Turkey Considering Economic Sanctions Against Netherlands Amid Tensions

Turkish authorities could discuss the introduction of economic sanctions against Netherlands in the context of tensions between the two states, Turkish Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tufenkci said Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — He added that Ankara had already considered only "political and legal sanctions" against Amsterdam by the moment.

"Economic sanctions may be added to the agenda in the upcoming period," Tufenkci said, as quoted by the Turkish Anadolu Agency.

Earlier in the day, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Ankara's diplomatic sanctions against the Netherlands are "bizarre."

The tensions between the two states emerged on Saturday, when Dutch authorities, citing security concerns, refused landing for Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who was expected to meet with Turkish expats in the Netherlands in the run up to Turkey's mid-April constitutional referendum on bolstering the president's powers.

On the same day, Turkish Family and Social Affairs Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya decided to travel to the Netherlands, but was denied entry to the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam and subsequently faced deportation.

Ankara reacted furiously, promising reciprocal actions and sanctions against the Netherlands, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan labeled the Dutch authorities' behavior as "Nazism." On Monday, Ankara suspended high-level political contacts with the Netherlands and sent the country a diplomatic note, criticizing the treatment of Cavusoglu. Dutch authorities, in turn, demanded an apology for being compared to Nazis.

Turkey's sanctions against the Netherlands affect diplomatic communication, but do not extend to economic measures.