THE HAGUE, February 9. /TASS/. Trade and economic relations between Russia and the Netherlands are going through difficult times, Russian Ambassador to the Netherlands Vladimir Tarabrin said in an interview with TASS.

"Trade turnover between the kingdom and Russia during the first nine months of 2023 decreased by a record 84%," he stated, without citing specific figures.

"This is a consequence of the actions of the European Union to undermine the cooperation of member countries with Russia by introducing sanctions, which increased exponentially after the start of the special military operation. It is noteworthy that the Netherlands immediately joined restrictive measures and took a direct part in their development to the detriment of their national economy," the diplomat noted.

Due to the imposed embargo "supplies of Russian hydrocarbons (pipeline oil and gas, as well as coal), which traditionally formed the core of Russian-Dutch trade interaction, were suspended," Tarabrin stressed.

In addition to that, the near complete lack of the ability to make bank transfers, as well as the cessation of freight road transport also negatively affected bilateral trade. The Dutch authorities have launched a hunt for sanctioned Russian assets, and enterprises that continue to do business with Russian partners often face claims from the Dutch authorities due to the fact that the products they supply allegedly have a dual purpose, the ambassador noted.

"In such conditions, it is unrealistic to hope for economic interaction to go back to what it was," he concluded.

Nevertheless, the Dutch side continues to export Russian liquefied natural gas, which is not subject to EU sanctions, the diplomat noted.

"As for energy cooperation, in recent years, following the Netherlands’ move away from domestic gas production at Europe’s largest field in the province of Groningen, diversifying energy sources became a priority for the country. In this regard, the kingdom has relied on increasing capacity for the storage of liquefied natural gas. The Netherlands receives this fuel, which is not subject to EU sanctions, in particular from Russia," the diplomat said.

According to the Netherlands Central Bureau of Statistics, in 2022, exports to Russia amounted to 3.7 billion euros, and imports from Russia amounted to almost 21 billion euros. Data for 2023 has not yet been published.