Iran Embassy Decries Dutch Politician’s Move to Dump Christmas Present
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s embassy in the Netherlands expressed regret that leader of a Dutch political party has thrown a Christmas present from the embassy into a garbage can in front of television cameras, saying the political figure has been mistaken about recipients of such presents.
In a statement released on Saturday, Iran’s diplomatic mission to The Hague denounced as “shallow and unseemly” a TV report showing Henk Krol -leader of the 50PLUS political party of the Netherlands- dumping a Christmas present from the Iranian embassy into a garbage can.
A report from a local Dutch TV shows Krol reading out a message on a Christmas card from Iran’s embassy before throwing a pack of pistachios into dustbin, on the pretext that female figures have not received such Iranian gifts.
In its statement, the Iranian embassy said it sends Christmas cards and little presents, usually souvenirs of Iran, to Dutch officials and figures every year, regardless of their gender.
This year, the embassy expanded the list of Dutch recipients and sent such presents to party figures in the Dutch parliament as well, the statement added, expressing regret that Mr. Krol has taken such a measure with a “faulty and negative” attitude towards the Iranian government.
A lot of women have been among the recipients of Christmas presents from the Iranian embassy, it added.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who won a second term in May election, has repeatedly voiced Tehran’s readiness to expand political relations with the European Union members.
In October 2016, Iran’s ambassador to Netherlands highlighted the importance of bilateral relations between the two countries, saying Tehran and Amsterdam plan to promote trade ties based on a well-defined roadmap.
