Nicaragua cuts diplomatic ties with Netherlands, calls them ‘interventionist’

On Friday, Nicaragua’s government released a statement which indicated that they have severed all diplomatic ties with the Netherlands. This comes hours after the former also refused entry to a new ambassador from the United States and days after they declared the European Union ambassador as “persona non grata”.

In relation to the Netherlands, the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry said, “Nicaragua, faced with the repeated meddling, interventionist and neocolonialist position of the Kingdom of the Netherlands”. They also accused the Netherlands of using threats and “suspensions of works for the common good”.

The statement was published late on Friday and reportedly earlier on the same day, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega had lashed out at the European nation after the Dutch ambassador for Central America, Christine Pirenne informed the president that they would not be funding the hospital they had promised to build years ago.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

“Those who come to disrespect our people, our homeland, they should not appear again in Nicaragua. And we do not want relations with that interventionist government,” said Ortega. This comes a day after Pirenne was visiting Nicaragua’s capital Managua and informed him of the European nation’s decision. “The ambassador came to speak to Nicaraguans as if Nicaragua is a Dutch colony,” said the Nicaraguan president.

Notably, the Netherlands closed its offices in the Central American country back in 2013 and does all its diplomatic work from Costa Rica. On Saturday, the European nation criticised the decision of cutting diplomatic ties as a Dutch foreign ministry spokesman told AFP, “It is regrettable that Nicaragua has chosen to respond in this disproportionate way to a critical message about democracy and human rights.”

ALSO READ:Jailed Nicaraguan opposition leader Chamorro, brother found guilty

On the other hand, on Friday, Nicaragua’s Vice President, Rosario Murillo and Ortega's wife said that US envoy Hugo Rodriguez will be barred from the country. “Let that be clear to the imperialists,” she said. According to reports, the US Senate confirmed Rodriguez’s posting on Thursday, however, the Central American country had already indicated that they will reject him back in July.

The decision was made after his “disrespectful” comments during the Senate hearing. Hugo had called Nicaragua a “pariah state” and Ortega’s government a “dictatorship”, and went on to tell the Senate that he would “support using all economic and diplomatic tools to bring about a change in direction in Nicaragua.” This was in addition to him suggesting the removal of the Central American country from the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement.

According to local media, on Wednesday, Ortega’s government also asked the EU ambassador Bettina Muscheidt to leave the country without any specific reason. On the same day, the Nicaraguan President also branded the Catholic Church as a “perfect dictatorship” and accused them of backing the protests against him in 2018. The demonstrations had begun after Ortega’s government planned welfare cuts but subsequently spiralled into a protest against him.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE