Dutch Royals met British officials on Tuesday to commemorate 45 years of joint cooperation between the Royal Marines and Royal Netherlands Marine Corps. The latest diplomatic visit indicates that, notwithstanding Brexit, defense pacts between Britain and Northern Europe remain at all-time highs.
Dutch majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima visited the HMS Belfast to promote several joint initiatives with the United Kingdom, including innovation and trade agreements.
Prior to the visit, UK foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said to his counterpart Stef Blok that the UK and Netherlands would “work to further peace and security across the globe,” including fighting terrorism and cybersecurity to “promoting values of freedom.”
The two militaries have worked closely together for over 45 years, “demonstrating world-class military integration,” UK defense secretary Gavin Williamson also said prior to the visit.
Williamson mentioned that British and Dutch efforts in Norway to build the Defense Arctic Strategy “shows our deep-shared commitment to European security,” adding that the visit would help celebrate “an enduring alliance with one of our closest defence partners”.
The visit follows statements from Dutch marine corps director of operations Gen. Jeff Mac Mootry, who accused the Russian military of provoking NATO soldiers in the Arctic Circle, adding that Russian ships wanted “to…
