The Netherlands decided to reduce the number of diplomats in the Russian embassy due to repeated attempts to employ intelligence officers in the diplomatic mission.
As writes “European truth“, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“Russia is again and again trying to covertly employ intelligence officers as diplomats in the Netherlands. At the same time, Russia refuses to issue visas to Dutch diplomats to staff the Consulate General in St. Petersburg and the embassy in Moscow. This is unacceptable and has led to an unstable situation,” the statement says. in a statement.
Therefore, the country’s government decided that the Russian embassy in The Hague could not have more diplomats than the Dutch embassy in Moscow.
“Thus, a number of Russian diplomats will have to leave the Netherlands. The Dutch Consulate General in St. Petersburg will have to be temporarily closed due to a lack of staff. The government has also decided that the Russian trade mission in Amsterdam should be closed,” the statement said.
“Despite numerous attempts by the Netherlands to find a solution, Russia continues to try to get intelligence officers in the Netherlands under diplomatic cover. We cannot and will not allow this. At the same time, it is important that embassies remain open as a channel of communication, even now, when relations with Russia harder than ever,” said Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra.
Russian diplomats who cannot stay must leave the Netherlands within two weeks. The Russian trade office in Amsterdam is to be closed from 21 February.
The Consulate General of the Netherlands in St. Petersburg will close on 20 February. This means that, among other things, assistance will no longer be provided from St. Petersburg to Dutch citizens and organizations. The Embassy of the Netherlands in Moscow will remain open.
Negotiations on visas for diplomats went on for almost a year. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Netherlands expelled 17 Russian spies in March 2022. In response, Russia expelled 15 Dutch diplomats. From that moment on, negotiations were underway to accommodate new diplomats from both sides.
On Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Dutch ambassador over an investigation that suggested that the decision to supply the Buk anti-aircraft missile system to the DPR militants was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
