In escalating row, Netherlands cancels landing permission for Turkish minister

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the German and Dutch bans on campaigns for a 'yes' vote in the April 16 referendum on constitutional changes means that Europe is 'taking a side for a no vote'.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was denied landing rights in The Netherlands on March 11, 2017. Henry Romero/Reuters

BREDA, NETHERLANDS // The diplomatic dispute between Turkey and the Netherlands sharply escalated on Saturday as the Dutch withdrew landing permission for the Turkish foreign minister’s aircraft, drawing Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to call them “fascists”.

The Netherlands withdrew the landing permission for foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu because of objections to his intention to campaign for a Turkish referendum on constitutional reform, which the Dutch see as a step backward from democracy.

Mr Erdogan told a rally in Istanbul: “You can stop our foreign minister’s plane all you want, let’s see how your [diplomatic] planes will come to Turkey from now on.”

“They do not know politics or international diplomacy,” Mr Erdogan said. “These Nazi remnants, they are fascists,” he added, as the crowd booed.

Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said that “it is a crazy remark, of course. But I understand they are angry but this is of course way out of line.”

Turkey also summoned the Dutch charges d’affaires in protest.

Earlier on Saturday, in an interview with private broadcaster CNN Turk, Mr Cavusoglu said: “If the Netherlands cancels my flight permit, our sanctions to the Netherlands would be heavy.”

He also repeated the government’s charges that bans on rallies are “fascist practices”.

Mr Cavusoglu said that the German and Dutch bans on campaigns for a “yes” vote in the April 16 referendum on constitutional changes means that Europe is “taking a side for a ‘no’ vote”. The constitutional changes would give the president more powers.

The Dutch government said it had been working with Turkish authorities for an “acceptable solution” to Mr Cavusoglu’s plan to campaign in the Netherlands, but “before these talks were completed, Turkish authorities publicly threatened sanctions. That makes the search for a reasonable solution impossible”.

The diplomatic row comes just days before the Netherlands goes to the polls in a March 15 election for the lower house of parliament. The campaign has been dominated by issues of identity, with anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders set to make strong gains.

After Mr Wilders accused the government of a weak response to Turkish plans to send ministers to the Netherlands to campaign, he insisted it was his pressure which made the difference.

“Great! Thanks to heavy PVV- pressure a few days before the Dutch elections our government did NOT allow the Turkish minister to land here!!,” he said in a Twitter message, referring to his Party for Freedom. He later added “I am tell[ing] all Turks in the Netherlands that agree with Erdogan: GO to Turkey and NEVER come back!!.”

Mr Cavusoglu said on Saturday that “Wilders is racist, fascist, Nazi, like a Nazi”. Citing comments that Mr Wilders wanted action against Muslims, Mr Cavusoglu said: “What are you going to do? Are you going to kill them, burn them or what?”

The Dutch government said it does not object to meetings in the Netherlands to give information about the Turkish referendum, “but these meetings should not add to tensions in our society and everybody who wants to organise a meeting must adhere to instructions from authorities so that public order and security can be guaranteed”.

It said the Turkish government “does not want to respect the rules in this matter”.

* Associated Press