Turkey will retaliate in the “harshest ways” to Dutch moves to bar the flight of the Turkish foreign minister and prevent the family minister from entering the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Sunday.

“This situation has been protested in the strongest manner by our side, and it has been conveyed to Dutch authorities that there will be retaliation in the harshest ways … We will respond in kind to this unacceptable behaviour,” Yildirim said in a statement.

The Netherlands barred Turkish ministers from speaking in Rotterdam on Saturday in a row over Ankara’s political campaigning among Turkish emigres, leading President Tayyip Erdogan to brand its fellow NATO member a “Nazi remnant”.

The dispute escalated into a major diplomatic incident in the evening, as Turkey’s family minister was prevented by police from entering the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam. Hundreds of protesters waving Turkish flags gathered outside, demanding to see the minister.

Dutch police used dogs and water cannon early on Sunday to disperse the crowd, which threw bottles and stones. Several demonstrators were beaten by police with batons, a Reuters witness said. They carried out charges on horseback, while officers advanced on foot with shields and armoured vans.

Less than a day after Dutch authorities prevented Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from flying to Rotterdam, Turkey’s family minister, Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, said on Twitter she was being escorted back to Germany.

“The world must take a stance in the name of democracy against this fascist act! This behaviour against a female minister can never be accepted,” she said. The Rotterdam mayor confirmed she was being escorted by police to the German border.

The Dutch government, which stands to lose heavily to the anti-Islam party of Geert Wilders in elections next week, said it considered the visits undesirable and “the Netherlands could not cooperate in the public political campaigning of Turkish ministers in the Netherlands.”

The government said it saw the potential to import divisions into its own Turkish minority, which has both pro- and anti-Erdogan camps. Dutch politicians across the spectrum said they supported Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s decision to ban the visits.

Turkey’s foreign ministry said it did not want the Dutch ambassador to Ankara to return from leave “for some time”. Turkish authorities sealed off the Dutch embassy in Ankara and consulate in Istanbul in apparent retaliation and hundreds gathered there for protests at the Dutch action.

Erdogan is looking to the large number of emigre Turks living in Europe, especially in Germany and the Netherlands, to help clinch victory next month in a referendum that would give the presidency sweeping new powers.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she will do everything possible to prevent Turkish political tensions spilling onto German soil. Four rallies in Austria and one in Switzerland have been cancelled due to the growing dispute.

Erdogan has cited domestic threats from Kurdish and Islamist militants and a July coup bid as cause to vote “yes” to his new powers. But he has also drawn on the emotionally charged row with Europe to portray Turkey as betrayed by allies while facing wars on its southern borders.

The Dutch government had banned Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from attending a rally on Saturday in Rotterdam but he said he would fly there anyway, saying Europe must be rid of its “boss-like attitude”.

Cavusoglu, who was barred from a similar meeting in Hamburg last week but spoke instead from the Turkish consulate, accused the Dutch of treating the many Turkish citizens in the country like hostages, cutting them off from Ankara.

“If my going will increase tensions, let it be … I am a foreign minister and I can go wherever I want,” he added hours before his planned flight to Rotterdam was banned.

Cavusoglu threatened harsh economic and political sanctions if the Dutch refused him entry, and those threats proved decisive for the Netherlands government.

It cited public order and security concerns in withdrawing landing rights for Cavusoglu’s flight and said the threat of sanctions made the search for a reasonable solution impossible.

“This decision is a scandal and unacceptable in every way. It does not abide by diplomatic practices,” Cavusoglu told reporters in Istanbul on Saturday evening.

Dutch anti-Muslim politician Wilders, polling second ahead of Wednesday’s elections, said in a tweet on Saturday: “To all Turks in the Netherlands who agree with Erdogan: Go to Turkey and NEVER come back!!”

Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, said: “This morning on TV (the Turkish minister) made clear he was threatening the Netherlands with sanctions and we can never negotiate with the Turks under such threats. So we decided … in a conference call it was better for him not to come.”

Addressing a rally of supporters, Erdogan retaliated against the decision to prevent the Turkish foreign minister from visiting Rotterdam.

