How are the relations between Dutch and Turkish governments?

These countries are experiencing one of the most difficult political moments

The Dutch government has announced the decision to remove officially its ambassador from Ankara this Monday, February 5, 2018. Nonetheless, the Dutch ambassador has not been able to enter in Turkey since last March and the same situation is taking place with the Turkish government in Hague.

The head of the Turkish parliament, Bozdağ, has expressed that this critical situation is not new because the Dutch ambassador has not been in Ankara since the last year.

Conjunctural Elections

The tense political relations started in March 2017 and the only cause of the problem was both Netherlands and Turkey had two important elections in their own countries.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish’s president, wanted to change the Turkish constitution through a referendum. He looked to change the Turkish government to a presidential country and erasing the prime minister.

For this purpose, Erdogan wanted to reach many voters out of Turkey as possible. In Netherlands, there is a large Turkish migrant population, in fact, the biggest migrant population that resided in Netherlands is Turkish.

Erdogan organized different meetings in countries such as Germany, France, and Netherlands. However, this last European country had general elections in March and its prime minister was worried about the safety of the Dutch.

It is not new tidings that multiples terrorist attacks took place in Europe, and it was mandatory for the Dutch prime minister to avoid big protest and meetings where someone might detonate a bomb or crash a car against the crowd during the election season.

Mark Rutte knew the political purpose of Erdogan in some Dutch cities. For that reason, he avoided the arrival of the Turkish ambassador in Netherlands. Then, the family of this Turkish ambassador decided to get to Netherlands by car, but the Dutch authorities returned their car to Germany. These events took place in March 2017.

At that moment, the problem emerged between both countries. Both decided to not allow the ambassadors in their respective countries. This critical situation touched its most deep point with the Dutch ambassador withdrawal from Turkish, officially.

What are the consequences?

For Turkey, its intentions to enter to the European Union are dispelling with this critical situation with one of the first countries to sign the founder UE treaty, Netherlands.

Additionally, the Turkey’s adhesion to this organization are frozen since the last coup attempt in this Asiatic country, where Erdogan send to the jail a lot of people from other parties and possible suspects. Many organizations have denounced that the Turkish press has not guarantees to exercise free journalism.

Third, being withdrew the Turkish ambassador in Hague the constant migration from Turkey to Netherlands can be slower. Thus, Turkish migrants might be deported to their country if they do not have all the permissions and requirements demanded for the Dutch government.

For Netherlands, this problem might mean the reduction of its investment in Turkey due to Turkish might change its partners and delegate their business to other countries.

LatinAmerican Post | Miguel Díaz
Copy edited by Marcela Peñaloza