The Netherlands regrets Nicaragua's decision to sever diplomatic relations and will discuss further steps with the European Union, Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said on Saturday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st October, 2022) The Netherlands regrets Nicaragua's decision to sever diplomatic relations and will discuss further steps with the European Union, Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said on Saturday.
"The Netherlands regrets the disproportionate decision by Nicaragua to break off diplomatic relations. We take a firm stand on the worsening democratic structures and human rights violations in Nicaragua. But a critical discussion is always better than ending relations," Hoekstra wrote on Twitter.
The Netherlands will also discuss its further steps with the European Union, according to Hoekstra.
The minister stated that other countries had also had "difficulties in maintaining an open dialogue" with Nicaragua.
On Friday, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega condemned the Netherlands' alleged interference in his country's affairs and said that he did not want to maintain relations with "this interventionist government." This happened after Dutch Ambassador to Central America Christine Pirenne visited the Nicaraguan capital of Managua and spoke with local residents "as if Nicaragua were a Dutch colony," as described by the Nicaraguan president.
In 2013, the Netherlands optimized its diplomatic presence in Central America by closing its embassy in Nicaragua. The Dutch ambassador to Central America, based in Costa Rica, was in charge of relations with this country since then.
For many years, Nicaragua has been criticized by Western countries for violations of human rights and the oppression of political opposition. Ortega is currently serving his fourth term as the country's president.
