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News21 January 2019 - 22:33

Turkey-Netherlands row: Dutch ambassador barred

Turkey has announced a series of measures in retaliation for a Dutch decision to block its ministers from campaigning for a referendum.Deputy PM Numan Kurtulmus said the Dutch ambassador would be barred from returning to Ankara, and high-level political discussions suspended.Turkish attempts to hold rallies in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands have been blocked.

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by The Star
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Security is heavy outside Dutch diplomatic buildings in Turkey. AGENCIES

Turkey has announced a series of measures in retaliation for a Dutch decision to block its ministers from campaigning for a referendum.

Deputy PM Numan Kurtulmus said the Dutch ambassador would be barred from returning to Ankara, and high-level political discussions suspended.

Turkish attempts to hold rallies in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands have been blocked.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the Dutch and Germans of Nazism.

The BBC's Mark Lowen in Istanbul says Turkey and the Netherlands, two Nato allies, are now locked in an unprecedented diplomatic crisis.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has offered the Netherlands her "full support and solidarity".

On Monday, the Dutch foreign ministry issued a new travel warning, urging its citizens in Turkey to take care and noting the new "diplomatic tensions".

The row comes just two days before a

in the Netherlands dominated by concerns about immigration and Islamic radicalism.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte cited security concerns ahead of the election as a reason for blocking the Turkish rallies.

The proposed rallies aimed to encourage a large number of Turks living in Europe to vote Yes in a referendum on 16 April on expanding the president's powers. The plans

on Monday.

In Germany, for example, there are more than three million people of Turkish origin, of whom an estimated 1.4 million are eligible to vote in Turkish elections. In effect, the diaspora is Turkey's fourth-largest electoral district.

Officials in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands said the rallies could stoke tensions.

A gathering in France went ahead, however, after officials said it did not pose a threat.

Two Turkish ministers were barred from addressing crowds in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, with one of them escorted to the German border.

Police used dogs and water cannon against protesters waving Turkish flags in Rotterdam.

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