Dutch withdraw ambassador to Turkey as ties sour

Anti-riot police vehicles form a blockade in a sealed off area surrounding the Dutch embassy on March 12, 2017 in Ankara, for "security reasons" as a crisis escalated between Turkey and The Netherlands. (AFP)

THE HAGUE: The Netherlands announced Monday it was officially withdrawing its ambassador from Turkey, and will refuse to allow Ankara to post one in the country as diplomatic ties plunged to new lows.
Relations have deteriorated since last year, when Dutch officials barred a Turkish minister from attending a rally in Rotterdam on the eve of Dutch elections. Despite recent talks between the two countries, “we have not agreed on how to normalize ties,” Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlsra said in a statement.