Netherlands withdraws ambassador from Turkey
Turkish and Dutch relations are once again under strain as the Dutch ambassador is recalled from Ankara.
A long simmering row between Turkey and the Netherlands reignited today with the latter announcing the withdrawal of its ambassador from Ankara.
The Dutch Foreign Ministry said in a statement, “The Netherlands and Turkey have recently held talks at various levels. At this stage, these talks do not yet offer a perspective to normalizing the bilateral relations.” The Dutch ambassador to Ankara, Cornelis van Rij, had effectively been denied entry to Turkey since March.
Turkey's government spokesman sought to downplay the decision. Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag told reporters after a Cabinet meeting, “This does not mean that diplomatic ties between Turkey and the Netherlands are cut off. … There are charges d‘affaires carrying out the relations between the two countries.”
However, the move suggests that Turkey’s demands for an apology from the Dutch government for the normalization of relations are not going to be met.
