Netherlands -Turkey Relations: Worries in the Dutch Parliament about Turkish cultural schools in the Netherlands for Dutch children of Turkish descent

Turkey has advised the Dutch Government to finance Turkish cultural schools in the Netherlands for Dutch children of Turkish descent

In these schools Turkey wants to give language lessons, lessons in history and religion. The classes in the schools must consist of a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 25 pupils. The children must follow the courses for at least 32 weeks, and no longer than 40 weeks.

The 'weekend school project', officially called  "Anadola Hafta Sonu Okullar Proje Destek Program", is said to have as its major aim to preserve the identity and culture of young Turks living abroad and to strengthen ties with their homeland, Turkey.

The Dutch ministry of Social Affairs said in a reaction that "countries are free to stimulate the preservation of their own language and culture among their fellow countrymen abroad" and said many countries, including the Netherlands already do so. ''

The ministry, however did note that -  "what we do not want is education that aims to hinder integration in the Netherlands or to stimulate anti-democratic views. If there are signs that this is happening, the government will act. ''

Note EU-Digest: the objectives of the Turkish proposal, which still has to be voted on in the Parliament, and approved by the Dutch government, certainly does not promote a rapid and smooth integration process for Turks, who want to fully integrate as citizens of the Netherlands. 

To the contrary, it promotes a continuous attachment to the former home country, which certainly can not be the main purpose for a person immigrating to another country.

There is obviously nothing wrong with anyone treasuring his heritage or culture, but to enforce this with special schooling is not only costly, but also totally unnecessary, unless there is a political motive behind it.

And last but not least, where is Erdogan going to get the money from to finance this project, with his country on the verge of bankruptcy? 

 For the complete report go to: Zorgen in Tweede Kamer over Turkse scholen in Nederland | Binnenland | AD.nl

Turkish-Dutch foreign relations break down; Ambassador recalled - by Janene Pieters

Talks on improving the relationship between the Netherlands and Turkey have failed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday.

The Netherlands officially withdrew its ambassador in Ankara.

Relations between the Netherlands and Turkey have been tense since the Netherlands refused Turkish ministers access to the country to campaign for a referendum that gave Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan more power.

Turkey responded by comparing the Dutch to Nazis, calling them fascists, imposing a number of sanctions and accusing the Netherlands of mass murder in Srebrenica. The Netherlands refused to congratulate Erdogan when he won the referendum. 

Over the past months the two countries have been in talks on repairing the relationship. In December Erdogan called Prime Minister Mark Rutte an 'old friend' and said that he wanted to restore the relationship with the Netherlands.

And in mid-January Rutte said he no longer demanded that Erdogan publicly apologize for calling the Dutch Nazis and fascists, according to RTL Nieuws.

But these talks have been unsuccessful, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday. "For the time being these talks do not offer any view on the normalization of bilateral relations", the Ministry said in a statement. Foreign Affairs Minister Halbe Zijlstra added: "The recent talks provided an opportunity for Turkey and the Netherland to come closer together again, but we did not agree on how normalization should take place."

The government therefore decided to officially withdraw the Dutch ambassador to Ankara. The ambassador hasn't had access to Turkey since March 2017. "As long as the Netherlands does not have an ambassador in Turkey, the Netherlands will also not grant permission for the appointment of a new Turkish ambassador in the Netherlands. This message was conveyed to the Turkish agent in The Hague", the ministry said.

Read more: Turkish-Dutch foreign relations break down; Ambassador recalled | NL Times