tour of the center, including its clean room, which contains a machine manufactured by ASML. They will also meet with a Dutch business delegation from the semiconductor and photonics industry, and other companies and organizations with operations in New York State.
The King and Queen will take part in the final session of a business seminar in which Governor Hochul will give an address and a memorandum of understanding will be signed by the Netherlands and New York State on strengthening cooperation in the area of semiconductor research, development and production. The King will also deliver a short address.
Schuyler Mansion
The Schuyler Mansion is a historic house dating from 1763, which was once the home of Dutch general Philip J. Schuyler and his wife Catharine van Rensselaer. There, the King and Queen will talk with a group of young people about climate change and a healthy living environment, together with Governor Hochul and other New York politicians.
Evening
Reception
The Royal couple’s day in Albany will conclude with a network event at the Governor’s Mansion, attended by representatives of the business community, knowledge institutions and the cultural sector. King Willem-Alexander will deliver a short address at the reception.
Thursday, June 13 – New York City, New York State
Morning
East Flatbush
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will begin their visit to New York City with a walk through the neighborhood of East Flatbush, Brooklyn, where community empowerment is a key priority. There they will meet with various residents and local organizations to discuss urban challenges such as climate action, affordable housing and societal resilience.
Afternoon
Accelerating Clean Tech for the Energy Transition – business event at Newlab
At Newlab, an incubator space for startups based in the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard, the King and Queen will meet with attendees of a business event on startups, inclusive financing, and energy and clean tech.
Future 400: Castello Plan
As part of the Future 400 initiative, a series of cultural and community events marking 400 years of Dutch-New York history, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will visit the New York Historical Society to view an installation entitled New York Before New York: The Castello Plan of New Amsterdam. The exhibition, which deals with an important part of Dutch-New York history, considers the role of various communities, including the original inhabitants of the area and people who were enslaved in New Amsterdam. The installation centers on the Castello Plan, a map of the city that reveals the story of New Amsterdam.
Future 400: High Line
The High Line is a major public park and exhibition space in New York City. It is built on the site of a historic elevated rail line, and showcases horticulture and design in the public space. The focus of the gardens, which were designed by Piet Oudolf, is on local plants and sustainability.
The King and Queen will receive a guided tour of the High Line from Alan van Capelle, Executive Director of Friends of the High Line. They will then speak with young people who work in the High Line, to learn about what the park means to them.
Evening
Conclusion of visit
The working visit will conclude with a reception at the Spiral building in the Hudson Yards, attended by local politicians and representatives of US and Dutch businesses in New York. King Willem-Alexander will deliver a short address at the event.
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