MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st February, 2023) Moscow considers the decision of the Netherlands to reduce the number of Russian diplomats and close the Russian trade mission as an unfriendly move aimed at destroying relations, will respond to it, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The Netherlands had previously decided to limit the number of Russian diplomats in the country, with about ten employees of the Russian embassy having to leave the kingdom. In addition, the Netherlands decided to close the Russian trade mission in Amsterdam.
"We regard the decision of the Dutch Foreign Ministry to radically reduce the number of employees of the Russian embassy in The Hague and suspend the activities of the Russian trade mission in Amsterdam as another unfriendly step aimed at further destroying Russian-Dutch relations," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry noted that difficult consultations had been held for about a year in order to create the necessary conditions for the functioning of the diplomatic missions of the Russian Federation, "affected by the expulsions initiated by the Netherlands in March 2022."
"However, when the differences were almost completely overcome, the Netherlands disrupted the negotiation process, obviously, on instructions from outside," the ministry added.
"Amsterdam's decision to suspend the activities of the trade mission in Amsterdam leads to the dismantling of the foundations of trade and economic cooperation that has existed between our countries for many years," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Moscow "categorically rejects any attempt by The Hague to justify its destructive actions with unrealistic fabrications about Russia in the context of the situation in Ukraine," the ministry said.
"The Hague must understand that our bilateral relations, which are already very burdened with problems, will undergo a thorough reformatting. The entire responsibility for the degradation of Russian-Dutch relations lies with the Dutch side. Of course, inevitable retaliatory measures will follow from our side," the foreign ministry said.
