Willem-Alexander & Maxima: One Day Visit to Istanbul

On November 10, the Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima were in Turkey to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the beginning of the cultural and economic relations between the Netherlands and Turkey. The Crown Prince Couple was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Frans Timmermans.

The Prince and the Princess attended several events through the day, beginning with a visit to the “Dutch-Turkish Brainport Innovation and Career” seminar at the Bosporus University. In his speech, the Prince said that “Turkey is an important economic partner for the Netherlands” and that the trade flows between Netherlands and Turkey have tripled in the last decade. The Prince also affirmed that Turkey and Netherlands should join forces in the field of high-tech and innovation.

Then the Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima attended the opening session of The Great Game Business Challenge 2012. In this meeting were present students and representatives from the Turkish and Dutch companies on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and female entrepreneurship. The students had the chances to interact with the entrepreneurs. This meeting was part of worldwide “Global Entrepreneurship Week.

In her speech at the event, Princess Maxima said to the students that “Access to financial services was essential for successful entrepreneurship”, and talking about the meeting she said, “I hope this Global Entrepreneurship Week inspires young persons all over the world to start their own business.”

In the afternoon the Crown Prince Couple visited the Consulate General and then they took a ride on bicycle in İstiklal Caddesi, the shopping street of Istanbul, to promote the use of bicycles.

The day visit ended with a concert by the Dutch Royal Concert Orchestra at the Haliç Centre Concert Hall in Istanbul and a reception where the Turkish Foreign Minister, Ali Babacan, and his wife were present.

Filed under The Netherlands
Tagged Bilateral Relations, Concert, King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Official Visit, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Turkey.