UPDATE 2 - Dutch govt rejects Turkish visit for coup anniversary

UPDATES WITH TURKISH DEPUTY PREMIER'S QUOTES

By Abdullah Asiran, Ilker Girit and Yildiz Nevin Gundogmus

THE HAGUE, the Netherlands (AA) - A top Turkish official would not be welcome to visit the Netherlands to mark the first anniversary of last year’s coup attempt, the Dutch government said Friday

"The coup attempt was an unjustified attack on the Turkish state, but when we look at the current relationship between the two countries, we would not welcome the arrival of" Deputy Prime Minister Tugrul Turkes or another minister, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Turkes was scheduled to attend an event marking the anniversary of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt on next Tuesday organized by the Union of European Turkish Democrats (UETD) in the city of Apeldoorn.

The statement added, however, the Dutch government is willing to mend relations, adding: "We are ready to meet with Turkish officials about this."

Responding to the Dutch move, Turkey's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying Turkish citizens abroad were organizing events to mark July 15 coup bid "independent of our bilateral relations" with the countries they reside in.

"The declaration made by the Netherlands is exemplary in that it shows the state of democracy in the country," the statement added.

Later in Ankara, Turkes told reporters in Ankara: "I condemn this decision against the freedom of our citizens."

The Dutch declaration is "an intervention against the democratic rights of our people who live there," he said. "We will continue to engage and embrace our citizens living abroad in every possible opportunity."

Relations between Turkey and the Netherlands soured ahead of the April 16 referendum in Turkey, when Dutch authorities cancelled the flight permit of a plane carrying Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on March 11.

The Dutch government also deported 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.