Following the Dutch parliament's recent statement about the alleged forced eviction of Armenian residents from Karabakh, the government of the Netherlands has now demonstrated its biased stance against Azerbaijan.
According to Report, the foreign policy program published on the Dutch government's website on September 13 refers to Karabakh as an occupied region and mentions it as "Nagorno-Karabakh." Dutch state and government officials, who have never spoken out about the forcible expulsion of nearly 300,000 Western Azerbaijanis from Armenia in 1988, are now following France's lead in acting as Armenian accomplices.
But why are such biased and unjust statements being made against Azerbaijan? The Dutch government is formed by parties that win parliamentary elections. The government, whose program is approved by parliament, must report to the legislature. For this reason, the government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rarely object to parliament on issues related to Azerbaijan. These structures, to varying degrees, obediently follow the instructions of deputies, in most cases basing their position on Armenian narratives and assertions.
Interestingly, the Dutch government's foreign policy program announced on September 13 includes a section on strengthening relations with Armenia. It notes that for economic development and better connection to regional (transport) communications, the Armenian side should "be able to make maximum use of available EU funds," including Global Gateway and others.
It is strange that the document talks a lot about the fight against terrorism, the rule of international law, portrays Russia as an aggressor, Iran as a human rights violator, and China as a country trying to seize the international order. Apparently, the Netherlands forgets about its own colonial policy, which it has pursued for centuries on the island of Bonaire. Can a country that has occupied an island located 90 km north of the coast of Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea for about 400 years and violates the rights of its population speak about the rule of law?
Unlike the Netherlands, which today does not recognize any rights of the residents of Bonaire, official Baku has repeatedly called for the integration of the Armenian population of Karabakh into Azerbaijan. However, the Karabakh Armenians, not responding to this call, preferred to move to Armenia.