Dutch FM to visit Turkey in wake of failed coup

Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs will be visiting Turkey next week, the first Dutch Minister to visit the country after a failed military coup in mid-July. He plans to remind the country to respect the law and not let tensions in Turkey spill over to the Netherlands, ANP reports.

Koenders will spend a day and half in Turkey, during which time he will meet with his Turkish counterpart and opposition parties.

The Dutch minister will insist that rule of law be respected by the Turkish government, especially in light of thousands of people that were arrested and tens of thousands that lost their jobs after the attempted coup.

He will also make clear once again that tensions in Turkey must not be exported to the Netherlands. The Turkish government blames rival Fethullah Gulen for the failed coup, which is causing tensions between Gulen supporters and supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Turkish-Dutch community.

The Dutch government believes that should the situation in Turkey deteriorate any further, EU subsidies to the country should be reduced. The government is particularly concerned about increasing calls to reintroduce the death penalty in after the attempted coup.