A diplomatic spat between NATO allies Turkey and the Netherlands over Turkish campaigning abroad for a referendum escalated on March 11 when Dutch authorities denied the Turkish foreign minister\u2019s plane permission to land.
\nPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan reacted angrily, threatening to respond in kind against diplomats from the Netherlands and describing the Dutch as \u201cNazi remnants\u201d and \u201cfascists.\u201d
\nIt is the second time in a week that Erdogan has used the word \u201cNazi\u201d in criticizing one of Turkey\u2019s NATO allies, having accused Germany on March 5 of \u201cNazi practices\u201d for withdrawing authorizations for Turkish campaign rallies.
\nDutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told reporters on March 11 that Erdogan had made \u201ca crazy remark\u201d that was \u201cway out of line.\u201d
\nRutte said he understood that Turkish officials are angry, and that the Dutch government \u201cwill do everything to keep the relations with Turkey as good as possible, as strong as possible.\u201d
\n\u201cBut, of course, today was not a good day in the Turkish-Dutch relations,\u201d Rutte said.
\nThe Dutch government on March 11 barred the aircraft of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from landing, saying it had withdrawn the permission because of \u201crisks to public order and security\u201d caused by Cavusoglu\u2019s proposed visit to Rotterdam.
\nCavusoglu wanted to hold a rally to promote a Turkish referendum to give enhanced powers to Erdogan, which is scheduled for next month.
\nRotterdam authorities had already barred him from addressing the Turkish rally there, with mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb saying that it would pose a threat to \u201cpublic order.\u201d
\nHowever, Aboutaleb had earlier said there was no question of him being excluded from the Netherlands.
\nCavusoglu responded that Turkey would respond with harsh economic and political sanctions if he were banned.
\nThe Dutch government explained the refusal in its statement by saying that the Turkish threat of sanctions made the search for a \u201creasonable solution\u201d impossible.
\nLater on March 11, Erdogan threatened to retaliate by barring Dutch diplomats from flying to Turkey, as he said Netherlands\u2019 behavior was reminiscent of Nazism.
\n\u201cThey are Nazi remnants, they are fascists,\u201d Erdogan told an Istanbul rally. \u201cBan our foreign minister from flying however much you like, but from now on let\u2019s see how your flights will land in Turkey.\u201d<\/p>\n
German Rebuke<\/strong> Source: MuslimVillage<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A diplomatic spat between NATO allies Turkey and the Netherlands over Turkish campaigning abroad for a referendum escalated on March 11 when Dutch authorities denied the Turkish foreign minister\u2019s plane permission to land.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-c59-islamic-world"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nOfficials in several major European cities have banned rallies by senior Turkish politicians to promote a a constitutional referendum among members of Turkey\u2019s European diaspora.
\nFour planned Turkish political rallies in Austria and one in Switzerland were also canceled, amid growing signs of unease across Europe over Turkey\u2019s drive to gain support for President Erdogan ahead of a referendum on April 16 to enhance his powers.
\nTurkish politicians want to attract the votes of the Turkish community in Europe ahead of the April 16 referendum on whether to boost Erdogan\u2019s powers.
\nSimilar cancellations in Germany led Erdogan to accuse Berlin of \u201cNazi practices,\u201d a jibe which drew a sharp rebuke from Germany\u2019s leaders, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, who labeled the comparison as \u201cunacceptable.\u201d
\nRelations between Turkey and the European Union have deteriorated in recent months, with Erdogan angry at criticism from EU members for waging a mass crackdown on opponents since he saw off a coup attempt last July.
\nSwiss police cited \u201csignificant security risks\u201d for their decision to cancel a speech by a Turkish politician on March 10 in the evening.
\nForeign Minister Cavusoglu is still looking for a new venue for an event on March 12 after one hotel near Zurich pulled out on security grounds and an alternative, in the city of Winterthur, was rejected as inappropriate.
\nThe town of Hoerbranz, in Austria, cancelled a meeting with a former Turkish minister because it had falsely been labelled as a book presentation. Other events were scrapped in Linz, Herzogenburg, and Wiener Neustadt.<\/p>\n