Turkey declares political sanctions against Netherlands
Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya, Turkey’s Minister of Family Affairs, and Berat Albayrak, Energy Minister and son-in-law of President Erdogan, speak to the media at Ataturk Airport after her return to Turkey, in Istanbul, March 12, 2017. “The one who is doing this is taking distance from Europe and not trying to enter Europe”. “Holy wars will soon begin in Europe”.
Ankara also halted high-level talks with Dutch government officials on Monday and closed its airspace to the country’s diplomats, making good on a promise to impose retaliatory sanctions.
Erdogan reportedly said during a press conference on Tuesday: ‘We know the Dutch from the Srebrenica blood bath.
He had been planning to hold a rally in Rotterdam campaigning for Turks in the Netherlands to vote for constitutional reform that would expand Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s powers. On Thursday, he said the diplomatic row had cost Rutte Ankara’s friendship.
But Dutch premier Mark Rutte hit back saying: “Erdogan’s tone is getting more and more hysterical, not only against The Netherlands, but also against Germany”.
While Erdogan and the Turkish government have said on several occasions they are not interested in interfering with domestic European politics, they have demanded that European countries do the same ahead of its April referendum.
He said Turkey expected an administrative and legal inquiry into the events over the past few days, including the use of police officers on horseback and dogs to regain control after a protest outside the Rotterdam consulate. With hours left before the Dutch vote in their general election, a souring diplomatic dispute between the Dutch government and Turkey is lighting up Dutch right-wing voters, according to recent polls. Anything less would be “an insult to us and our police officers”, Wilders said.
“By displaying state-sponsored terror on Saturday, the Netherlands has greatly damaged the European Union, its values which are no longer a bloc of laws and freedoms”, Efe news quoted Erdogan as saying.
French President Francois Hollande said the comparisons with the Nazis are unacceptable and expressed solidarity with Germany and the Netherlands.