Turkish FM threatens the Netherlands over rally ban

Turkey's foreign minister said he would fly to the Dutch city of Rotterdam on Saturday despite a ban on him addressing the Turkish community to boost support for a controversial referendum to expand presidential powers, Deutsche Welle reported.

Ankara would impose political and economic sanctions on the Netherlands if his plane was denied permission to land, Mevlut Cavusoglu said before his departure.

Rotterdam earlier this week joined a growing number of cities in Europe, including several in Germany, denying permission for Turkish ministers to attend rallies to drum up support for next month's referendum, aimed at dramatically expanding President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers.

Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders on Thursday said his country would not cooperate or facilitate Turkish government campaigning in the Netherlands, causing a diplomatic spat similar to that between Berlin and Ankara.

"We will not participate in a visit by a Turkish government official who wants to conduct a political campaign for a referendum," Koenders said.

However, Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb told reporters on Friday that Cavusoglu had diplomatic immunity and would be treated with respect, "but we have other instruments to prohibit things happening in public spaces."

Source: MENA