King and queen make state visit to Qatar in December

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will make a three-day state visit to Qatar from 9 to 11 December, at the invitation of the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. It is Willem-Alexander's first state visit to the Middle East since he became king.

Ministers Tom Berendsen (Foreign Affairs), Dilan Yesilgöz (Defence) and Sjoerd Sjoerdsma (Foreign Trade) will travel with the royal couple, as will state secretary Silvio Erkens (Agriculture).

The visit is meant to strengthen ties between the Netherlands and Qatar, according to the government press office (Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst). "In a time of tension in the Middle East, a closer partnership offers opportunities to work together on stability, security, energy security, food security, innovation and sustainable growth," it said.

The invitation follows a visit by the emir to the Netherlands in June 2024.

The last Dutch state visit to the region was in January 2012, when Queen Beatrix visited the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Willem-Alexander and Máxima were also on that trip.

The Dutch travel advice for Qatar was tightened to orange this year because of the war between the US and Iran. It is now yellow.