Netherlands withdraws unwanted ambassador to Turkey

By Abdullah Asiran and Tugrul Cam

ANKARA (AA) – The Netherlands on Monday formally withdrew its ambassador to Turkey over a 2017 row.

A Dutch Foreign Ministry statement said: “The Netherlands and Turkey have not been able to agree on the way normalization should take place.”

The talks between two countries are suspended, it added.

Relations between the two countries plunged ahead of the April 16 presidential referendum in Turkey, when Dutch authorities canceled the flight permit of a plane carrying Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on March 11.

The Dutch government also expelled Family and Social Affairs Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya from Rotterdam, blocking her from addressing the Turkish community in the Netherlands ahead of the referendum.

Moreover, rallies organized by Turks there in favor of constitutional changes to shift Turkey to an executive presidential system faced tremendous restrictions from both central and local governments.

Following the crisis, Turkey put forward some conditions for the Dutch government to improve relations but the two sides could not reach an agreement, according to Turkish diplomatic sources who refused to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Diplomatic sources reiterated that the Turkish government had conveyed its unwillingness over the return of Dutch envoy Cornelis Van Rij to Ankara who has been currently out of the country.