Nicaragua has severed diplomatic ties with the Netherlands due to disagreements over the financing of a hospital. The stumbling block is a decision by the Netherlands to stop funding for the project. The Nicaraguan government accuses The Hague of “neo-colonialism”, several news agencies quoted a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.
Ambassador Christine Pirenne announced on Thursday that she would no longer fund the hospital, according to AFP news agency. These messages have not yet been confirmed. After her visit, Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega is said to have severed diplomatic relations with The Hague because, in the eyes of Nicaragua, The Hague acted “repeatedly meddlesome, interventionist and neocolonial”.
The attitude of Ambassador Pirenne – who paid a visit on Thursday – would also have aroused resentment at Ortega. In a television statement, he is said to have said that she addressed the Nicagaruans as if the country were “a Dutch colony”. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet responded to the case on Saturday morning.