UPDATE - Turkey asks Dutch envoy 'not to return for a while'

UPDATE WITH TURKISH FAMILY MINISTER'S STATEMENTS

By Burcu Calik and Fatih Hafiz Mehmet

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey has asked off-duty Dutch ambassador to not return for a while, said a foreign ministry statement Saturday.

The Netherlands has canceled Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's flight permit and authorities intercepted a vehicle carrying Family Minister Fatma Betul Kaya to the European country.

According to the statement, the ministry expressed Turkey's request to the Dutch charge d'affaires that "the Dutch ambassador who is on leave abroad [should] not return for a while."

Speaking at a live broadcasting, Kaya confirmed she was blocked to enter the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam.

"We expect Netherlands to return to democratic values as soon as possible.

"Freedom of expression, movement, freedom of assembly, all of these have been suspended right now," Kaya said.

A Turkish diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to media, said Dutch diplomatic missions in Ankara and Istanbul were closed off due to security concerns.

In addition, Dutch police used force to disperse crowd after gathering in the vicinity of the location where Kaya's vehicle was stopped.

"Hundreds of police set up a barricade between us and our citizens. No power can cut ties between us," she said in a post on her Twitter account.

The Netherlands has canceled Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's flight permit on grounds of "security" and "public safety".

The foreign minister was scheduled to address the Turkish community in the Dutch city of Rotterdam later Saturday.

According to the Dutch statement, the decision came after Cavusoglu's "threat" to impose sanctions on the Netherlands.

Minutes after the Dutch cancelation was announced, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the move as a measure by “Nazi remnants and fascists”.

Addressing an inauguration ceremony in Istanbul Saturday, Erdogan said: “How will your country’s [diplomatic] flights come here now after not granting permission to our foreign minister?”

Several events planned for senior ministers from the Justice and Development (AK) Party in Germany have been canceled in recent days due to what Berlin also described as security grounds.