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| Turkey bans Dutch ambassador as diplomatic crisis escalates | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Turkey has banned the Dutch ambassador to Ankara and suspended high-level political contacts with the Netherlands in a dramatic escalation of the diplomatic crisis between the two countries. | |
| Deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus also said that Turkey would close its airspace to Dutch diplomats in response to a ban on Turkish ministers speaking at rallies in the Netherlands. The Dutch ambassador, who is currently on leave, would not be allowed to return to Turkey, he said. | |
| Speaking at a press conference after a weekly cabinet meeting, Kurtulmus said: “There is a crisis and a very deep one. We didn’t create this crisis or bring to this stage.” | |
| His comments came hours after Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan repeated accusations of “nazism” and vowed to involve the European court of human rights over the treatment of his ministers. | |
| The Turkish president also accused Germany’s Angela Merkel of “supporting terrorists” and criticised her for backing the Dutch in the row over Turkish campaigning abroad before an April referendum on controversial plans to expand his powers. | |
| “Mrs Merkel, why are you hiding terrorists in your country? ... Why are you not doing anything?” Erdoğan said in an interview with Turkish television on Monday. | |
| Despite warnings from European leaders on Monday to avoid inflammatory language, the Turkish president doubled down on claims he made twice at the weekend that the Dutch government was acting like Nazis. | |
| “Nazism, we can call this neo-nazism. A new nazism tendency,” Erdoğan said, threatening diplomatic and other sanctions against the Netherlands. Merkel, the German chancellor, had earlier pledged her “full support and solidarity” to the Dutch, saying Erdoğan’s earlier comments were “completely unacceptable”. | |
| Erdoğan’s remarks followed a request by the EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, and enlargement commissioner, Johannes Hahn, for Turkey to “refrain from excessive statements and actions”. | |
| It was “essential to avoid further escalation and find ways to calm down the situation”, the two said in a joint statement. Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary general, urged all concerned to “show mutual respect and be calm”. | It was “essential to avoid further escalation and find ways to calm down the situation”, the two said in a joint statement. Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary general, urged all concerned to “show mutual respect and be calm”. |
| In Ankara, Turkey’s minister for EU affairs, Ömer Çelik, said sanctions against the Netherlands were now likely. “We will surely have sanctions against the latest actions by the Netherlands. We will answer them with these,” he said. | In Ankara, Turkey’s minister for EU affairs, Ömer Çelik, said sanctions against the Netherlands were now likely. “We will surely have sanctions against the latest actions by the Netherlands. We will answer them with these,” he said. |
| Çelik also said his country should consider reviewing its migration deal with the EU and relax controls on migrants reaching Europe over land. | |
| The Turkish justice minister, Bekir Bozdağ, meanwhile, said the country would “not allow anyone to play with the honour of the Turkish nation and Turkish state”, while Nurettin Canikli, a deputy prime ministr,described Europe as a “very sick man”. | |
| Dutch police used dogs and water cannon on Sunday to disperse demonstrators after Turkey’s family minister, Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya, was escorted out of the country and the foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, denied permission to land. | Dutch police used dogs and water cannon on Sunday to disperse demonstrators after Turkey’s family minister, Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya, was escorted out of the country and the foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, denied permission to land. |
| The ministers were due to address a rally of Dutch Turks, many of whom are able to vote in the 16 April referendum. | The ministers were due to address a rally of Dutch Turks, many of whom are able to vote in the 16 April referendum. |
| Daan Feddo Huisinga, the Dutch chargé d’affaires in Ankara, was called to the foreign ministry on Monday to receive formal protest notes at what it called the “disproportionate, inhumane and humiliating” treatment of the protesters. | Daan Feddo Huisinga, the Dutch chargé d’affaires in Ankara, was called to the foreign ministry on Monday to receive formal protest notes at what it called the “disproportionate, inhumane and humiliating” treatment of the protesters. |
| The ministry also said the reception given to the two ministers was contrary to international conventions, diplomatic courtesy and diplomatic immunities, and demanded a written apology from the Dutch authorities. | The ministry also said the reception given to the two ministers was contrary to international conventions, diplomatic courtesy and diplomatic immunities, and demanded a written apology from the Dutch authorities. |
| The Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Denmark and Switzerland have cited security and other concerns for their reluctance to allow Turkish officials to campaign in their countries. | The Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Denmark and Switzerland have cited security and other concerns for their reluctance to allow Turkish officials to campaign in their countries. |
| But with as many as 1.4 million Turkish voters in Germany alone, Erdoğan cannot afford to ignore the foreign electorate. | But with as many as 1.4 million Turkish voters in Germany alone, Erdoğan cannot afford to ignore the foreign electorate. |
| The standoff has strained relations already frayed over human rights, while repeated indications from Erdoğan that he could personally try to address rallies in EU countries risked inflaming the situation more. | The standoff has strained relations already frayed over human rights, while repeated indications from Erdoğan that he could personally try to address rallies in EU countries risked inflaming the situation more. |
