About Us
Testimonials
Although giving testimonials is an uncommon phenomenon in the diplomatic service, the following excerpts indicate results and general appreciation of Pieter’s work as Trade Commissioner.
On International Economic Relations
“At every occasion, I was impressed by his in-depth knowledge of the issues discussed, whether these were of
bilateral or multilateral nature. In addition, the fact that he was always well informed about the latest
developments in the Greek as well as the world economy, facilitated our cooperation and made it more
productive.”
(Greek Director-General, International Economic Relations)
On Trade and Development Banking
“You were the first among the commercial attachés based in Athens to take an interest in BSTDB, the first also to
organize meetings of our Management with delegations from the Netherlands and the first to facilitate a mission
to the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs in The Hague. Your continuous interest in our activities has been of great
help to all of us in the first years of operations of our Bank.
As you are leaving your functions in Athens, we are close to signing the first major project with Dutch companies in
Georgia for the financing of the development of the Port of Poti. This project would certainly not have been started
without the many contacts that you arranged for BSTDB in The Hague and Amsterdam.”
(Communications Director, Black Sea Trade and Development Bank)
On Export Development
“Pieter quickly catches the eye through his very practical approach to all matters at hand.
In the field of trade promotion, Pieter proved to be very effective, taking an active interest and hands-on approach
to cooperation with all parties concerned, seeking out real win-win situations, with an open eye for all existing pros
and cons.
During the Third Panhellenic conference for export development (December 12-14, 2001), Drs. Uiterlinden was the
only foreign Economic Diplomat to be invited as a speaker and he fully justified the choice of the Organizers. He
brought up ideas and observations that helped the organizers to focus more successfully on formulating effective
and relevant recommendations for a new export strategy. Pieter’s insight in both the interdependence of modern-
day economies, and for the peculiarities of it’s constituent parts in each country were – on reflection – key to his
very helpful participation.”
(President and Chair, Greek International Trade Promotion Agency)
On Business-to-business Trade Promotion
“Just to say thank you so much for all you did to make the visit so enjoyable and successful. I know how much work
was involved in setting up all the meetings, and I, and our colleagues, really appreciate all that you did to organise
everything.”
(Director, UK Trade, Greece)
On Foreign Investment in Canada
"A preliminary, exploratory visit to the Netherlands to ascertain the feasibility of attracting Dutch investors/growers
to the Niagara Region took place in December, and we are now in the process of planning a team visit in March.
At this time we would like to invite you, in your capacity as Consul – Trade and Commerce in Toronto to accompany
the team during our visit.
We feel that your presence would enable any interested parties to discuss directly with you the current situation in
Canada on a totally unbiased basis and would also allow you to be fully aware of our activities and progress with
this project. This would be beneficial both to the Netherlands and ourselves.”
(Head, Regional Economic Development Board, Ontario)