Netherlands |
United States |
Netherlands – United States relations are used to describe the relations of the United States and the Netherlands. The countries were described by former President George W. Bush as "brother nations" and by current President Barack Obama as "closest friends which friendship will never die". Obama has also said that, "Without the Netherlands there wouldn't be a United States of America as everyone knows it now".
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The U.S. partnership with the Netherlands is one of its oldest continuous relationships and dates back to the American Revolution. Starting in the late 16th century, the Dutch and other Europeans began to colonize the eastern coast of North America. The Dutch named their territory New Netherlands, which became a province of the Dutch Republic in 1624. The Dutch colonial settlement of New Amsterdam later became New York City. The present-day flag of New York City is based on the flag of Republic of the United Netherlands.
The Netherlands was the first European country to grant diplomatic recognition to the U.S. after France, which appointed John Adams –- who later became the second president of the United States –- as the first ambassador. On 19 April 1782 Adams was received by the States General in The Hague and recognized as Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America. The house that Adams purchased in The Hague became the first American embassy in the world. The bilateral relations between the two nations are based on historical and cultural ties as well as a common dedication to individual freedom and human rights. The Netherlands shares with the United States a liberal economic outlook and is committed to free trade. The Netherlands is the third-largest direct foreign investor in the United States,[1] and the Dutch-American trade and investment relationship is supporting close to 625,000 American jobs www.economicties.org. Dutch holding companies employ more than 650,000 Americans.[2] The United States is the third-largest direct foreign investor in the Netherlands.
The United States and the Netherlands often have similar positions on issues and work together both bilaterally and multilaterally in such institutions as the United Nations and NATO. The Dutch have worked with the United States at the World Trade Organization, in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, as well as within the European Union to advance the shared U.S. goal of a more open and market-led world economy.
The United States and the Netherlands joined NATO as charter members in 1949. The Dutch were allies with the United States in the Korean War and the first Gulf War and have been active in global peacekeeping efforts in the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Netherlands also support and participate in NATO and EU training efforts in Iraq. Until August 1, 2010 they were active participants in the International Security Assistance Force and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Since 2008, the Dutch Ambassador to the United States is Renée Jones-Bos. The Dutch missons in the United States has an Embassy and five consular offices:
Since 2009, the United States Ambassador to the Netherlands is Fay Hartog-Levin. The United States missions in the Netherlands, has an Embassy and a Consulate-General:
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Department of State (Background Notes).[1]
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