Foreign Affairs Minister Halbe Zijlstra announced his resignation Tuesday, saying the hit to his credibility made staying in the role untenable.
"I see no other option today than to hand in my resignation to his majesty the King," a tearful Zijkstra told MPs in parliament. "The Netherlands deserves a minister who is above any doubt."
"This is by far the biggest mistake I have made in my career."
The foreign minister had faced growing calls from the opposition to step down
after conceding Monday that he fibbed about being a guest at a gathering hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin over a decade ago.
Caught in a lie
But this week the foreign minister said he was not in fact present at the meeting, and had heard about it from someone else. He has since sought to defend the mischaracterization of his involvement in the event by saying he considered Putin's statements geopolitically important.
"I wanted to tell this story convincingly without revealing my source... I should not have done it. I am sorry," he told MPs.
Russia: 'Fake news'
The Russian Embassy said in a statement that Zijlstra's actions were an example of "fake news directed against our country."
The allegations "do not hold up against any criticism and are only intended to spread false perceptions of Russia's intentions," it said. "Dutch officials are constantly making such unfounded statements."
Zijlstra's resignation came at the start of a hastily called session of parliament in the Hague at which he was expected to face questioning from opposition lawmakers over the affair. Prime Minister Rutte described the lie as a "big mistake," but had nevertheless stood by his minister.
The diplomat had been due to travel to Moscow to meet with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on Wednesday.
nm/kms (Reuters, AP)
| | Dutch foreign minister quits after lying about Putin meeting By Reuters Editorial Dutch Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra quit on Tuesday after admitting that he had lied about attending a meeting... | | | |
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