A Turkish police vehicle is seen outside Dutch Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, March 12, 2017. Some 150 to 200 people holding Turkish national flags gathered in front of Dutch Embassy in Ankara on March 11 to protest Dutch bans on Turkish politicians from holding rallies in Netherlands ahead of April 16 constitutional referendum. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)
ANKARA, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkey will impose political sanctions against Netherlands for the moment, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said late Monday after the Dutch authorities barred Turkish politicians from holding rallies in Rotterdam for a referendum on constitutional amendments.
The sanctions would be under the political framework at the moment, Kurtulmusv told reporters after a cabinet meeting which measures against the Dutch government were discussed.
The Dutch ambassador to Ankara, who is out of the country at the moment, will not be allowed enter Turkey until Netherlands meets Turkey's demands, Kurtulmus said.
The Turkish government will suspend "high-level relations and all planned meetings "with Netherlands, he said, adding that a permission given in December for diplomatic flights for Dutch officials is also cancelled.
The Turkish government will propose the parliament abolishing a Turkish-Dutch parliamentary friendship group, the deputy prime minister stated.
Diplomatic tensions between the two countries escalated over the weekend after the Dutch authorities canceled Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's flight permission to the Netherlands and then blocked Turkish Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya from entering the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam on Saturday.
