Relationship dossier
Kingdom of the Netherlands
Saudi Arabia
Relationship assessment
Economic ties coexist with disputes over arms exports, Yemen and political expression
Kingdom of the Netherlands toward Saudi Arabia
-5The Dutch government has restricted arms exports to Saudi Arabia amid concerns about the war in Yemen and the risk of arms being used in the conflict. This policy reflects a concrete area of friction in bilateral relations.
Saudi Arabia toward Kingdom of the Netherlands
+5Saudi Arabia has protested Dutch political activity it considered offensive, including the proposed 2018 cartoon contest concerning the Prophet Muhammad. This indicates that disputes over political expression have affected bilateral relations.
Overall relationship
0The relationship combines diplomatic and economic engagement with recurring friction over human rights, the Yemen conflict and political expression. Dutch restrictions on arms exports and Saudi protests over Dutch political activity are concrete sources of tension, while bilateral economic ties provide a basis for continued engagement.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
The Netherlands and Saudi Arabia maintain diplomatic and economic relations, alongside disagreements over human rights and the war in Yemen. Dutch restrictions on arms exports to Saudi Arabia reflect concerns about the conflict. Saudi Arabia has also protested Dutch political activity it considered offensive. These cooperative and contentious elements point to a mixed bilateral relationship.
Areas of tension
- Dutch arms-export restrictions related to the war in Yemen
- Saudi objections to Dutch political activity concerning the Prophet Muhammad
- Differences over human rights
Key developments
The Dutch government restricted arms exports to Saudi Arabia amid concerns about the war in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia protested a proposed Dutch cartoon contest concerning the Prophet Muhammad.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation agreements are unclear.
- The present extent of Dutch arms-export restrictions to Saudi Arabia is uncertain.