Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Resigns Over a Lie on the Meeting with Putin

• 02.14.2018, 13:18
•  Europe,  World

EPA-EFE/FILIP SINGER

The Dutch foreign affairs minister, Halbe Zijlstr, resigned Tuesday, a day after admitting that he lied about attending a meeting hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin more than a decade ago, abc News reports.

An emotional Halbe Zijlstra announced his resignation at the start of a debate Tuesday at which he was expected to be grilled by opposition lawmakers about the lie. He called it "by far the biggest mistake I have committed in my entire career."

"This is about the credibility of the minister of foreign affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands," Zijlstra said. "That credibility must be beyond doubt."