MOSCOW, November 24. /TASS/. The Dutch government has been trying to push the ratification of the EU-Ukrainian Association Agreement by whipping up the so-called Russian threat, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
According to her, the Dutch authorities have been using the alleged Russian military threat "to highlight the need to ratify the EU-Ukrainian Association Agreement, they have been pursuing this policy disregarding reality and common sense." Zakharova went on to say that "after a cabinet meeting on the association agreement, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte once again mentioned the growing Russian threat and called for the ratification of the agreement." "It seems that the Russian threat incantation is being used to mislead the Dutch people."
"In this connection the question arises whether the Dutch people need Ukraine to be an associate member of the EU bound to serve as a buffer state whose citizens will be treated as guinea pigs in some Russophobic experiments of the European politicians," she added.
The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman also pointed out that the Dutch foreign ministry continued to whip up anti-Russian sentiment. "In particular, they make statements on human rights situation in Russia. Dutch top diplomat Bert Koenders admitted that €750,000 have been allocated to the Holland’s Embassy in Moscow and Consulate General in St. Petersburg in order to make payments to the Russian non-governmental organizations."
Zakharova supposed that Holland’s citizens had not been informed about this, given the crisis the EU was facing particularly as a result of the inflow of refugees from the Middle East and North Africa. So the Dutch government is ready to spent taxpayers' money on propaganda and various anti-Russian initiatives bordering on interfering in Russia’s internal affairs," she stated. "Before allocating funding to the Russian NGOs, they should have tackled their own human rights issues.".