Dutch PM refutes Erdogan's "falsification of history"

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Tuesday that Turkish remarks on the Srebrenica massacre in the diplomatic row with the Netherlands is "vile falsification of history".

In a speech televised live earlier on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "we know the Netherlands and the Dutch from the Srebrenica massacre. We know how rotten their character is from their massacre of 8,000 Bosnians there."

"The tone is getting hysterical," said Rutte when interviewed by Dutch media. In his view, the Turkish president "continues to inflate further". "It is a level and lack of style, incredible. We are not going to reduce us to this level. It is really unacceptable. "

On July 11, 1995, the enclave of Srebrenica fell to the Bosnian Serb forces and over 7,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed. The UN protected "safe haven" proved to be not safe at all and the Dutch battalion Dutchbat was not able to protect the victims, resulting in a national trauma for the Dutch.

Erdogan's remarks came as the tensions between the Netherlands and Turkey rose since Saturday when Turkish Minister of Family Affairs Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya was forced to leave and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had his plane rejected to land in the Netherlands.

Both wanted to speak at a political rally in Rotterdam to urge Dutch citizens with the Turkish nationality to vote for a stronger position for Erdogan in April's referendum.

The Netherlands had asked them not to come, saying that this kind of political campaign threatens public order and security, especially when it takes place days before the general election.

Following the Dutch refusal to let his ministers in, Erdogan has called the Dutch government "Nazi remnants". Rutte has replied that Erdogan's "verbal attacks" were unacceptable and called for de-escalation of tensions.

During the interview on Tuesday, Rutte added that cooperation with the Turks in various fields so far continues. "It is also in the interests of Turkey that such cooperation just continue."

Dutch Minister of Defense Jeanine Antoinette Hennis-Plasschaert also said on Tuesday morning that the Netherlands and Turkey remain allies.

"If Turkey asks for it, the country could still count on military support from the Netherlands," she told Dutch radio BNR. "We are both members of the same alliance, NATO, and that also means that we are military allies."

Source: Xinhua