ArmInfo.The Netherlands is to establish three new embassies, in Armenia, Niger and Burkina Faso, foreign minister Stef Blok has told MPs, DutchNews.nl informs.
The new embassy in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, means there will also be Dutch representation throughout the region, the minister said. In addition, the current Dutch diplomatic missions in Abuja (Nigeria), Amman, Bagdad, Beijing, Bogota, Brussels, Caracas, Geneva, New York, Rabat, Tirana and Vilnius will be strengthened, Blok said. The government's coalition accord included a commitment to spend 40mln EUR to strengthen the Dutch diplomatic presence abroad and reopen embassies and consulates. Some 10mln EUR has already been spent on adding 29 posts to the Dutch diplomatic mission south and east of the EU, because of the instability in these regions. In May 2017, the government advisory board for international affairs AIV said 70mln EUR to 80mln EUR a year needed to be spent to bring Dutch embassies up to scratch following years of cutbacks.
The day before, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the Netherlands Tigran Balayan on his Facebook page presented the rationale for the Dutch Foreign Ministry about opening its diplomatic mission in the republic. "Armenia is located between Russia, Turkey and Iran, therefore, it is of strategic importance. After the so-called" velvet revolution "of 2018, the new government modernizes the country and fight corruption. The Netherlands can support this process," the Dutch Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It should be noted that on December 12, the House of Representatives of the Netherlands Parliament without discussion and voting unanimously ratified the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA).