We’ll retaliate in the ‘harshest of ways’, Erdogan tells Netherlands after expulsion of minister

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has informed that his country will retaliate in the “harshest of ways” after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was barred from entering Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Erdogan said “Nazism is still widespread in the West” after the Netherlands joined other European countries worried about political tensions inside Turkey spilling beyond its borders that have prevented Turkish politicians from holding rallies.

Read also: Diplomatic row brews as Dutch govt. stops Turkish minister from landing in Rotterdam

Citing “risks to public order and security” that may follow the minister’s visit, the Dutch government through its Prime Minister Mark Rutte said it had been searching with Turkish authorities for an “acceptable solution” to Cavusoglu’s plan to campaign in the Netherlands.

“Before these talks were completed, Turkish authorities publicly threatened sanctions. That makes the search for a reasonable solution impossible”, the Dutch PM said.

The Turkish Foreign Minister had arrived ahead of a rally planned to help harness the votes of Turks living in the Netherlands who will be voting in a referendum next month on whether to expand Mr Erdogan’s powers.

But instead, he was escorted to the German border and expelled.

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