Azernews.Az

By Kamila Aliyeva

Turkey’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations on Marc 15 notified the UN of what it said were international law violations committed by the Dutch government, Anadolu Agency reported.

Amsterdam breached the Vienna Convention on consular and diplomatic relations in its conduct towards Turkish Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya and mission officials, according to the diplomatic.

Diplomatic passports belonging to Minister Kaya and her team were confiscated by police officers that intervened in a Turkish mission vehicle carrying the minister, said the note addressed to the UN Secretary-General.

The officers then detained her at a police station for 90 minutes before forcibly driving her to the German border, the note added.

Kaya was prevented from making contact to any Turkish mission officials throughout the journey, and Consulate personnel were barred from leaving the building to greet her, according to the note.

It said a Turkish charge d’affaires, a consul general, and two foreign service officers were detained and all their belongings confiscated. “These actions are in contravention of diplomatic courtesy as well as the fundamental principles of international customary law,” the Turkish mission wrote.

The mission requested that the note be added to a UN General Assembly report on protection of diplomatic missions and distributed to all member states.

Minister Kaya, addressing a UN session, spoke of the "inhumane treatment" she endured from the Dutch government.

"The Netherlands violated several European and UN conventions by restricting the freedom of speech and movement of a woman minister who has diplomatic immunity," she said.

Kaya said special operations officers who surrounded her vehicle were authorized to use deadly force and Turkish citizens waiting to welcome her were attacked by police dogs and horses.

"On behalf of my country and all women, I strongly condemn this biased, racist and xenophobic treatment,” Kaya added.

Meanwhile, the city council of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has unilaterally terminated its sister city protocol with the Dutch city of Rotterdam following tensions between Turkey and the Netherlands, Anadolu Agency reports citing a municipality statement on March 15.

The decision came after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier that he asked Prime Minister Binali Yildirim to tell the Istanbul mayor to end the pact with Rotterdam.

Turkey has already announced a series of high-level diplomatic sanctions - which include a ban on the Dutch ambassador and diplomatic flights from the Netherlands – were imposed after Dutch authorities prevented its ministers from speaking at rallies of expatriate Turks, deepening the row between the two NATO allies.

Ankara earlier warned that it may apply economic sanctions against the Netherlands in the near future.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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