Dutch State Visits to Oman and Qatar

Due to a political unrest, in consultation between Oman and the Netherlands, it was decided to postpone the state visit of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix to Oman.

Despite this, Queen Beatrix, the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima accepted a personal invitation by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos for a private dinner on Tuesday March 8th.

On the afternoon of March 8th, the trio arrived at the airport in the Omani capital, Muscat. They were welcomed by Deputy Prime Minister Fahd bin Mahmoud al Said and the Culture and Heritage minister, Haitham bin Tariq al Said. After that, the Queen and the Princely Couple had a meeting with Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said at the Bait Al Baraka Palace in Muscat. That evening, the Sultan hosted a private dinner for his visitors.

On Wednesday March 9th, Queen Beatrix together with Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima have arrived in Qatar for a two-day state visit. She is the first Dutch Head of State to visit Qatar.

After their arrival at the airport in Doha, they went to the palace of Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Than. The Emir received the Queen, Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima in the White Marble Hall of the American Diwan, where an honor guard stood and the national anthems were played. Later during the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations and mutual interests. At the end of the meeting, Sheikh Hamad conferred upon the Dutch Queen the Necklace of Independence and in turn, he received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion from Queen Beatrix.

Then, the Emir hosted a lunch banquet in honour of Queen Beatrix and the accompanying delegation: Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Verhagen and the Chairman of the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers, Bernard Wientjes.

In the afternoon, the royal visitors visited the Souq Waqif bazaar. Afterwards, Emir Sheikh Hamad and Queen Beatrix visited the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA). They jointly inaugurated the ‘Golden Age of Dutch Painting’ exhibition and got acquainted with the paintings on display. The exhibition will remain open to the public until June 6th.

The day was concluded with a family dinner hosted by Seikh Hamad and his wives at the al-Wajba Palace.

On March 10th, Queen Beatrix, accompanied by the Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima, made a visit to Ras Laffan Industrial City which included the Shell Pearl. A number of Dutch and Qatari ministers and officials were also present for the visit. The Director of Ras Laffan Industrial City, Abdul Aziz Jassim Al-Muftah, welcomed Queen Beatrix and gave her and her accompanying delegation an overview of the city and its different facilities.

Later in the afternoon the visitors had a meeting with the Dutch community at the diplomatic club in Doha.

On Thursday night, Queen Beatrix, the Prince of Orange and Princess Máxima, along with Sheikha Mozah, the second wife of the Emir, attended a concert of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra in the Katara Opera House.

On Friday March 11th, Queen Beatrix, Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima left Qatar from the airport of Doha aboard a PH-KBX airplane.

Filed under Oman, Qatar, The Netherlands
Tagged Bilateral Relations, Exhibition, King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, Orders, Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Thani, State Visit, Sultan Qaboos of Oman.