Politics of the Netherlands

A row between Turkey and Netherlands that escalated over the latter's refusal to permit Turkish politics to hold rallies in the country has grown after Turkey issued two diplomatic notes to the Dutch envoy in Ankara amid calls from third parties for calm.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has ruled out any apology for banning Turkish ministers from joining pro-Ankara rallies here, while adding that he hoped a diplomatic row could be defused.

The use of the term "Nazi" by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and several members of the Turkish government against Germany and the Netherlands sparked a hot row between Turkey and two of its NATO allies, although the fire between Ankara and Berlin was eventually partially doused. The fire with the Netherlands, though, is still burning just days before a crucial general election on March 15 and

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on March 12 he would do everything to "de-escalate" a diplomatic confrontation with Turkey he described as the worst the Netherlands has experienced in years, after two major incidents on March 11.

Turkey told the Netherlands that it would retaliate in the "harshest ways" after Turkish ministers were barred from speaking in Rotterdam.

The escalating dispute between NATO allies Turkey and the Netherlands hit a new low Sunday, with a Turkish minister escorted out of the country less than a day after Turkey’s foreign minister was denied entry, prompting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to call the Dutch “Nazi remnants.”

The Dutch political system may not have been deliberately designed to produce middle-of-the-road outcomes, but it certainly works that way in practice: many small parties, multi-party coalitions to create a majority government, perpetual compromise. It is almost impossible to radicalize a system like this, but Geert Wilders is going to try.

The Dutch government said on March 9 it would not welcome the Turkish foreign minister to the Netherlands if he was coming to solicit the votes of local Turks in a constitutional referendum that would shift the parliamentary system to an executive presidency.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu spoke on the phone to his Dutch counterpart Bert Koenders on March 8 ahead of his planned visit to the Netherlands in a bid to address Turks living there on constitutional change referendum campaigns in Turkey. 

With Turkey embroiled in a row with Germany over the latter's decision to ban Turkish ministers from holding events in two German cities, the Netherlands has irked Turkish officials by taking a similar stance.

The year 2017 is set to be a crucial one for Europe, with key elections ahead in the Netherlands, France and Germany. The outcome of these elections will indicate whether or not the U.K.'s Brexit decision, along with the rise of populist parties, will trigger the subsequent unraveling of the union.