Since the official presentation to the mayor of Istanbul last year, The Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands continued the tradition of tulip diplomacy which was once initiated by the Ottoman Sultans. On April 27, the Dutch National Day, over 1.000 Istanbul tulips were handed out by Consul General Bart van Bolhuis and his staff to partners and relations. At that same time a brochure with the research we conducted last year was published. Dutch Florist Romeo Sommers paid tribute to this very old tulip variety in the TV programme Koffietijd. Pictures of the tulip bouquets circulated all over social media. (Photo credits: Rijksmuseum, Koffietijd, Ingrid Woudwijk and Paleis Het Loo)
