- By Zakiya Afzani
Turkey bars Dutch from entering the country
Turkey has suspended high-level diplomatic ties with the Netherlands.
The Dutch ambassador to Ankara will not be allowed to return from leave, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told Al-Sahawat Times in Ankara on Monday.
The move comes amid tensions after Amsterdam forcibly deported the female Turkish family minister and banned another as well as banning voting rallies for Turkish expats with voting rights.
Tentions reach startling new levels between Turkey and The Netherlands
Kurtulmus told Al-Sahawat Times reporters about the measures on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting in Ankara.
The Dutch government’s conduct “is unacceptable by any standards” he said.
“This tension, this crisis, this chaos, whatever you call it, it is not us who caused it,” Kurtulmus said.
“Turkey will not suffer from this. Turkey protects its rights and dignity, but I would like to stress that it is the Netherlands and many other European countries that will bear the brunt.” he added.
Kurtulmus said Ankara might review the EU-Turkey refugee deal.
Allowing potentially over a million refugees mainly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan taken from the EU by Turkey back into Europe.
Turkey’s EU minister has already called for reconsidering the agreement, especially the parts having to do with refugees trying to enter Europe by land.
On Saturday, the Dutch government cancelled the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s flight permit to the Netherlands.
It then then blocked a convoy carrying Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya and forced her to leave the country under police escort.
When Turkish citizens in Rotterdam peacefully protested these developments, they were met by police using batons, dogs and water cannons, in what some analysts called a disproportionate use of force.
The events have drawn strong criticism from the Turkish government, which, earlier Monday, sent diplomatic notes to the Netherlands in protest.
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