The withdrawal of the ambassador is a largely symbolic gesture as the diplomat has been barred from Turkey since March 2017, when relations between the two countries took a downward turn over the Dutch refusal to allow Turkish ministers to campaign in the Netherlands ahead of a referendum. "The Dutch government has decided to officially withdraw the Netherlands' ambassador in Ankara, who has not had access to Turkey since March 2017," the ministry wrote in a statement.It also said that the ministry would not accept the appointment of a new Turkish ambassador. “As long as the Netherlands has no ambassador to Turkey, the Netherlands will also not issue permission for a new Turkish ambassador to take up duties in the Netherlands.”

Relations between the two NATO allies have spiralled to an all-time low after the Netherlands expelled Turkey’s Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kayar in March. The two nations fell out last year following the Dutch government’s decision to block visas for Turkish officials campaigning for votes among expats living in the Netherlands in the lead-up to Turkey’s controversial referendum which granted Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan sweeping new powers. Furious Turkish officials demanded an apology for the minister's treatment from Prime Minister Mark Rutte and blocked the Dutch ambassador, who had been abroad at the time, from returning to Turkey.
The Netherlands withdraw their ambassador in Ankara and say that they will not accept a new Turkish ambassador in The Hague. Dutch foreign minister Halbe Zijlstra says, "We have not agreed on how to normalise ties."