Turkey warns Dutch authorities about ‘racist policies’ toward Turks

ANKARA

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry has warned Dutch authorities about aggressive and racist policies toward the Turkish community living there, while urging the Netherlands to end initiatives and statements that may be harmful to the advancement of bilateral relations.

In a written statement, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç cited a publicized report prepared by Dutch state institutions on the activities of Turkish associations and noted that an official letter on the issue that was sent to the House of Representatives included negative expressions about the associations.

Bilgiç also mentioned a survey that depicted Turkish young people in the Netherlands as being “prone to extremism and supporting terrorism.”

"Aggressive and racist accusations toward Turks that are part of Dutch society and to a friendly and allied nation are unacceptable,” read the statement.

“We have difficulty in understanding why these racist attacks, which are incompatible with our long history with the Dutch nation, have been on the agenda recently,” Bilgiç said.