ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey said on Monday it would suspend high-level diplomatic relations with the Netherlands after Dutch authorities prevented Turkish ministers from speaking at rallies of expatriate Turks, deepening the row between the two NATO allies.
Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, the government’s chief spokesman, also said Ankara might re-evaluate its deal with the European Union to halt the flow of migrants from Turkish shores to Europe.
“We are doing exactly what they did to us. We are not allowing planes carrying Dutch diplomats or envoys from landing in Turkey or using our airspace,” Kurtulmus told a news conference. “Those creating this crisis are responsible for fixing it.”
President Tayyip Erdogan, who is seeking Turks’ support in an April referendum for his plans to amass greater powers, has previously accused the Dutch government of acting like “Nazi remnants” for barring his ministers from addressing expatriate Turks to drum up votes.