Welcome to the website of the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Moscow

Welcome to the website of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Moscow. Feel free to look around and learn more about the Embassy and its work. On the website you can also find information about Russia itself and links to more detailed information on political, economic, agricultural and cultural issues.

A brief history of Dutch-Russian relations

The Netherlands and Russia first established permanent diplomatic missions in each other’s countries in the 17th century, and trade relations between the two countries go back even further. Nevertheless, Peter the Great’s 1696 visit to the Netherlands is generally regarded as the start of bilateral relations. On this visit, which was part of a European tour undertaken to find out how he could modernise Russia, Peter the Great threw himself into the study of carpentry, shipbuilding and the Dutch language. Russian still has more than 3000 words of Dutch origin, including a large number of shipping terms.

The intensity of Dutch-Russian relations fluctuated after the tsar’s visit. The October Revolution in 1917, followed not long afterwards by the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and his family, resulted in a breach in diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the new Bolshevist state. It was not until 1942, when the Soviet Union chose to fight on the side of the Allies in the Second World War, that the Netherlands recognised the USSR and reinstated diplomatic relations.

Dutch-Russian relations today

Today, the Netherlands is one of the largest investors in the Russian Federation and one of its five biggest trading partners. Russian fossil fuels and Dutch cattle, flowers, banking know-how and cutting-edge technology are the foundation of this economic relationship.

Not only do we have a flourishing economic relationship, our countries’ governments have also forged close ties. Queen Beatrix paid a state visit to Russia in 2001, and then-President Putin returned the visit in 2005. Our prime ministers meet on a regular basis (Jan Peter Balkenende visited Russia in 2005 and 2007, and then-Prime Minister Victor Zubkov visited the Netherlands in April 2008). So do Russian and Dutch ministers and senior officials. All sorts of subjects are discussed at these meetings, not just those issues on which the two sides are in agreement.

While government and the private sector play key roles in maintaining a bilateral partnership, our relationship would be a poor one if the people of Russia and the Netherlands had no interest in each other’s countries. Happily, in this regard, Dutch-Russian relations have been going from strength to strength. The number of Dutch people visiting Russia is increasing steadily, while the number of Russian visitors to the Netherlands is growing at an astounding rate of over 20% per year.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact my staff or myself by telephone or email.

R.Keller

Ambassador