THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Dutch foreign affairs minister resigned Tuesday, a day after admitting that he lied about attending a meeting hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin more than a decade ago.

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.”

Zijlstra, a member of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s centre-right VVD party, is the first minister to quit since Rutte’s four-party coalition took office in October. Rutte, who was also in Parliament for Zijlstra’s resignation, hugged him as he left.

Zijlstra’s position as the country’s top diplomat became untenable after he admitted lying about a meeting with Putin.

Zijlstra has in the past said he attended a 2006 meeting when Putin said he considered Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic states as part of a “Greater Russia.”

On Monday, Zijlstra conceded he wasn’t present at the meeting but heard the story from somebody who was. He said he considered Putin’s statements so geopolitically important that he spoke about them publicly and took credit for hearing the comments as a way of protecting his source.

“It was clearly a wrong choice,” Zijlstra said as he announced his resignation.

The Russian embassy in the Netherlands waded into the debate by issuing a statement accusing some in the Netherlands of distributing “fake news” aimed at discrediting Moscow by suggesting it has expansionist ambitions.

“This can only be heard from those who are interested in presenting Russia as an enemy and who under the pretext of the notorious ‘Russian threat’ keep pushing NATO military infrastructure eastwards, therefore consciously provoking military confrontation,” the Russian statement said.

Zijlstra’s resignation came a day before he was due to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow.

There was no immediate announcement about a replacement. </s> The Netherlands' foreign minister is facing a tough debate in Parliament following his admission that he lied about attending a meeting hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin at his country retreat more than a decade ago.

Foreign Affairs Minister Halbe Zijlstra is expected to face hostile questions and calls for his resignation from opposition lawmakers at the debate Tuesday.

Zijlstra has in the past said he attended a 2006 meeting when Putin said he considered Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic states as part of a "Greater Russia."

On Monday, Zijlstra conceded he wasn't present but heard the story from somebody who was. He said he considered Putin's statements so geopolitically important that he spoke about them publicly and took credit for hearing the comments as a way of protecting his source. </s> Dutch Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra at the 2017 EU Eastern Partnership Summit | Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images Dutch foreign minister admits to lying about meeting Vladimir Putin Halbe Zijlstra previously claimed he overheard the Russian president talking about his expansionist ambitions at a gathering in 2006.

Dutch Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra has come under fire for lying about attending a meeting with Vladimir Putin in 2006, Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant reported Monday.

At a party conference in 2016, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) politician claimed he was present at a 2006 meeting in which the Russian president laid out plans to expand the country's borders and create a "Great Russia" that would include Belarus, Ukraine, the Baltic states and possibly Kazakhstan. Zijlstra, an employee of oil company Shell at the time, had traveled to Russia with Jeroen van der Veer, then CEO of the company.

Zijlstra was forced to set the record straight on his attendance at the meeting after his colleagues raised doubts about his account, De Volkskrant reported. The minister admitted he was not in fact in the room, but borrowed the story from a source. Zijlstra claimed he wanted to tell the story because of its "geopolitical importance" and presented it as his own in order to "protect" the source.

His decision was "not a smart move," he admitted. "I should have done this differently."

The disclosure comes at an inconvenient time for Zijlstra, as he heads to Moscow on Tuesday to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The ministers are expected to discuss the downing of MH17, the plane that was shot down while flying over Ukraine in 2014, sparking a diplomatic crisis between the two countries. Prime Minister Mark Rutte government has previously accused Russia of spreading fake news about the incident.

Geert Wilders' far-right Party for Freedom has called on Zijlstra to take part in a parliamentary debate before he leaves, and joined other opposition parties in questioning his integrity.

Rutte, whom Zijlstra said was informed of the story some weeks ago, defended the foreign minister saying he remains "credible," because the content of the story is "not up for discussion," NOS reported. </s> THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands’ foreign minister was facing a tough debate in Parliament Tuesday following his admission that he lied about attending a meeting hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin at his country retreat more than a decade ago.

Foreign Affairs Minister Halbe Zijlstra, a member of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s center-right VVD party, was expected to face hostile questions and calls for his resignation from opposition lawmakers.

Zijlstra has in the past said he attended a 2006 meeting when Putin said he considered Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic states as part of a “Greater Russia.”

On Monday, Zijlstra conceded he wasn’t present at the meeting but heard the story from somebody who was. He said he considered Putin’s statements so geopolitically important that he spoke about them publicly and took credit for hearing the comments as a way of protecting his source.

The Russian embassy in the Netherlands waded into the debate by issuing a statement accusing some in the Netherlands of distributing “fake news” aimed at discrediting Moscow by suggesting it has expansionist ambitions.

“This can only be heard from those who are interested in presenting Russia as an enemy and who under the pretext of the notorious ‘Russian threat’ keep pushing NATO military infrastructure eastwards, therefore consciously provoking military confrontation,” the Russian statement said.

The spat came a day before Zijlstra was due to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow. </s> AMSTERDAM: A leading member of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's cabinet resigned on Thursday, weakening the government ahead of a national election in March in which it is trailing in the polls.

Justice Minister Ard van der Steur unexpectedly told parliament he would step down amid a debate over the handling of information relating to a settlement prosecutors struck with a drug dealer in 2000.

The affair centres around a settlement with drug baron Cees Helman, who received a tax free payment of around 2 million euros as part of an agreement with prosecutors.

Van der Steur and Rutte have come under fire from opposition lawmakers who accuse them of withholding information and had been expected to call a motion of no confidence later in the debate. The minister took the rare step of resigning before the motion was submitted.

"I told the prime minister I would make a decision after the first round of the debate. I wanted to defend myself against unfounded and unfair accusations that are not based on facts. I will tender my resignation to his majesty the king," he said.

