Russia does not consider the Netherlands has finished dealing with the aftermath of the arrest of its diplomat Dmitri Borodin and still wants the ‘guilty parties’ to be punished, according to Dutch media reports on Thursday afternoon.

‘The apologies offered by the Netherlands cannot be regarded as the end of the matter,’ a spokesman for the Russian media is reported as saying. The spokesman repeated demands that the ‘attackers’ be punished and said Borodin and his family should be paid compensation for moral and material damage.

Borodin was arrested 10 days ago after neighbours said he was abusing his children. The Netherlands apologised for the arrest on Wednesday, saying it had broken rules on diplomatic immunity.

Tension

Tensions between the Netherlands and Russia further increased this week when the Dutch number two at its embassy in Moscow was attacked at home.

However, the Russian foreign ministry spokesman said he hoped the recent incidents would not damage the relationship between the two countries.

‘The Netherlands is one of the biggest investors, not just in Europe but in the world, and we are very keen to keep our far-reaching alliance,’ he is quoted as saying.