Three new Dutch embassies to cope with migration, terrorism, human rights

The Netherlands is opening three new embassies in Armenia, Niger and Burkina Faso in order to be "better prepared for migration flows and to be able to cope with terrorism and human rights violations", Minister Stef Blok of Foreign Affairs announced in a letter to parliament.

The new Dutch embassy in Armenia will be opened in Yerevan. According to Blok, Armenia's location sandwiched between Russia, Turkey and Iran makes the country of strategic importance. The new Armenian government is working on modernizing the country and fighting corruption, and Blok believes the Netherlands can support this process. 

The Netherlands opened embassy offices in Niger and Burkina Faso, as branches of the Dutch embassy in Mali, in 2018. These two offices, located in Niamey and Ouagadougou respectively, will be turned into fully-fledged embassies. 

"Local problems in this region in the field of terrorism and migration have direct consequences for the Netherlands," Blok said about these two new embassies. "If we do not export stability to that region, we will import instability. By doing more in and with these countries, the Netherlands can better represent its own interests."

The Netherlands now counts 109 embassies, 28 consulates-general, and 13 permanent representations at international organizations like the EU, the UN, and NATO.