| The row also risks dimming yet further Turkey’s prospects of joining the EU, a process under way for more than 50 years. “The formal end of accession negotiations with Turkey now looks inevitable,” the German commentator Daniel Brössler wrote in the Süddeutsche Zeitung. | The row also risks dimming yet further Turkey’s prospects of joining the EU, a process under way for more than 50 years. “The formal end of accession negotiations with Turkey now looks inevitable,” the German commentator Daniel Brössler wrote in the Süddeutsche Zeitung. |
| Austria’s chancellor, Christian Kern, called for an EU-wide ban on Turkish rallies, saying it would help take pressure off individual countries. But Merkel’s chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, said that while accession talks could be halted, he had doubts as to whether the bloc should collectively decide on a rally ban. | Austria’s chancellor, Christian Kern, called for an EU-wide ban on Turkish rallies, saying it would help take pressure off individual countries. But Merkel’s chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, said that while accession talks could be halted, he had doubts as to whether the bloc should collectively decide on a rally ban. |
| Analysts said the Turkish president was using the crisis to show voters his strong leadership was needed against a Europe he routinely presents as hostile. | Analysts said the Turkish president was using the crisis to show voters his strong leadership was needed against a Europe he routinely presents as hostile. |
| Erdoğan is “looking for ‘imagined’ foreign enemies to boost his nationalist base in the run-up to the referendum,” said Soner Cagaptay, the director of the Turkish Research Programme at the Washington Institute. | Erdoğan is “looking for ‘imagined’ foreign enemies to boost his nationalist base in the run-up to the referendum,” said Soner Cagaptay, the director of the Turkish Research Programme at the Washington Institute. |
| Marc Pierini, the EU’s former envoy to Turkey, said he saw no immediate solution to the crisis because “the referendum outcome in Turkey is very tight and the leadership will do everything to ramp up the nationalist narrative to garner more votes”. | Marc Pierini, the EU’s former envoy to Turkey, said he saw no immediate solution to the crisis because “the referendum outcome in Turkey is very tight and the leadership will do everything to ramp up the nationalist narrative to garner more votes”. |
| In the medium-term, Pierini said: “One can hope the fever will subside. Yet bridges have been burned at a personal level: using a ‘Nazi’ narrative is extreme … and will probably prevent any summit meeting between the EU and Turkey for a while.” | In the medium-term, Pierini said: “One can hope the fever will subside. Yet bridges have been burned at a personal level: using a ‘Nazi’ narrative is extreme … and will probably prevent any summit meeting between the EU and Turkey for a while.” |
| Erdoğan last week accused Germany of “Nazi practices” after Çavuşoğlu was banned from speaking at a rally in Hamburg. | Erdoğan last week accused Germany of “Nazi practices” after Çavuşoğlu was banned from speaking at a rally in Hamburg. |
| The Turkish president twice made the same claim of the Dutch on Saturday, describing them as “Nazi remnants” and telling a rally in Istanbul: “I thought nazism was over, but I was wrong. In fact, nazism is alive in the west.” | The Turkish president twice made the same claim of the Dutch on Saturday, describing them as “Nazi remnants” and telling a rally in Istanbul: “I thought nazism was over, but I was wrong. In fact, nazism is alive in the west.” |
| Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister who faces a strong far-right challenge in this week’s parliamentary elections and showed little desire to appease Turkey, demanded an apology for Erdoğan’s “totally unacceptable” jibe. | Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister who faces a strong far-right challenge in this week’s parliamentary elections and showed little desire to appease Turkey, demanded an apology for Erdoğan’s “totally unacceptable” jibe. |
| Denmark has also postponed a planned visit next weekend by the Turkish prime minister, Binali Yıldırım, saying the meeting could not be seen as “separate from the current Turkish attacks on Holland”. | Denmark has also postponed a planned visit next weekend by the Turkish prime minister, Binali Yıldırım, saying the meeting could not be seen as “separate from the current Turkish attacks on Holland”. |
| European states are not entirely united: Çavuşoğlu himself called off a planned visit to Switzerland, despite the Swiss federal government saying there was “nothing to justify” cancelling it, after Zurich police expressed security concerns. | European states are not entirely united: Çavuşoğlu himself called off a planned visit to Switzerland, despite the Swiss federal government saying there was “nothing to justify” cancelling it, after Zurich police expressed security concerns. |
| The French government also allowed Çavuşoğlu to address a rally in Metz on Sunday but was strongly criticised by opposition politicians including François Fillon, the rightwing candidate for president, who accused it of mismanaging the situation and “flagrantly breaking with European solidarity” on the issue. | The French government also allowed Çavuşoğlu to address a rally in Metz on Sunday but was strongly criticised by opposition politicians including François Fillon, the rightwing candidate for president, who accused it of mismanaging the situation and “flagrantly breaking with European solidarity” on the issue. |
| The Dutch government updated its travel advice for Turkey on Monday, warning about the heightened diplomatic tensions. “Stay alert across the whole of Turkey and avoid gatherings and crowded places,” it said. | The Dutch government updated its travel advice for Turkey on Monday, warning about the heightened diplomatic tensions. “Stay alert across the whole of Turkey and avoid gatherings and crowded places,” it said. |