PARIS — The Dutch government on Saturday intensified a diplomatic dispute between Turkey and its NATO allies in Europe by barring the Turkish foreign minister from flying into the
“>Netherlands to campaign on behalf of a referendum that would vastly augment the power of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.
In response, Mr. Erdogan compared the Dutch to “fascists” and “Nazi remnants,” echoing the description he used for the Germans last Sunday, after two Turkish politicians scrapped rallies in Germany when the government said their safety could not guaranteed.
French officials, however, will allow a meeting on Sunday of the Turkish minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, with Turks in Metz, a city in the northeast, to go ahead.
Small groups waving Turkish flags gathered by the Dutch consulate in Istanbul, ABC said. A protest also occurred outside the Turkish Consulate in Rotterdam.
The Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, said on Facebook that Turkey had sabotaged discussions over the visit by Mr. Cavusoglu. Turkey threatened sanctions, he said, making “a reasonable solution impossible.”
Many European governments oppose Mr. Erdogan’s bid to expand his power and say he has shown dictatorial tendencies.
The Turkish leader is eager to campaign in Europe to bolster the April referendum’s chances because millions of Turks live there, mostly in Germany and France. About 400,000 Turks reside in the Netherlands, according to the Dutch government.
“The Dutch-Turkish society here is still with one leg in their mother country,” said Enis Odaci, the deputy editor of the Nieuwwij news website. “And now Erdogan comes along and asks loyalty.”
A key factor in the Dutch decision is elections set for March 15; Mr. Rutte’s party is running slightly ahead of Geert Wilders’s far-right party. Mr. Wilders opposed the Turkish visit, and Mr. Rutte soon took the same line.
Mr. Erdogan appeared to take a tit-for-tat approach to the Dutch move, saying in Istanbul on Saturday, “From now on, let’s see how your flights will land in Turkey.”
PARIS — The Dutch government on Saturday intensified a diplomatic dispute between Turkey and its NATO allies in Europe by barring the Turkish foreign minister from flying into the Netherlands to campaign on behalf of a referendum that would vastly augment the power of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.
In response, Mr. Erdogan compared the Dutch to “fascists” and “Nazi remnants,” echoing the description he used for the Germans last Sunday, after two Turkish politicians scrapped rallies in Germany when the government said their safety could not guaranteed.
French officials, however, will allow a meeting on Sunday of the Turkish minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, with Turks in Metz, a city in the northeast, to go ahead.
Small groups waving Turkish flags gathered by the Dutch consulate in Istanbul, ABC said. A protest also occurred outside the Turkish Consulate in Rotterdam.
The Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, said on Facebook that Turkey had sabotaged discussions over the visit by Mr. Cavusoglu. Turkey threatened sanctions, he said, making “a reasonable solution impossible.”
Many European governments oppose Mr. Erdogan’s bid to expand his power and say he has shown dictatorial tendencies.
The Turkish leader is eager to campaign in Europe to bolster the April referendum’s chances because millions of Turks live there, mostly in Germany and France. About 400,000 Turks reside in the Netherlands, according to the Dutch government.
“The Dutch-Turkish society here is still with one leg in their mother country,” said Enis Odaci, the deputy editor of the Nieuwwij news website. “And now Erdogan comes along and asks loyalty.”
A key factor in the Dutch decision is elections set for March 15; Mr. Rutte’s party is running slightly ahead of Geert Wilders’s far-right party. Mr. Wilders opposed the Turkish visit, and Mr. Rutte soon took the same line.
Mr. Erdogan appeared to take a tit-for-tat approach to the Dutch move, saying in Istanbul on Saturday, “From now on, let’s see how your flights will land in Turkey.”
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