Turkey summoned a top Dutch diplomat to the Turkish Foreign Ministry in Ankara on Monday to complain about the barring of two of its government ministers from Rotterdam, which sparked violent clashes over the weekend.
The Turkish state-run press agency Anadolu reports that the “mistreatment” of Turkish expatriates who clashed with riot police in the city was raised with the Dutch Embassy’s charge d’affaires, Daan Feddo Huisinga.
The Turkish foreign ministry also complained that the Turkish family affairs minister, who was escorted out of Rotterdam by the police, experienced treatment that “clearly violated the 1961 Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.”
This convention allows diplomats to carry out their functions without fear of harassment by their host country.
The Turkish foreign ministry called for legal action against Dutch security personnel for what it described as the ill treatment and human rights violations of expatriates peacefully protesting in Rotterdam.
It believes that “the community and citizens had been subjected to inhumane treatment and insults by Dutch authorities,” reported Anadolu.
Turkey rows with Germany and Denmark
Huisinga’s summoning to the ministry in Ankara on Monday morning was the third time he had been called there since Saturday amid a growing diplomatic row between Turkey and other countries in Europe.
The situation began to escalate last weekend when Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at Germany because rallies in the German city of Cologne and the town of Gaggenau in support of his government were canceled due to concerns about overcrowding.
The rallies, at which Turkish government ministers were due to speak, were being held to drum up support for an upcoming referendum vote on the Turkish constitution on April 16.
Erdogan accused the German government of “Nazi” behavior, angering Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Dutch and Turkish votes loom
Erdogan is keen to rally roughly 4.6 million expatriate Turks living in Western Europe, many of whom will be permitted to vote in the Turkish referendum next month.
The sweeping constitutional changes, introduced by his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), would grant new powers to the President and transform the way the country is governed.
The situation worsened this weekend when the Netherlands barred a plane carrying Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, from landing to stop him from addressing a political rally in Rotterdam — also in support of the referendum vote in Turkey.
The Dutch government cited concerns over public order at the expected large gathering of Turkish expatriates.
Dutch police also prevented the Turkish family affairs minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kayafrom entering the Turkish consulate in the city.
She was forced to leave the consulate area and escorted out of the country.
Once again Erdogan made comments about Nazi-like behaviour, this time leveled at the Netherlands government.
Dutch PM demands apology
In response, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Erdogan’s remarks were inflammatory and demanded an apology.
The Netherlands lost more than 200,000 of its citizens when it was occupied by Nazi Germany in World War II.
On Sunday, Denmark’s Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen postponed a meeting with his Turkish counterpart after Turkey’s “current rhetorical attacks by Turkey against the Netherlands.”
On Monday, the Dutch Consulate General announced that it will remain closed.
It also issued travel advice via Twitter for Dutch citizens presently in Turkey telling them to “avoid demonstrations and be alert” amid the bitter row between the two countries.
The Netherlands is holding a general election this week, with immigration from Muslim majority countries a key issue. The election campaign has pitted two party leaders against each other, liberal incumbent Rutte and populist far-right figure Geert Wilders.