Belarus | Netherlands |
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Belarus and the Netherlands established diplomatic relations in 1994. Belarus has an embassy and an honorary consulate in The Hague. The Netherlands is represented in Belarus through its embassy in Warsaw (Poland) and through an honorary consulate in Minsk. Both countries are full members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
There is no direct contact between the two countries at the government level, since the European Union decided in 1997 that such a level of contact lends legitimacy to a government the EU deems not democratically elected. [1] On Dutch request, the European Union decided in October 2008 to soften the visa restrictions; certain other restrictions remain, such as the freezing of Belarus financial assets, [2] and the Dutch government objects to the normalization of relations between Belarus and the European Union. [3]
The Dutch opposed to inviting president Lukashenko to attend a summit in May 2009 in Vienna, where the program was to be launched; [4] such an invitation, Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Verhagen contends, "would trivialize his dismal human rights record." [5]
While there are no direct governmental contacts, and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs says there are no "intensive cultural relations" between the two countries (in fact, Belarus does not even qualify for Dutch financial assistance), [1] there does exist relations between the two countries on various levels.
For many years children suffering from the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster had been vacationing abroad, about 1500 to 2000 annually came to the Netherlands. In 2008, Belarus refused to give visa to those children after a 16-year-old Belarus girl had applied for asylum in the United States; [6] Belarus also claimed that some children had not returned from vacations in the United States and Italy. Stichting Rusland Kinderhulp, the organization responsible for the housing of those children in the Netherlands, exerted pressure on the Belarus embassy in The Hague to re-open the borders. [7] An announcement was made around Christmas 2008 that, after months of negotiations between the two countries, a group of children were allowed to spend Christmas in the Netherlands and that the travel ban was postponed until 20 January 2009. [8]
Events surrounding the 2006 Belarusian presidential election, which were widely criticized by European countries and the US, have added tension to already difficult relationships between the countries. A few Dutch politicians who were to have observed the elections but whose visa were revoked, protested at the Belarus border. [9]
The fallout from the elections led to the arrest of many Belarusian students, and some of them lost their passports. A request by a Dutch political party to the Dutch government to relax passport requirements for such students was denied by the Dutch Minister of Integration and Immigration, Rita Verdonk, though Verdonk did promise to exert political pressure on the Belarus government if they refused to grant travel permits to those students. [10] The Netherlands did attempt to pressure the Belarus government; for example, the Dutch foreign minister convinced the European Union that a planned Interpol summit planned to take place in Minsk be boycotted. [11] Groups in the Netherlands, meanwhile, protest what they call the lack of political and religious freedom in Belarus. [12]
The Byelorussian SSR was one of only two Soviet republics to be separate members of the United Nations. Both republics and the Soviet Union joined the UN when the organization was founded in 1945.
The foreign policy of the Netherlands is based on four basic commitments: to the Atlantic cooperation, to European integration, to international development and to international law. While historically the Kingdom of the Netherlands was a neutral state, since 1945 it has become a member of NATO, the United Nations, the European Union and many other international organizations. The Dutch economy is very open and relies on international trade. During and after the 17th century—its Golden Age—the Dutch built up a commercial and colonial empire. It was a leading shipping and naval power and was often at war with England, its main rival. Its main colonial holding was Indonesia, which fought for and achieved independence after 1945. The historical ties inherited from its colonial past still influence the foreign relations of the Netherlands. Foreign trade policy is handled by the European Union. The Dutch have been active in international peacekeeping roles.
Albert Gerard Koenders is a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2017. He is currently a professor at Leiden University and a special envoy of the World Bank. He is also a member of the board of trustees of the International Crisis Group and a commissioner of the International Commission on Missing Persons.
Mutual relations between the Republic of Belarus and the European Union (EU) were initially established after the European Economic Community recognised Belarusian independence in 1991.
The Republic of Abkhazia is a partially recognized state in the South Caucasus which declared independence from Georgia during the War in Abkhazia (1992–1993). At the time, the Soviet Union had recently collapsed (1991).
