Turkey accuses Dutch government of racism, Dutch papers say

The Dutch government is acting in an aggressive and racist way towards the Dutch Turkish community, Dutch media quote Turkey’s foreign minister as saying on Wednesday. The claim is reportedly made in a letter which has been sent by the Turkish foreign ministry to the Dutch parliament and is quoted in Turkish newspaper Hürriyet. In the letter, the minister says the initiatives and statements made by the Dutch government could damage bilateral relations between the two countries.

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The Dutch government is acting in an aggressive and racist way towards the Dutch Turkish community, Dutch media quote Turkey’s foreign minister as saying on Wednesday. The claim is reportedly made in a letter which has been sent by the Turkish foreign ministry to the Dutch parliament and is quoted in Turkish newspaper Hürriyet. In the letter, the minister says the initiatives and statements made by the Dutch government could damage bilateral relations between the two countries.

The letter follows the publication of a Dutch government report which paints a negative picture of Turkish organisations in the Netherlands, the Telegraaf says. That report led social affairs minister Lodewijk Asscher to call for close monitoring of four Turkish organisations in the Netherlands which he said may be hindering integration. In addition, Turkey is angry about a report which said 80% of Turkish youngsters in the Netherlands support jihadist movements.

That report has since been heavily criticised by experts. According to Hürriyet, the letter states that ‘aggressive and racist accusations against Turks who are part of Dutch society and against a friendly ally are unacceptable.’ ‘We do not understand why these racist attacks… have recently appeared on the agenda.’

Vice PM Asscher used Twitter to brand the comments, if accurate, as ‘uninformed, inaccurate and inappropriate.’ ‘Integration policy is focused on participation and involvement, and that means everyone in the Netherlands,’ the minister said.

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