In his speech at the banquet, President Christodoulides said, “It is an honour and a true privilege to welcome Your Majesties tonight to the Presidential Palace. Your Majesties’ visit to Cyprus is a historic moment of significant symbolism. Your visit is the first-ever visit of the Royal Couple of the Netherlands to Cyprus since our independence in 1960. Tonight, we celebrate the long-standing friendship between Cyprus and the Netherlands, between two peoples that have had contacts since the Middle Ages, between two like-minded members of our common European family, between two partners that enjoy a multifaceted cooperation of immense potential, inter alia, in the sectors of economy, education, tourism, defence, and of course people-to-people contacts.  […]“

On his part, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands said, “What a pleasure it is to be your guests.  My wife and I are honoured and moved to be paying a state visit to your country at your invitation. The first ever state visit by a Dutch monarch to the Republic of Cyprus. It is extra special for another reason; our visit is taking place in the year your country celebrates 65 years of Independence. […] Mr President, your invitation for the state visit is a confirmation of the close ties that have been developed between our two countries. But it means more than that alone. It holds a mutual promise for the future. A future in which you continue to support and strengthen each other as friends and equal partners in Europe. In the first half of next year, Cyprus will assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the second time, and we look forward to it. Europe, southeast and northwest have come together and we will never be parted.”