Advertisement
Russian diplomats expelled by the Netherlands, Russian trade office in Amsterdam to close
- Netherlands’ foreign minister said the move was decided because Russia was trying to secretly station employees from its intelligence services in the Netherlands
- Relations between the two countries have been strained since the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014
Reading Time:1 minute
Why you can trust SCMP
1
The Netherlands is expelling about 10 Russian diplomats, Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra told the television broadcaster NOS on Saturday.
Advertisement
He said the move was decided because Russia was trying to secretly station employees from its intelligence services in the Netherlands.
The Russian trade office in Amsterdam would also have to close, he said.
The Netherlands is further planning to close its consulate general in St Petersburg.
Hoekstra said the Netherlands had decided that there should be a numerical balance of diplomats, meaning only as many Russian diplomats should be in the Netherlands as there are Dutch envoys in Russia.
Advertisement
He did not say exactly how many Russians would be expelled but referred to about 10.
Advertisement