Turkey slaps sanctions on Dutch and slams EU criticism

Ankara said it was suspending high-level relations with the Netherlands in a raft of diplomatic sanctions after the Dutch authorities prevented two Turkish ministers from holding rallies ahead of a referendum on strengthening President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s powers,.

Ankara // Turkey on Tuesday rejected EU criticism of its stance in the intensifying crisis with the Netherlands as having “no value”, after Ankara downgraded relations with The Hague and banned its ambassador from returning.

In a dramatic escalation after the Netherlands prevented two Turkish ministers from holding rallies ahead of a referendum on strengthening President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s powers, Ankara said it was suspending high-level relations with the Hague in a raft of diplomatic sanctions.

Mr Erdogan also lashed out at German Chancellor Angela Markel for “supporting terrorists” as she backed the Netherlands in the increasingly acrimonious standoff, prompting an exasperated response from Berlin.

The dispute risks harming Turkey’s entire relationship with the European Union, which it has sought to join for the last half century in an agonisingly process.

Tensions have increased between Berlin and the Hague with Turkey after Mr Erdogan repeatedly described the actions against Turkish officials as reminiscent of the Nazis.

His comments sparked particular outrage in the Netherlands, a country bombed and occupied by German forces in the Second World War.

The United States urged the Nato allies to resolve their row, with a State Department official saying “we’d just ask that they not escalate the situation any further and work together to resolve it.”

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn called on Turkey to “refrain from excessive statements and actions that risk further exacerbating the situation.”

But the Turkish foreign ministry hit back by saying: “The EU’s short-sighted statement has no value for our country.”

“Our EU counterparts apply democratic values, fundamental rights and freedoms selectively,” the ministry added.

Paying no need to the EU’s warning, Mr Erdogan had bluntly told the German chancellor on Turkish television late Monday: “Mrs Merkel, you are supporting terrorists.”

In an interview with A-Haber television, he accused Berlin of not responding to 4,500 dossiers sent by Ankara on terror suspects, including those linked to Kurdish militants and the failed coup in Turkey last year.

“Mrs Merkel, why are you hiding terrorists in your country?... Why are you not doing anything?”

Mr Erdogan went on, saying what was happening in Europe was “Nazism, we can call this neo-Nazism. A new Nazism tendency”.

Mrs Merkel’s spokesman described the accusations as “absurd”, saying the chancellor had no intention of taking part in a “competition of provocations”.

Turkey’s EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik also said Ankara “should re-evaluate” a key part of a 2016 deal to stem the flow of migrants to the EU.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said after a cabinet meeting in Ankara that Turkey will not allow the Dutch ambassador to return until the Netherlands meets conditions over holding rallies.

Ambassador Kees Cornelis van Rij is currently outside of the country, and business is being handled by Dutch charge d’affaires.

Mr Kurtulmus added: “Until the Netherlands compensates for what it has done, high-level relations and planned meetings at a ministerial and higher level have been suspended.”

He said Turkey expected an administrative and legal investigation into the events over the past few days, including the use of police officers on horseback and dogs to regain control after a protest outside the Turkish consulate in the city of Rotterdam.

The move by the Netherlands to block the rallies by a Turkish minister comes as Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte prepares to face the far-right populist Geert Wilders in a general election on Wednesday.

Turkey is also gearing up for a key April 16 poll to decide whether to approve constitutional changes that would create an executive presidency, boosting Erdogan’s powers.

In a bid to woo support, Turkish officials have sought to address to their citizens living in Europe, where a majority have traditionally supported the ruling party.

In Germany, there are over 1.4 million Turkish citizens eligible to vote while there are nearly 250,000 in the Netherlands based on official figures from November 2015.

*Agence France-Presse