Russia says Netherlands relations at historic low, cites bloc-oriented Dutch stance

MOSCOW, April 29. /TASS/. Relations between Russia and the Netherlands have reached a historic low, Russian Ambassador to the Netherlands Vladimir Tarabrin said.

"Russian-Dutch relations are essentially frozen and likely at their worst point in the long history of our ties," he said during an online briefing.

"Contacts have been severed across all key areas - economic, cultural, scientific, and humanitarian. Bilateral dialogue is now sporadic and mostly limited to discussions concerning diplomatic missions in The Hague and Moscow," the ambassador added.

He emphasized that "the deterioration of bilateral ties is a direct result of the actions of the Dutch authorities which act with little independence." "The Hague consistently follows collective anti-Russian decisions from the European Union and NATO, disregarding both common sense and its own economic interests," Tarabrin noted.

He further stated that the Dutch authorities "not only comply with these collective decisions but also take a leading role in implementing various anti-Russian measures dictated by Brussels and other centers of the collective West."

"The labeling of Russia as the most serious immediate threat to peace and stability in Europe by Dutch intelligence services only reinforces the confrontational stance at the official level," the diplomat remarked.

He concluded that "rather than pursuing de-escalation and dialogue, the Dutch side deliberately maintains a confrontational, bloc-oriented approach. We see no indication that they are willing to reconsider this stance or gradually return to pragmatic interaction."