TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Dutch House of Representatives passed a proposal calling for the government to support Taiwan’s participation in the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), the Taipei Representative Office in the Netherlands reported Tuesday (Nov. 23).
Among the 150 representatives, an estimated 149 voted in favor of the proposal, and one was absent. This marks another round of active support for Taiwan from Dutch legislators, who in 2019 passed a bill to support the country's presence in international organizations.
Christian Democratic Appeal member Agnes Mulder and Reformed Political Party leader Kees van der Staaij made the proposal during a debate on foreign affairs budgets last week. The proposal highlighted Taiwan’s commercial and anti-crime partnerships with the Netherlands and the European Union and pushed for discussion on letting Taiwan join Interpol’s general assembly, other meetings, and relevant training programs as an observer.
The Taipei Representative Office in the Netherlands thanked the Dutch parliament for its support. It cited Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Ben Knapen as saying Taiwan should not be deprived of the right to access transnational criminal information, nor should the international community be deprived of the right to learn from Taiwan’s experience and opinion.
Our heartfelt thanks to the overwhelming support from the Dutch parliament @2eKamertweets for supporting Taiwan’s meaningful participation in @INTERPOL_HQ @keesvdstaaij @AgnesMulderCDA #TaiwanCanHelp #TaiwanIsHelping pic.twitter.com/tzQBI36FL3
— Taiwan_in_NL (@Taiwan_in_NL) November 23, 2021