“Listen Netherlands, you’ll jump once, you’ll jump twice, but my people will thwart your game,” he said. “You can cancel our foreign minister’s flight as much as you want, but let’s see how your flights will come to Turkey now.”

“They don’t know diplomacy or politics. They are Nazi remnants. They are fascists,” he said.

Rutte called Erdogan’s reference to Nazis and Fascists “a crazy remark”. He added: “I understand they’re angry but this is of course way out of line”.

Erdogan chafes at Western criticism of his mass arrests and dismissals of people authorities believe were linked to a failed July attempt by the military to topple him.

He maintains it is clear the West begrudges him new powers and seeks to engineer a “no” vote in the referendum.

Barred from the Netherlands, Cavusoglu arrived in France on Saturday ahead of a planned speech to Turkish emigres in the northeastern city of Metz on Sunday, a Reuters witness said. Earlier, an official at the Moselle regional prefecture told Reuters there were currently no plans to prevent the meeting from going ahead.

A member of the Union of European Turkish Democrats also said on Saturday via a Facebook post that the Turkish foreign minister would no longer come to Switzerland for a planned event on Sunday after failing to find a suitable venue.

Zurich’s security department, which had unsuccessfully lobbied the federal government in Bern to ban Cavusoglu’s appearance, said in a statement on Saturday evening it was relieved the event had been cancelled. </s> , The Hague, Netherlands, Feb 5 – The Netherlands announced Monday it was withdrawing its ambassador from Turkey, and will refuse to allow Ankara to post one in the country as diplomatic ties plunge to new lows.

Relations have deteriorated in the past months, after Dutch officials barred a Turkish minister from attending a rally in Rotterdam on the eve of the March general elections here.

Despite recent high-level talks between the two countries, “we have not been able to agree on the way normalisation should take place,” Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra said in a statement.

The Dutch government has therefore “decided to officially withdraw the Netherlands’ ambassador in Ankara, who has not had access to Turkey since March 2017,” the foreign ministry added.

“As long as the Netherlands has no ambassador to Turkey, the Netherlands will also not issue permission for a new Turkish ambassador to take up duties in the Netherlands.”

Relations between the two NATO allies have spiralled to an all-time low after the Netherlands expelled Turkey’s Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kayar in March.

The country had also barred another minister’s plane from landing as both Turkish politicians sought to attend a Rotterdam rally of Dutch-Turkish citizens in favour of last April’s Turkish referendum.

But Betul Sayan Kayar defied the Dutch government ban, arriving by car from Germany to press for the powers of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to be extended in the referendum.

Protests erupted in the port city as Dutch police stopped her addressing the rally, and escorted her out of the country.

Riot police had to move in to break up an angry demonstration using dogs, horses and water cannon, which added to political tensions just days before the Dutch general elections.

Furious Turkish officials in vain demanded an apology for the minister’s treatment from Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

And the Dutch ambassador, who had been abroad at the time, was blocked from returning to Turkey.

Erdogan even accused the Dutch of behaving like “fascists” in their treatment of the Turkish ministers — comments which triggered anger in the Netherlands occupied by Nazi Germany in World War II.

The Netherlands is home to some 400,000 people of Turkish origin, and the two countries have had diplomatic relations for some four centuries.

But ties first began to strain in 2012 over a row about a Turkish boy adopted by Dutch lesbian parents.

And in 2016 Turkish-Dutch journalist Ebru Umar was arrested and briefly detained after she tweeted comments critical of Erdogan. She was only released after an intervention from the Dutch foreign ministry.

The Dutch NOS public broadcaster reported Monday that the recent talks had sought to find a “magic formula” to restore ties, under which neither side would have to apologise.

“This formula has clearly not been found, and the deterioration between the two countries has clearly gone further than we thought,” NOS added. </s> The Netherlands announced Monday it was withdrawing its ambassador from Turkey, and will refuse to allow Ankara to post one in the country as diplomatic ties plunged to new lows.

Relations have deteriorated in the past 12 months, after Dutch officials barred a Turkish minister from attending a rally in Rotterdam on the eve of general elections in the Netherlands.

Despite recent talks between the two countries, "we have not been able to agree on the way normalisation should take place," Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra said in a statement.

