A parliamentary delegation led by Chairmen Jan Anthonie Bruijn and Martin Bosma visited the Swedish parliament, the Riksdag, on Thursday 13 and Friday 14 February. Clerks Remco Nehmelman and Peter Oskam from the Senate and House of Representatives also participated in the visit.
The delegation was received by the Speaker of the Riksdag, Andreas Norlén, on Thursday. The Chairmen then had an audience with King Carl XVI Gustaf. On Friday, the delegation spoke with Olle Burell, Chairman of the Stockholm City Council. The conversation included discussions on sustainability. The trip concluded with a visit to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.
The relations between Sweden and the Netherlands go back a long way: in 2016, the 400-year relationship was celebrated. The Chairmen of that time, Ankie Broekers-Knol and Anouchka van Miltenburg, presented a copy of the treaty signed in 1614 during a visit to Stockholm. The treaty included agreements on trade relations and mutual military support. The Netherlands was the first country where Sweden opened an embassy.
Chairman Bruijn briefly paused in his speech to acknowledge the mass shooting at a school in Örebro, which plunged Sweden into mourning last week, and expressed the Netherlands sympathy. He emphasized the importance of the good relations between Sweden and the Netherlands: ‘In these uncertain times, it is good to have friends like you.’