The minister is the third member of Rutte's liberal VVD party to resign over the scandal since 2015.

The departure of Van der Steur, who is also a member of Rutte's conservative VVD party, was an unwelcome embarrassment ahead of the March 15 election and could dent its popularity.

Rutte is trailing anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders' Freedom Party, who is leading public opinion polls. </s> Dutch migration minister Mark Harbers resigned, adding to the struggle faced by the centre-right prime minister, who is faced with a surge in anti-immigration populists

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The Netherlands' minister for migration, Mark Harbers, resigned Tuesday after a parliamentary outcry over elided data on crimes committed by asylum-seekers, in a bad blow to the government just ahead of European elections.

His departure adds to the struggle faced by centre-right Prime Minister Mark Rutte as he tries to counter a surge in anti-immigration populists who look poised to win big in the elections Thursday.

Harbers was caught out over a report featuring statistics on crimes perpetrated by asylum-seekers in the Netherlands that he presented to parliament.

In the report, misdemeanours such as shoplifting had their own separate categories but serious crimes such as sexual assault, murder and manslaughter were lumped together under the category "other" with no disaggregation.

The revelation of that omission by the newspaper De Telegraaf triggered anger among lawmakers, some of whom questioned whether it was a deliberate attempt to skew reception of the report.

Late Tuesday, during a parliamentary debate, Harbers announced he had offered his resignation. He assumed "total responsibility" for not correctly informing the chamber but said it was "not deliberate," Dutch media reported.

Rutte responded by saying he "respected" Harbers's decision to step down, but declared on Twitter that it "incredibly regrettable that the cabinet must say goodbye to such a talented and committed liberal".

Rutte's governing coalition already suffered a shock two months ago when provincial elections made the Forum for Democracy party -- an anti-immigration populist party that backs a Netherlands exit from the European Union -- the biggest party in the senate.

The Forum for Democracy is course to possibly beat Rutte's Liberals in the European elections on Thursday.

The Netherlands will be the first EU country -- along with Brexit Britain -- to vote in the polls, which will be held in other European countries over the subsequent three days.

If Forum of Democracy does do well, it would be a bellwether of a populist tsunami that could shake the European Union.

? 2019 AFP </s> A Dutch junior justice minister has quit after his department came under fire for appearing to minimize statistics about criminality among asylum seekers.

Migration minister Mark Harbers resigned on Tuesday in a bad blow to the government just ahead of European elections.

His departure adds to the struggle faced by centre-right Prime Minister Mark Rutte as he tries to counter a surge in anti-immigration populists who look poised to win big in the elections on Thursday.

Harbers was caught out over a report featuring statistics on crimes perpetrated by asylum-seekers in the Netherlands that he presented to parliament.

In the report, misdemeanours such as shoplifting had their own separate categories but serious crimes such as sexual assault, murder and manslaughter were lumped together under the category 'other' with no disaggregation.

The revelation of that omission by the newspaper De Telegraaf triggered anger among lawmakers, some of whom questioned whether it was a deliberate attempt to skew reception of the report.

Anti-immigration lawmaker Geert Wilders accused the ministry of 'sweeping under the carpet' allegations of serious crimes among the thousands of asylum seekers in the Netherlands.

Wilders said the resignation was 'the only correct conclusion.'

The accusations of a cover-up led to a swift internal investigation at the justice ministry.

Late Tuesday, during a parliamentary debate, Harbers announced he had offered his resignation. He assumed 'total responsibility' for not correctly informing the chamber but said it was 'not deliberate,' Dutch media reported.

Rutte responded by saying he 'respected' Harbers's decision to step down, but declared on Twitter that it 'incredibly regrettable that the cabinet must say goodbye to such a talented and committed liberal'.

Rutte's governing coalition already suffered a shock two months ago when provincial elections made the Forum for Democracy party - an anti-immigration populist party that backs a Netherlands exit from the European Union - the biggest party in the senate.

The Forum for Democracy is course to possibly beat Rutte's Liberals in the European elections on Thursday.

The Netherlands will be the first EU country - along with Brexit Britain - to vote in the polls, which will be held in other European countries over the subsequent three days.

If Forum of Democracy does do well, it would be a bellwether of a populist tsunami that could shake the European Union. </s> The Netherlands' migration minister, Mark Harbers (pictured), resigned on Tuesday following an outcry over a report which appeared to downplay crime statistics in relation to asylum-seekers.

Harbers presented a report to the Dutch parliament that included information on crimes committed by asylum-seekers. Various misdemeanors, such as shoplifting, had their own separate categories but serious crimes such as sexual assault, murder and manslaughter were placed under the category "other."

Read more: Asylum-seekers left in 'inhumane' conditions in German refugee center

During a parliamentary discussion, the politician stated he had offered his resignation. He took "total responsibility" for not correctly informing the chamber but said it was "not deliberate."

Harbers' fall comes amid a mini-crisis for the center-right Prime Minister Mark Rutte as he tries to stave off a surge for euroskeptic and anti-immigration parties who look set to make gains across the continent in European elections on Thursday.

Read more: Not your grandparents' Europe

Rutte tweeted saying though he "respected" Harbers' decision to quit, it was "incredibly regrettable that the cabinet must say goodbye to such a talented and committed liberal."

Every evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here. </s> THE HAGUE, Netherlands - The Dutch security and justice minister resigned Thursday amid allegations that he was involved in withholding information from lawmakers, a potentially damaging blow to the administration of Prime Minister Mark Rutte less than two months before a national election. Security and Justice Minister Ard van der Steur quit days after a new book presented evidence of his involvement in drafting responses to Parliament's questions about a deal prosecutors made with a drug trafficker in 2000.

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Halbe Zijlstra offers his resignation as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. Minister Sigrid Kaag takes over the portfolio ad interim.