The Dutch government has therefore "decided to officially withdraw the Netherlands' ambassador in Ankara, who has not had access to Turkey since March 2017," the foreign ministry added in the statement.

"As long as the Netherlands has no ambassador to Turkey, the Netherlands will also not issue permission for a new Turkish ambassador to take up duties in the Netherlands."

Dutch-Turkish relations have spiralled to an all-time low after the Netherlands expelled Turkey's Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kayar in March.

She had defied a Dutch government ban on attending a campaign rally of Dutch-Turkish citizens in favour of last April's referendum which expanded the powers of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Protests erupted in Rotterdam as she was escorted out of the country without being able to address the rally.

Riot police had to move in to break up an angry demonstration using dogs, horses and water cannon.

Furious Turkish officials demanded an apology for the minister's treatment from Prime Minister Mark Rutte and blocked the Dutch ambassador, who had been abroad at the time, from returning to Turkey. </s> On Saturday the Dutch government withdrew landing permission for a Turkish foreign minister’s aircraft, sparking a furious reaction by Turkish president Recep Erdogan and escalating a diplomatic dispute between the two NATO allies.

The primary concern of the Dutch was the Islamic Turks inability to assemble without violence in Rotterdam. Throughout the day tensions grew until finally a full-blown Islamist riot began and the Dutch government were forced to respond with riot police.

Unfortunately, this behavior is exactly what the Dutch predicted would happen, and it would appear the Turkish Muslims were determined to prove the Dutch authority correct.

In another Ironic twist, the behavior by the Muslim Turkish constituency in Rotterdam will most likely aid a political resurgence of Dutch Nationalist Gert Wilders who has promised to rid the country of radical Islamists.

(Via AP) Rotterdam – Ahmed Aboutayeb said early Sunday that the Turkish family affairs minister is being escorted back to the German border from where she came after she tried to reach the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam against the wishes of the Dutch government.

“The minister is on her way to Germany,” Aboutayeb said after an extraordinary standoff between a minister from a NATO ally and an overwhelming police force.

“She was called an unwanted foreigner by the government and the rules say you send someone back to the country she came from,” he said.

Hundreds of pro-Turkey protesters scuffled with police as authorities tried to end a demonstration at the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam, where a Turkish minister fruitlessly tried to enter the compound.

At one stage, protesters were throwing bottles and mobbing police vehicles as they moved away from the consulate in central Rotterdam. But soon, police charged on horseback and moved forward with batons wielding. It was unclear if people were detained or injured. </s> Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Security was heavy outside Dutch diplomatic buildings in Turkey in March 2017

The Netherlands has formally withdrawn its ambassador to Turkey and said no new Turkish ambassador will be accepted in The Hague.

The decision marks the deepening of a row that began when the Dutch barred Turkish ministers from campaigning among the Turkish diaspora in 2017.

The Dutch diplomat has not been allowed to enter Turkey since March.

The Netherlands foreign ministry also said that it had "paused" talks on resolving matters with Turkey.

"We have not agreed on how to normalise ties," Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra said in a statement.

The two Nato allies originally fell out over the Netherlands' decision to block the entry of Turkish officials who wanted to hold rallies ahead of a referendum in Turkey on expanding the president's powers.

One minister arrived by car from Germany to attend a rally in Rotterdam in defiance of the ban, but police escorted her out of the country. Riot police were then deployed in the city to break up angry demonstrations by Dutch-Turkish citizens.

At the time, Dutch voters were set to go to the polls for a general election and Prime Minister Mark Rutte cited security concerns ahead of the vote to justify the decision.

Similar rows took place elsewhere in Europe, with Turkish officials also blocked from holding rallies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded furiously, saying: "Nazism is still widespread in the West."

The Turkish government banned the Dutch ambassador, who was on holiday at the time, from returning.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A look at how tensions between Turkey and the Netherlands unfolded

The unprecedented diplomatic crisis caused the Dutch foreign ministry to issue a travel warning last year, urging its citizens in Turkey to take care and noting the new "diplomatic tensions".

The formal withdrawal of the Dutch ambassador is a sign of how deep the rifts remain between Turkey and some European countries that have lambasted the Turkish government for arresting tens of thousands after the failed July 2016 coup, clamping down on free speech and lashing out at any western criticism, says the BBC's Mark Lowen in Istanbul.

