EAST Anglian law firm Birketts has held its first international reception, at the residence of the British Ambassador to the Netherlands in the Hague.

The reception was organised in co-operation with UK Trade & Investment, with the British Ambassador to the Netherlands, Paul Arkwright, co-hosting the evening together with Birketts.

Guests from the Anglo-Dutch business community included Pim Waldeck, former Netherlands Ambassador to the UK, and the British Ambassador’s predecessor, Lyn Parker, who is now director of the office of the president of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, both of whom visited East Anglia while ambassadors.

The reception is part of a series of events aimed at celebrating the social, cultural and business ties between the Netherlands and the East of England under the umbrella of the UK Government’s Anglo Dutch Strategic Business Dialogue, set up last year by Deputy Prime Miniser Nick Clegg and his Dutch counterpart Maxime Verhagen, and looking forward to further co-operation across the Anglo-Dutch business network.

Andrew Wood, head of the Anglo-Dutch desk at Birketts and a member of the Netherlands British Chamber of Commerce, said: “I would like to thank the British Ambassador to the Netherlands Paul Arkwright and UK Trade & Investment for assisting us in putting on such a splendid evening which was enjoyed by all involved.”