The Dutch Queen landed Tuesday morning at the airport of the capital Muscat. She and her accompanying delegation will first visit the palace of Sultan Qaboos for a welcome ceremony.

The visit “comes within the context of the advanced bilateral relations and reflects the keenness of the leaders of Oman and The Netherlands to foster the interests of their peoples”, a Diwan of Royal Court statement said.

The Dutch queen’s delegation include Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Máxima; Maxim Jacos Marcel Verhagen, Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation; Dr Uriel Rosenthal, Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Marco Hiens, First Minister of Royal Court.

It is the second time within one year that the Queen is visiting the Gulf State.

The focus of this state visit is to boost trade and economic relations with the United Arab Emirates. For this purpose a number of agreements will be signed in the presence of the queen. Wednesday the Queen will visit the port city of Sohar.

Sultan Qaboos Bin Said bid farewell to the queen, Crown Prince William Alexander, Princess Maxima, his wife, and the accompanying delegation who will leave the Sultanate on Thursday.

The queen, Prince William and his wife expressed their sincere thanks and appreciation to His Majesty, the government and the Omani citizens for the generous reception during their visit to the Sultanate. His Majesty wished them a happy stay and a safe return to their country.

Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima also visited Oman and the United Arab Emirates in 2009. See video below.

The Dutch Queen and her accompanying delegation were welcomed by Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Monday at Zaabeel Palace.

During the meeting, they reviewed the relations of friendship and cooperation between the UAE and the Netherlands and discussed ways of strengthening them at various levels.

Shaikh Mohammad reaffirmed the importance of Queen Beatrix’s visit, which sets up opening wider avenues of cultural, political and economic cooperation between the two nations.

Queen Beatrix praised the UAE and the qualitative urban development its witnessing under the its wise leadership, and pointed out Dubai’s global reputation and success story, which she said have become a model for development on the national level.

HRH Willem-Alexander Prince of Orange and his spouse HRH Princess Maxima of the Netherlands also attended the meeting.

She began with a visit to a mosque in Abu Dhabi. The Queen visited the house of prayer veiled and dressed in an abaya. A visit to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is not complete without a visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

The majestic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is probably the most imposing religious and national landmark in Abu Dhabi to date.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, popularly called the Grand Mosque by local residents, is seen as a construction to ‘unite the world’, using artisans and materials from countries such as Italy, Germany, Morocco, India, Turkey, Iran, China, Greece and the UAE. More than 3,000 workers and 38 renowned contracting companies took part in the construction of the Mosque.

Beatrix arrived yesterday in Abu Dhabi, accompanied by Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima. In addition, a large delegation of the Dutch business community travels along.

On the second day of her state visit to the UAE, Beatrix will visit Dubai and see the Dubai Ports World (DP World) in the port of Jebel Ali where she will meet the Dutch community.

It is the second state visit by the Dutch Queen to Germany, in the theme of “the new Germany. ” The first state visit, was still in 1982 to West Germany.

Exactly twenty years ago, on April 25, 1991, Queen Beatrix was the first foreign Head of State who made an official visit to the reunited Germany.

Netherlands maintains both economic and political relations with Germany. Netherlands is the largest foreign investor in Germany and the trade volume between the two countries covering more than 130 billion Euros per year.

During this state visit there is a lot of focus on the development made by Germany since reunification in 1990.

The queen is also accompanied by a political delegation: Minister Rosenthal and State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Knapen and Minister of Economic Affairs Maxime Verhagen, will each attend a part of the program.

Photo By PeterXIII

They start in the capital Hanoi, where they will stay two days. On Wednesday and Thursday they are in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon).

The purpose of the official visit is to strengthen trade relations between the Netherlands and Vietnam.

The Asian country is an emerging market and there are numerous opportunities for Dutch companies.

Henk Bleacher Secretary for Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation and State Secretary Joop Atsma (Infrastructure and Environment) will travel with the royal couple. Over eighty Dutch companies are participating in an economic mission to Vietnam.

The program includes interviews with Vietnamese authorities and ministers, and business seminars and working visits. The visit begins Monday with the seminar “Doing Business in Vietnam,” followed by a reception at Pham Gia Khiem, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Calderon welcomed the queen at a ceremony in Mexico’s National Palace, where he will host a dinner in her honor.

The queen arrived just before midday for a trip that will include meetings with Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, according to a schedule released by the Dutch embassy here.

Queen Beatrix is also scheduled to visit Mexico City’s famous National Museum of Anthropology and participate in a meeting on energy.

The royal will spend the last two days of the trip visiting the Mexican states of Guanajuato and Hidalgo.

In her toast during the state banquet the Queen praised the president and his government to tackle the crisis, which the SMEs are supported. “A strong and prosperous middle class constitutes the backbone of a democratic society.” Beatrix also expressed words of appreciation for tackling crime.

The queen is accompanied by Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, and his wife Princess Maxima.

The Dutch prince and princess were in New York last week to celebrate the 400 year anniversary of Dutch captain Henry Hudson’s discovery of New York. They brought a visit to the White House in Washington where the Royal couple was received by Michelle and Barack Obama. “The atmosphere was very relaxed and cordial,” according to the crown prince. The president, who last week announced plans for a new care system in the U.S., said Willem-Alexander to give an outline of health care in the Netherlands.

First Lady Michelle Obama met with the Prince and Princess first to have tea and exchange gifts. President Barack Obama joined later for a conversation with the Dutch royal couple.

Healthcare was an important theme of the meeting, which lasted around half an hour.

The President uses the Dutch healthcare system as an example in several occasions, said Willem-Alexander in a report on nu.nl.

He finds it “a good system, and there are certain elements he would like to take on.”

Healthcare has been a contentious issue for the US President, as opposition to an overhaul of the current system became louder over the summer. Tens of thousands of protesters marched on the U.S. Capitol against proposed his reforms Saturday.

President Obama thanked the couple for the Dutch cooperation in Afghanistan and asked Willem-Alexander as IOC member would support the candidacy of Chicago for the Olympic Games in 2016.

The Dutch prince and princess were impressed with the “Job Swap” program, an exchange between workers from New York and the Netherlands. A Dutch teacher and a Dutch fireman from the Netherlands worked along with their counterparts in the Big Apple.

The royal couple experienced “an incredible visit” in New York. “We had good relations emphasize four hundred years”, said Willem-Alexander. “All the energy we have invested in the celebration is definitely worth it.” Shared values of freedom and tolerance were key, but according to Princess Máxima of the Netherlands.