News item | 12-12-2023 | 20:53
On December 12, Luxembourg’s former foreign minister Jean Asselborn received the Medal of Honor for Merit from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in gold. Cees Bansema, the Dutch ambassador to Luxembourg, presented the award on behalf of Minister Bruins Slot.
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Decoration for Merit
The Decoration of Honor is only very rarely awarded to outgoing foreign ministers. However, Jean Asselborn was the longest-serving Minister of Foreign Affairs in the European Union (EU). Moreover, during his 19-year term as minister, he has meant a lot to the Netherlands and to our global diplomatic efforts.
He was a fixture in the excellent Dutch bilateral relationship with Luxembourg, within the Benelux and in the European Union.
In addition, for 19 years, Asselborn was also somewhat ‘our Minister of Foreign Affairs’ for many Dutch diplomats. He often actively involved Dutch interests and Dutch diplomats in his visits and in joint interventions within the EU, UN and NATO. In this way, Asselborn has also indirectly strengthened the Dutch sound and presence abroad.