Rutte

The political and diplomatic confrontation between the Netherlands and Turkey have left its mark on the Dutch voters. In the elections the current Prime Minister Mark Rutte is after a third term in office while the far-right Geert Wilders has been leading the majority of the polls so far.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte slammed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's claim on March 14 that the Netherlands was responsible for the deaths of some 8,000 Muslim men and women in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel rejected as "completely unacceptable" comments by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan referring to the Netherlands as "Nazi remnants," telling a group of business leaders on March 13 that remarks invoking the Nazi past were misguided.

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.

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 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.

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 Dutch cabinet has approved a proposal for a partial ban on Islamic veils in public areas such as schools and hospitals as well as on public transportation. This ban will make it the third country in Europe to prohibit the burqa.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said April 22 he will ask Ankara to clarify a call to Turks in the Netherlands to report individuals who insult the Turkey or its president.
 

Following Friday's attacks in Paris, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Saturday that the Netherlands is in a state of war with Islamic State (IS).

Attacks at six sites across the French capital claimed the lives of at least 128 people and left hundreds others injured.