Mr Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, is visiting Australia from 9 to 11 October to deepen the political, economic and cultural relationship between the two countries.
This will be the second visit of Prime Minister Mark Rutte to Australia. Earlier he visited in November 2014.
“We welcome Prime Minister Rutte to our shores, and I look forward to discussing ways to strengthen our already close ties”, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in his statement on Sep 30.
He said our relationship with the Netherlands is founded on strong trade and investment ties, shared cultural values and people-to-people links.
Prime Minister Rutte will meet his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison and Governor General David Hurley in Sydney on Wednesday 9 October. This meeting will focus on the international collaboration on MH17, strengthening the trade and investment relationship, and opportunities for closer international cooperation, Dutch Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Afterwards, a visit will be paid to the State Library of New South Wales where Australian-Dutch cultural heritage is part of the collection.
On Thursday 10 October, a meeting will take place with CEO’s of Dutch companies at the Sydney Opera House. There will also be a meeting with Australian companies considering investment in the Netherlands.
Dutch Prime Minister will participate in a discussion hosted by think tank The Lowy Institute, where he will give a speech about the importance of the international rules-based order.
The Prime Minister will visit the Royal Botanic Garden, where the collection is currently being digitised by a Dutch company. He will view Sydney’s harbour by boat and meet a Dutch trade delegation at a conference on maritime security in the Pacific region.
On 11 October, Prime Minister will visit Melbourne. He will speak with representatives of the Victorian state government. He will also speak at a meeting with Australian companies and visit a metro tunnel constructed with the involvement of Dutch company Arcadis.
The Prime Minister will visit the Melbourne International Games Week to discuss the use of serious gaming in, for example, the health sector. He will meet the Dutch inventor of the Magic Table, an interactive table that can help people in nursing homes stay active.
“Our discussions will focus on strengthening our two-way trade, international collaboration on finding justice for the families of MH17 victims and opportunities for broader cooperation”, Mr Morrison added.
