Turkey summons Dutch charge d'affaires over canceling FM’s flight permit

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has summoned the Netherlands' charge d'affaires in Ankara after authorities in the Dutch city of Rotterdam withdrew the landing permission for Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s plane in an escalating row over Turkey's campaign rallies in Europe.

“We have summoned the Dutch deputy ambassador today,” said an official from the foreign ministry on Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity, a few hours after the Dutch government announced that it had barred the Turkish minister from landing on the soil of the Netherlands, citing “public safety” and “security” concerns.

Cavusoglu had planned to attend and address a massive rally scheduled to be held by the supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Rotterdam in an attempt to whip up support for a “Yes” vote among tens of thousands of Turkish voters ahead of the April 16 referendum on whether to increase Erdogan’s power.

The European country is currently home to 400,000 people of Turkish origin.

Cavusoglu also had plans to hold a meeting at the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam later on Saturday, after the conclusion of the rally. In an interview with the CNNTürk conducted earlier in the day and after the announcement of the travel ban, he said if the Dutch government refused to let him land on the Netherlands' soil later in the day, Ankara would impose sanctions on the European country.

“If the Netherlands cancels my flight clearance today, then we will impose severe sanctions on it that will affect it economically and politically,” he said, stressing that he would travel to the Netherlands later in the day.

Meanwhile, the Turkish president lashed out at the Dutch government for at the decision, saying the ban was reminiscent of Nazism. He said Ankara would retaliate.

SS