Turkey and Netherlands resume diplomatic relations

The Netherlands and Turkish governments have reached an agreement to continue a diplomatic relationship that previously deteriorated in 2017. Minister’s of Foreign Affairs from both nations had “agreed to reinstate ambassadors in Ankara and The Hague shortly. The ministers also agreed that the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs will pay an official visit to Turkey in the second half of 2018,” according to a released statement that was produced in cooperation.

The relationship deteriorated in March of that year when Mevlut Cavusoglu’s, Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, flight was unexpectedly canceled by Dutch authorities. The Turkish minister was traveling to participate in a “Yes” campaign rally as a supporter of the April 2017 referendum. The rally was canceled due to apparent security issues by the Dutch government.

In itself, this may seem like a small transgression, but Minister Cavusoglu on behalf of Turkey threatened to impose  “severe sanctions” on the Netherlands because of the event. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed the Dutch government were acting like “fascists,” and would be penalized accordingly for the behavior. The Netherlands pulled their ambassador out of Turkey this February and refused to admit the new Turkish ambassador to assume his position within The Hague.

Netherlands Minister of Foreign Affairs Stef Blok and Turkish Minister Cavusoglu met during a Brussels based NATO summit this month. The joint statement elaborated that, “The two ministers underlined that Turkey and the Netherlands have been two friendly countries and NATO allies that have many common interests. They have had intensive relations for over four centuries, have been NATO allies for over six decades and enjoy substantial trade and investment ties.” Following the summit, both ministers resumed communication and deemed it necessary to cooperate in regards to “migration, combatting terrorism and fostering economic cooperation.”

Featured image: Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. | Tasnim News Agency [CC BY 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons