HAGUE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th November, 2021) The Netherlands believes that it is unacceptable that a Russian visa of Tom Vennink, a correspondent of the Dutch Volkskrant newspaper, has not been extended and he has to leave the country, Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Tessa van Staden told Sputnik on Thursday.
"We deplore the fact that the visa of the Volkskrant correspondent in Moscow has not been extended. For the Netherlands it is unacceptable that a journalist has to leave a country against his or her own will ... We are in touch with the Volkskrant regarding this matter. We have been in touch with Moscow through various channels regarding this matter. Our ambassador in Moscow has asked Moscow for clarification," van Staden said.
The spokeswoman added that the ministry discussed the issue with the Russian ambassador to the Netherlands who said that Vennink's visa had not been extended "due to administrative reasons."
The reason for the expulsion, named by the Russian authorities, were two administrative violations committed several years ago, according to the newspaper. One of them repotedly concerned entry into a region in northern Russia in 2020 without a permission of local authorities. Also, in 2019, the reporter did not register at a registration office within the established deadlines.
According to the report, Moscow prohibited the Dutch reporter from entering Russia until January 2025.
