Dutch Foreign Minister defends diplomats participation in Azerbaijani tour of Nagorno-Karabakh

The Dutch government has defended the participation of Dutch diplomats in a controversial Azerbaijani-organised visit to Nagorno-Karabakh, arguing that such trips are a normal part of diplomatic work despite ongoing international concerns over cultural heritage, disputed historical narratives and the 2023 exodus of more than 100,000 Armenians from the region. Yet the answers reveal a delicate balancing act: The Hague is backing the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process while carefully avoiding judgments on some of the conflict’s most politically sensitive questions.