​​​​​​ISTANBUL

The Russian Embassy in the Netherlands criticized the Dutch Foreign Ministry on Friday for statements about “political prisoners” in Russia.

It called the comments “unacceptable interference” in Russia’s internal affairs.

The embassy said it viewed “with growing bewilderment” Dutch authorities’ “attempts to publicly challenge the verdicts of Russian courts in a completely unfounded manner.”

“It would be more reasonable for Dutch officials to focus their ‘considerable talents’ on solving their own pressing issues,” it said in a statement, listing “political disagreements on migration, the housing crisis, and rising prices caused by the rejection of Russian energy resources.”

The embassy accused The Hague of showing “disregard for the difficulties of their own farmers” and pursuing “suicidal support for Ukraine to the detriment of their own citizens’ interests.”

“We call on the Dutch Foreign Ministry to refrain from making unacceptable assessments of internal political processes in the Russian Federation and to engage in diplomacy rather than populism,” it added.

The Dutch government has repeatedly voiced concerns about human rights and political freedoms in Russia, including the detention of opposition figures and activists.