Netherlands–Russia relations is the relationships between the two countries, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and The Russian Federation. Russia has an embassy in The Hague, and the Netherlands has an embassy in Moscow, a consulate in Saint Petersburg, and an honorary consulate in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Kosovo–Netherlands relations are foreign relations between Kosovo and the Netherlands. Kosovo declared its independence on 17 February 2008 and the Netherlands recognised it on 4 March 2008. The Netherlands have maintained an embassy in Pristina since 27 June 2008, and Kosovo opened an embassy in The Hague in November 2009. Relations between the two countries are considered to be good and the Netherlands offers support to various projects in Kosovo with the goal of aiding the country in its transition to democracy.
On December 31, 1991, SFR Yugoslavia recognized Belarus by the decision on the recognition of the former republics of the USSR.
Belarus and Ukraine are both are full members of the Baku Initiative and Central European Initiative. In 2020, during the Belarusian protests against president Lukashenko, the relationship between Ukraine and Belarus began to deteriorate, after the Ukrainian government criticized Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko. In the waning days of 2021, the relationship between both countries rapidly deteriorated, culminating in a full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022. Belarus has allowed the stationing of Russian troops and equipment in its territory and its use as a springboard for offensives into northern Ukraine but has denied the presence of Belarusian troops in Ukraine. Even though part of the Russian invasion was launched from Belarus, Ukraine did not break off diplomatic relations with Belarus, but remain frozen.
Croatian–Dutch are foreign relations between Croatia and Netherlands. Both countries established diplomatic relations on April 23, 1992. Croatia has an embassy in The Hague. The Netherlands have an embassy in Zagreb and 3 honorary consulates . Both countries are full members of the European Union and NATO. Netherlands joined the EU as a founding member state, and Croatia joined the EU in 2013. The Netherlands has given full support to Croatia's membership in the European Union and NATO.
Belarus and Lithuania established diplomatic relations on 24 October 1991, shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The two countries share 680 kilometres (420 mi) of common border. Lithuania's border with Belarus is the country's longest border. For Belarus it is its 3rd-longest border.
Dutch-Serbian are foreign relations between the Netherlands and Serbia. Both countries re-established diplomatic relations on April 26, 1899. The Netherlands is an EU member while Serbia is an EU candidate.
Belgian–Dutch relations refer to interstate relations between Belgium and the Netherlands. It can be seen as one of the closest international relationships in existence, marked by shared history, culture, institutions and language, extensive people-to-people links, aligned security interests, sporting tournaments and vibrant trade and investment cooperation. Both nations are members of the European Union and NATO and, together with Luxembourg, form the Low Countries and the Benelux economic union.
Dutch-Hungarian relations are foreign relations between the Netherlands and Hungary. The Netherlands have an embassy in Budapest and an honorary consulate in Pécs. Hungary has an embassy in The Hague and 6 honorary consulates.
The Republic of Poland and the Republic of Belarus established diplomatic relations on 2 March 1992. Poland was one of the first countries to recognise Belarusian independence. Both countries share a border and have shared histories, for they have been part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and later, the Russian Empire. They joined the United Nations together in October 1945 as original members. The two countries are currently engaged in a border crisis.
Albania has an embassy in the Hague and the Netherlands has an embassy in Tirana.
The name Belarus can be literally translated as White Ruthenia.
The Embassy of Belarus in London is the diplomatic mission of Belarus in the United Kingdom. It is situated just south of Kensington Gardens between the Embassy of Azerbaijan and the Embassy of Mongolia.
France–Netherlands relations are the interstate and bilateral relations between France and the Netherlands. The two countries notably share a border division in the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, to which the northern part of the island is a French overseas collectivity known as the Collectivity of Saint Martin, while the southern part of the island is a Dutch constituent country known as Sint Maarten. Relations between the two countries date back to the 17th and 18th centuries when a conflict led to the transformation of the Dutch Republic to the Batavian Republic and eventually the Kingdom of Holland. The two countries currently enjoy close cultural and economic relations. Both nations are members of the OECD and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, as well as founding members of the European Union, NATO, and the United Nations.
Kazakhstan–Netherlands relations refer to the bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and the Netherlands. The Netherlands has an embassy in Astana. Kazakhstan has an embassy in The Hague.