He adds that 13 years ago, Turkey started negotiations to join the EU, but today it has no ambassadorial ties with one of the bloc's founding members.

The Netherlands is the biggest foreign investor in Turkey. </s> THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - The Latest on Dutch barring Turkish foreign minister (all times local):

Kemal Kilicdaroglu the leader of Turkey's main opposition party criticized the Dutch decision and said, "This is not correct."

He added: "Those who defend democracy would not do such things. You'll call yourself a democrat and then not permit the flight of a minister of the Turkish Republic?"

The Dutch government on Saturday withdrew landing permission for the Turkish foreign minister's aircraft, drawing a furious reaction the Turkish president and escalating a diplomatic dispute between the two NATO allies over campaigning for a Turkish referendum on constitutional reform.

The Dutch government said in a statement it had withdrawn the permission because of "risks to public order and security" caused by the proposed visit of Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to Rotterdam.

"You can stop our foreign minister's plane all you want, let's see how your planes will come to Turkey from now on," Erdogan said at a rally in Istanbul.

Campaign staff hold a banner reading "Stay Away, This Is Our Country" as firebrand anti Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders, left, protests outside the Turkish embassy in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, March 8, 2017, against the planned campaign visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to lobby for a referendum giving President Erdogan increased powers. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) </s> Feb. 5 (UPI) -- The Netherlands officially withdrew its ambassador to Turkey in response to a conflict between the two countries dating back to 2017.

The Netherlands has left its ambassador's seat in the Turkish capital of Ankara unfilled since April of last year after the Dutch government banned Turkey's foreign minister from speaking at a referendum rally.

Dutch foreign affairs minister Halbe Zijlstra also said the Netherlands will not accept any Turkish ambassadors until the issue is resolved.

"This message has been conveyed to the Turkish chargé d'affaires," Zijlstra said.

Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said the Netherlands was withdrawing "a non-existent ambassador" with its move on Monday, according to Turkey's Anadolu Agency.

"This is not a new event for us. It is a declaration of known. However, the diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and Turkey have not been suspended," he said.

The conflict began in March when Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was denied permission to land in the Netherlands to speak at a referendum rally in favor of changes to the country's Constitution.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded by referring to the Dutch government as "Nazi remnants and fascists," and Cavusoglu promised "heavy sanctions."

Days later, Turkey suspended high-level political talks with the Netherlands and banned the Dutch ambassador from returning to Ankara.

Zijlstra said he had talks with Turkish officials in recent weeks, but didn't clarify how they had broken down. </s> The Dutch Foreign Ministry has formally withdrawn its ambassador to Turkey after the diplomat was barred from the country following a dispute that began in March 2017.

"The Dutch government has decided to officially withdraw the Netherlands’ ambassador in Ankara, who has not had access to Turkey since March 2017," the ministry wrote in a statement.

It also said that the ministry would not accept the appointment of a new Turkish ambassador. "As long as the Netherlands has no ambassador to Turkey, the Netherlands will also not issue permission for a new Turkish ambassador to take up duties in the Netherlands."

The statement added that the message has "just been conveyed to the Turkish charge d'affaires in The Hague," and that "this has brought a pause in the talks with Turkey."

The two sides fell out over the Netherlands' decision to block visas for Turkish officials campaigning for votes among expatriate Turks in the lead-up to the March 2017 constitutional referendum, which ultimately granted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sweeping powers.

The country’s refusal to grant Turkey's foreign minister permission to land in March 2017 led to a mass rally outside the Dutch consulate in Istanbul, prompting its closure.

Tensions between the two countries also intensified in August 2016, when the Turkish Consul General in the Netherlands was reported to have sent a letter advising the mayors of several Dutch towns how to fend off protests staged by opponents of the Turkish government. Bert Koenders, who was the Dutch foreign minister at the time, responded by asserting that protest activity in the Netherlands has "nothing to do with the Turkish government."

Turkey barred the Dutch ambassador from the country in March 2017, with President Erdogan stating at the time that the Netherlands must pay for its actions. "Sooner or later, they will pay for this, but we will rapidly bring the Netherlands to account by diplomatic means. We cannot let this go adrift,” he said.

