Turkish PM: Crisis with Dutch due to internal issues

By Ahmet Sait Akcay

ANKARA (AA) - Internal politics are to blame for the crisis between Turkey and Netherlands, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said Sunday.’

“It seems the Netherlands has internal issues. General elections will be held on March 15. We think what we have been through today because of this election is based on internal politics,” he told local television TV24.

“But whatever situations are, this cannot be acceptable for us and it should be retaliated heavily,” he said. “The crises is over for now.”

Yildirim said the “huge diplomatic scandal” is also a failure of Turkey’s European allies to address the issue, in a statement posted on the prime ministry’s website.

“Our European allies who take every chance to mention freedom of speech, human rights and democracy failed once more towards this incident,” he said.

The remarks by Yildirm came after the Netherlands canceled Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's flight permit after the diplomat pushed ahead with plans to address Turks in Rotterdam. Dutch authorities also intercepted a vehicle that was transporting Family Minister Fatma Betul Kaya to the European country.

Kaya was forced to leave the Netherlands for Germany with a police escort after an hours-long standoff in an attempt to enter the Turkish consulate.