Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp sat down with his Iranian counterpart on Wednesday to discuss “de-escalation in the Middle East,” just days after his government declared it would break off all “non-essential” contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I can confirm that I’m speaking with the Iranian Foreign Minister, Mr. [Abbas] Araghchi today,” the top diplomat told the Netherlands’ NOS News public broadcaster ahead of the meeting in The Hague.
“That conversation fits in with the commitment to achieve de-escalation in the Middle East. That seems like a general diplomatic term, but we want to give it concrete expression,” he continued.
Asked why he was hosting Araghchi, Veldkamp said: “Engaging in a conversation with someone else on a diplomatic level does not mean that you are going to bow down to them. On the contrary.”
The Dutch diplomat claimed that “friendly nations” were updated ahead of Araghchi’s arrival via Meraj Air, which is subject to U.S. sanctions due to its role in transporting arms to Iran’s terror proxies in the Middle East.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a JNS query as to whether Jerusalem was informed ahead of Wednesday’s meeting.
“Given the ongoing oppression of its own population and the disruptive role that Iran plays in the Middle East, it is deeply regrettable that Foreign Minister Veldkamp today received his Iranian colleague, Abbas Araghchi, with diplomatic honors,” tweeted the Iran Free Committee (IFC).
Based in The Hague and chaired by former Dutch foreign minister Uri Rosenthal, the IFC counts Iranian dissidents among its members.
“The minister [Araghchi] served in the infamous Iranian [Islamic] Revolutionary Guard from 1979 to 1989,” it noted. “Our parliament and the European Parliament have repeatedly urged to list [the] Revolutionary Guards as a terror group. Veldkamp is blatantly ignoring the wishes of our representatives.”
On Nov. 21, Veldkamp announced that his government would scrap all “non-essential contacts” with the Israeli prime minister in response to the International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued against him earlier that day.
“The Netherlands obviously respects the independence of the ICC and does not interfere in the substance of investigations conducted by the ICC,” he stated. “We will examine the ruling, but the position of the Cabinet is clear: We are a party to the Rome Statute, and based on the Rome Statute [which established the court] and the ICC Implementing Act, we are obliged to cooperate with the ICC, and we will also do that.”
Israel Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar subsequently announced that Veldkamp’s planned visit to the Jewish state on Nov. 25 would be canceled.
Sa’ar expressed “his disappointment, on behalf of the government of Israel and the people of Israel, regarding his [Veldkamp’s] statement in the Dutch parliament following the court’s decision.” He also presented Israel’s stance “on this outrageous and politically motivated decision.”