Erdogan also referred to the Netherlands as being "very nervous and cowardly" after it refused to let the country's foreign minister enter the country. "They are Nazi remnants, they are fascists," he told a crowd of supporters at a rally in Istanbul. The Nazi remark prompted Prime Minister Mark Rutte to demand an apology from Ankara, stating that such comments were unacceptable.

Like this story? Share it with a friend! </s> ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) – Turkey’s top diplomat has drawn more than a hundred people at a campaign gathering in the northern French city of Metz amid a diplomatic spat with the Netherlands.

 Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was in France Sunday to whip up support for controversial constitutional reforms to expand the powers of the Turkish presidency.

Supporters draped in Turkish flags greeted the minister as he reached the Centre des Congres of Metz with cheers of “Turkey” and “God is Great.”

Turkish officials have been scheduling campaign events for the referendum in several European countries with sizable populations of Turkish expatriates.

Cavusoglu was blocked Saturday from holding a rally in the Dutch city of Rotterdam after the Netherlands withdrew his landing permission.

The diplomatic incident has triggered an exchange of sharp words and tit-for-tat moves between the two NATO allies.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he appropriately accused the Dutch government of “Nazism and fascism, saying only those types of regimes would bar foreign ministers from traveling within their countries.

Erdogan also said during a live televised address on Sunday that the Netherlands would “pay the price” for sacrificing its ties with a NATO ally to upcoming elections there.

He also said Turkey would retaliate for the ousting of the Turkish family affairs minister from the Netherlands.

Erdogan said: “I have said that I had thought that Nazism was over, but that I was wrong. Nazism is alive in the West.”

He thanked France, which allowed Turkey’s foreign minister to address Turkish citizens in the city of Metz on Sunday.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says he was forced by threats from Ankara to keep two Turkish ministers from traveling within the Netherlands on Saturday.

Turkish foreign minister warns there “will be repercussions” against the Netherlands and that an “apology was not enough” as tensions continue escalating between the two NATO allies.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu talked with reporters Sunday in Metz, France where he condemned Dutch authorities canceling campaign rallies by himself and another cabinet member.

Noting that Ankara already had barred the Dutch ambassador from returning to Turkey, Cavusoglu added: “We have other steps in mind. We’ve already begun planning them. We will certainly take those steps and more.”

Cavusoglu says Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte had “arrogantly” said he could only come to the Netherlands to deliver tulips and tour museums, but not to see Turks living in the country.

The minister also condemned that treatment of Turkish protesters in Rotterdam, saying he would show photographs of dogs being released on them.

A French official says Turkish foreign minister is being allowed to address a rally in the country’s eastern city of Metz because the event represents no threat to public order.

Alain Carton, secretary general of the Metz prefecture, said Sunday that in the absence of such a risk, the rally must be permitted in the name of the freedom of assembly.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu appeared at a midday rally with the local Turkish population that also was expected to draw Turkish expatriates from a nearby region of Germany.

The decision by French authorities to permit Cavusoglu to campaign in the country for a Turkish referendum that would expand the powers of the president contrasts with the position of the Dutch.

The Dutch government refused Saturday to allow Cavusoglu to land in Rotterdam because of objections to his intention to rally for the Turkish referendum.

A man has climbed onto the roof of the Dutch consulate in Istanbul and replaced the Netherlands’ flag with the Turkish one.

 Television footage shows a man standing on the roof of the building shouting Allahu Akbar, Arabic for “God is great.”

A small group of men holding Turkish flags are seen outside the consulate shouting “Damn Holland” and “Racist Holland.”

The incident occurred Sunday morning amid escalating tensions between the two NATO allies after the Netherlands barred two Turkish ministers for campaigning for an upcoming referendum on Saturday.

Private Dogan news agency reports the consulatelater took down Turkey’s flag and put the Dutch flag back up.

The man is still unidentified.
Turkey bans the Dutch ambassador, Cornelis Van Rij, from returning to the Embassy of the Netherlands in Ankara, and closes its airspace to Dutch diplomats in response to a Dutch ban on Turkish ministers speaking at pro-Erdoğan rallies.