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11 October 2013 14:27

Note of the Embassy of the Netherlands

1996-11-10-2013

PRESS RELEASE

On the 11 October, the Ambassador of the Netherlands in Moscow, Ron van Dartel, visited the First European Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and submitted a copy of the note transferred earlier by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands to the Ambassador of Russia in The Hague.

It contained an acknowledgement that the arrest and detention of the Russian diplomat, who has a right to personal diplomatic immunity, was a violation by the Kingdom of the Netherlands of its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961. To that end, the Kingdom of the Netherlands apologises to the Russian Federation.

The note expressed a wish for further close contacts for a full clarification of this case in a spirit of mutual cooperation.

The Russian party clearly stated that we continue to await further related steps, in particular, the bringing to account of the Dutch officials, who committed the violations of international law acknowledged by the Dutch party.

11 October 2013

the Kingdom of the Netherlands

KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

1. General information about the country

The Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of the mainland Netherlands as a state in Europe, located on the North Sea coast in the estuaries of the Rhine (the Waal), the Meuse and the Scheldt, and three island states in the Caribbean: Curacao, Aruba, and the Dutch part of Sint Maarten. The Caribbean islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba received the status of special municipalities in 2010 and became administrative part of the European Netherlands. The Netherlands borders Germany and Belgium. The coastline is 451 km long, the total length of the land border is 1027 km. The total area is 37400 km2 (26% below sea level).

As of April 2023, the Dutch population is estimated at 17.8 million.
24.4% of the population are first and second generation immigrants from other countries. Most immigrants come from Turkey, Morocco, Suriname, and Indonesia. The average population density is 421 people per square kilometer: one of the highest in the world. Religion: 22% Catholics, 15% Protestants of different denominations, 5% Muslims, 5% other religions, around 53% do not associate themselves with any religion.

The capital is Amsterdam (950 thousand residents, around 1.6 million with suburbs). The Royal House, parliament, government, and the diplomatic corps are located in The Hague (549 thousand residents). The largest cities are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht.

Administratively the Netherlands is divided into 12 provinces. The provinces are divided into municipalities (355 units). Waterschappen (water districts, 21 units) are special administrative units subordinate to provinces, municipalities, and the Department of Water Management and Dam Supervision of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.

According to the 1983 Constitution, the Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. The head of state is King Willem-Alexander (Orange-Nassau dynasty), born in 1967. He ascended the throne on April 30, 2013.

The supreme bodies of state power according to the Constitution are the First and Second Chambers of the General States (Parliament), the Council of State (serves as a constitutional court), the Court of Audit (audits and controls financial activities of state bodies), and the National Ombudsman (human rights commission). These five most important Dutch state institutions are called the Highest State Colleges (Hoge Colleges van Staat).

Executive power is exercised by the Government, which under the Constitution consists of the King and the Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister. The current coalition government was formed after the elections of January 10, 2022 by the People`s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), Democrats 66 (D66), the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), and the Christian Union (CU). The Prime Minister is Mark Rutte, 1967, the chairman of VVD.

Legislative power is exercised by the monarch (nominally) and the General States (Parliament), consisting of the First (upper) and Second (lower) houses elected for four years.

The regular elections to the Second Chamber were held on March 17, 2021. The president since April 7, 2021 is Vera Bergkamp (D66).

The First Chamber (Senate) is elected by the members of the Provincial States – the parliaments of the 12 Dutch provinces. The regular provincial elections took place on March 20, 2019; the elections to the First Chamber were held on May 30, 2023. The president of the Senate has not been appointed yet.

The state language is Dutch (Frisian, Limburgish, Low Saxon, Yiddish and Sinte Romani are considered official languages in several provinces).

The flag is tricolour (red, white, blue from top to bottom).

The coat of arms features a blue shield with a golden crown supported by two lions. On the shield is a rampant crowned lion with a sword in its paw, below is the royal motto “Je maintiendrai” (“I will maintain”). The national anthem is “Wilhelmus” (“The William”).

Holidays: April 27 – King`s day (national holiday), May 5 – Liberation day (day of the liberation of the Netherlands from the Nazi occupation). A number of church holidays (Christmas, Easter Monday, Ascension Day and Pentecost) are official holidays.

The currency since January 1, 2002 is the euro.

2. Historical overview

The Dutch are descendants of Germanic and Frankish tribes of the Batavians, Saxons and Frisians, who lived in the Low Countries (the present-day Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and parts of Northern France). The formation of the Dutch nation began during the Burgundian period (14th-15th centuries), when the foundations of a centralized state were laid, the General States were created, and the Netherlands became one of the richest and most prosperous regions of Europe. The current Kingdom of the Netherlands emerged in 1815 by the decision of the Congress of Vienna, and the power passed to the Orange-Nassau dynasty, which remains in power up to this day.

A special place in the history of the Netherlands and Russian-Dutch relations belongs to Grand Duchess Anna Pavlovna, the daughter of Paul I and wife of King Willem (Wilhelm) II, to whom Alexander Pushkin dedicated his famous ode “To the Prince of Orange”. The current King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, is her direct descendant. Dutch honor the memory of Anna Pavlovna, many streets in different cities of the Kingdom are named after her.

