THE HAGUE, February 2. /TASS/. Dutch Ambassador to Russia Joanneke Balfoort said that The Hague considers it important to keep diplomatic channels of interaction with Moscow open.

"We also do diplomacy with countries with which we have difficult relations, including Russia. It is important to keep such diplomatic channels open," she said on the NPO2 TV channel. According to her, representatives of the Netherlands maintain "functional" contacts with Russian diplomats.

Balfoort has been the ambassador to Russia since July 2024. Previously, she worked as Director of the Department of Security and Defense at the European External Action Service in Brussels, and before that she was in charge of security issues at the Dutch Foreign Ministry.