The largest Dutch companies lined up to meet the prime minister, demanding not to worsen relations with Russia
For the Dutch authorities, economic relations with Russia are more important than human rights, writes Robert van Voren, a Dutch Sovietologist and Secretary General of the international organization Global Initiative in Psychiatry, in an opinion column on the pages of the Kiev magazine “New Time”.
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The author expresses his dissatisfaction with the fact that the British authorities for a long time were in no hurry to accuse Russia of involvement in the death of defector Litvinenko, so as not to worsen relations with Moscow.
“Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte faced a similar dilemma: any harsh reaction would lead to a deterioration in relations with Russia. In addition, large companies like Philips are already lined up, persuading the prime minister to behave carefully and not spoil relations even more, says Voren. “The traditional Dutch approach is that they talk about human rights and convince the world that this is the cornerstone of Dutch foreign policy, but when it comes to trade and economic relations, everything changes.”
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