Turkey, Netherlands to appoint ambassadors soon: Turkish FM

VIENNE

Turkey and the Netherlands have decided to reinstate ambassadors as soon as possible as part of a decision to normalize relations, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Aug. 31.

His statement came after a meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok on the sidelines of the Gymnich Meeting between the minsters of EU member and candidate states.

His meeting with Blok was “very beneficial” and the Dutch minister will pay a visit to Turkey in November, Çavuşoğlu said on his official Twitter account.

Turkey and the Netherlands have agreed to normalize ties, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said on July 20 after a decision was reached in a phone call between Çavuşoğlu and his Dutch counterpart.

Relations between the Netherlands and Turkey have gone sour especially after Dutch authorities canceled the flight permit of a plane carrying Çavuşoğlu during last year’s referendum campaign. The Dutch government also expelled then Family and Social Affairs Minister Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya from Rotterdam, blocking her from addressing the Turkish community.

Turkey had conveyed to the Netherlands its wish for the Dutch ambassador to Ankara to “not return to his post for a while.” The first round of talks for normalization between Ankara and The Hague failed in early 2018.

The Dutch Foreign Ministry on Feb. 5 said it had formally withdrawn its ambassador to Turkey, who has been physically barred from the country for almost a year.

Diplomatic relations had been conducted only via the charges d’affaires since then.