Zelenskyy to visit the Netherlands on Thursday — NOS
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will arrive in Middelburg, the Netherlands, on Thursday to attend the “Four Freedoms” award ceremony.
This was reported by NOS.
Zelenskyy will accept the award on behalf of the entire Ukrainian people. For security reasons, it remained unclear for a long time whether Zelenskyy would travel to Middelburg in person.
King Willem-Alexander, Princess Beatrix, and Prime Minister Rob Jetten will also be present at the award ceremony. Afterward, Zelenskyy will hold talks with Jetten regarding the launch of joint drone production and other opportunities for cooperation. Zelenskyy will discuss with the king the importance of supporting Ukraine.
The award for Ukrainians is also a message to the United States, according to Hugo de Jonge, who, as the King’s representative in Zeeland, heads the foundation behind the award ceremony. After all, this award honors the ideology of U.S. President Roosevelt, who during World War II managed to mobilize his skeptical compatriots to liberate Europe.
De Jonge believes that modern, self-centered America can take a cue from the president of that era, who decided to help Europe. “That is precisely the significance we can and should see in this,” he says.
The “Four Freedoms” Award is based on the four freedoms that U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt outlined during his annual address to Congress in 1941:
Freedom of speech and expression
Freedom of worship
Freedom from want, the right to have one’s basic needs met: food, clean drinking water, and a roof over one’s head
Freedom from fear; no one should live in fear of oppression or violence
The jury awards a prize for each of these four principles. In addition, there is the International “Four Freedoms” Award, which was awarded to Ukrainians this year.
Since 1982, the annual awards have been presented alternately in Middelburg and New York. Zeeland was chosen because the Roosevelt family’s ancestors likely originated from the island of Tolen.
The awards are given to people who have made a significant, courageous, and personal contribution to the cause of freedom in the world.
Previous recipients of the award include Queen Juliana, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, Angela Merkel, and the Red Cross.
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