3. Socio-economic situation and foreign trade

The Netherlands is integrated into the world economy and is focused on broad participation in international trade. Several major seaports (the main one is Rotterdam ranking 5th in the world and 1st in Europe in terms of cargo turnover) offer their services. The main airport Schiphol is the 3rd largest in Europe and 11th largest in the world in terms of passenger and cargo turnover.

In terms of tax regime, infrastructure, and skill level of the workforce Netherlands is in 4th place in the list of the most competitive economies in the world.

The main sectors are services, mechanical engineering, chemical and electronics industry, agriculture, energy industry.

Leading positions in a number of sectors of the global economy are occupied by transnational corporations registered in the Netherlands: Gasunie (gas transportation and storage), ING (financial services), Phillips (medical and lighting equipment, and household appliances), Corus Nederland (metallurgy), DAF Trucks (truck industry), Damen (shipbuilding), DSM (chemicals and high-tech materials), AkzoNobel (chemical industry), ASML and NXP (semiconductors), TomTom (navigation systems), Aegon (insurance), KLM/Air France (air travel), KPMG (consulting services), Friesland Campina (dairy products). The small but highly efficient agricultural sector plays an important role, employing about 3% of the working population and generation about 10% of GDP.

Foreign trade: according to the Central Bureau of Statistics of the Netherlands, the export volume in 2021 amounted to 586 billion euros, import volume – 526 billion euros (trade surplus – 60 billion euros). The main trading partners: exports – Germany (22.8% of total exports), Belgium (10.8%), France (8.1%), the United States (4.8%), Italy (4.3%); imports – Germany (17.3%), China (10.2%), Belgium (9.9%), the United States (7.6%), France (3.5%), Russia (3.4%).

4. Foreign policy

The Kingdom participates in international and regional organizations: UN, WTO, OSCE, Council of Europe, OECD and others. The United Nations International Court of Justice, the OPCW headquarters, the International Criminal Court and other bodies are located in the country.

The Netherlands is a member of the EU (since 1957) and NATO (since 1949). The Hague sees the UN as a universal mechanism for peace and security.

The Kingdom is active in operations abroad. Dutch soldiers are involved in the UN mission in Mali (70 personnel) and the UN Truce Supervision Organization in the Middle East (16 personnel). The country has sent its soldiers to participate in NATO operations in Libya and Afghanistan, and as part of the Combined Joined Task Force headed by the United States.

On international platforms, the Netherlands has outlined protection of human rights, promotion of international development, disarmament, fighting climate change and corruption as its priorities.

Against the background of the special military operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine the Dutch authorities follow the consolidated line of the EU and NATO, supporting restrictive measures against Russia and providing large-scale military, financial, and humanitarian assistance to Kiev.

5. Culture

The Netherlands is home to many museums, with the most famous being the State Museum (Amsterdam), the Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam), the Mauritshuis (The Hague), Het Loo Palace (Apeldoorn).

The most famous Dutch painters are Bosch, Rembrandt, Hals and Van Gogh.

The Hague, Amsterdam and Rotterdam are the centers of modern cultural life, where major events featuring leading performers from the Netherlands and abroad are held regularly.

Diplomatic and consular missions of Russia

Embassy of Russia in the Netherlands (Haague)
Consular Division of the Russian Embassy in the Netherlands (Haague)
Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to OPCW (Haague,Netherlands)
Honorary Consul for the provinces of North Brabant and Limburg

Netherlands

Embassy of Russia in the Netherlands (Haague)

Address :: Andries Bickerweg 2, 2517 JP The Hague, The Netherlands.

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: -

Phone :: +31 70 346-88-88
Hotline :: +31 64 642-48-11
Fax: +31 70 361-79-60
E-mail: rusembassynl@mid.ru
Web: https://netherlands.mid.ru; Twitter; Facebook; Youtube; Telegram; Vkontakte

Netherlands

Consular Division of the Russian Embassy in the Netherlands (Haague)

Address :: Scheveningseweg 2, 2517 KT The Hague, The Netherlands

Phone :: +31 70 744-82-29
Fax: +31 70 212-44-42
E-mail: infocon.nl@mid.ru
Web: https://netherlands.mid.ru/ru/consular-services/

Netherlands

Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to OPCW (Haague,Netherlands)

Address :: Andries Bickerweg 2, 2517 JP The Hague, The Netherlands

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Phone :: +31 70 345-13-00
+31 70 346-88-88

Netherlands

Honorary Consul for the provinces of North Brabant and Limburg

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Phone :: + 31 653400383
E-mail: info@rhcm.nl
Web: https://rhcm.nl

Representative offices in Russia

Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Russian Federation

Netherlands

Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Russian Federation

Address:: 115127, г. Москва, Калашный переулок, дом 6

Phone:: +7 495 797-29-00
Fax: +7 495 797-29-04
E-mail: mos@minbuza.nl
Web: https://www.niderlandy-i-vy.nl/

des Königreichs der Niederlande

Note of the Embassy of the Netherlands

General Information

Diplomatic and consular missions of Russia

Embassy of Russia in the Netherlands (Haague)

Consular Division of the Russian Embassy in the Netherlands (Haague)

Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to OPCW (Haague,Netherlands)

Honorary Consul for the provinces of North Brabant and Limburg

Representative offices in Russia

Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Russian Federation

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