"Those days are behind us as we look into the future. Now we want to develop our relationship with the Netherlands focusing on its positive aspects," Cavusoglu said at a press briefing in Ankara.
The Turkish top diplomat spoke about the outlook for boosting bilateral trade to $15 billion as he stood alongside Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok, who is in Ankara on an official visit.
It is our common goal to reinvigorate and further develop #Turkey-#Netherlands relations. Following the mutual start of office of our Ambassadors, we are discussing with Foreign Minister Stef Blok steps to be taken in the period ahead. pic.twitter.com/qyH0qFnWhD
— Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (@MevlutCavusoglu) 3 октября 2018 г.
"The negotiations have come to a standstill. There are a lot of criteria to be met, especially regarding the rule of law and human rights," Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said, speaking at a news conference alongside his Turkish counterpart.
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Earlier in July, the Dutch Foreign Ministry stated that during a telephone conversation, the [foreign] ministers agreed to normalize the diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and Turkey.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry responded by stopping the Dutch ambassador from returning to Turkey after a vacation at home. The Netherlands, in turn, recalled its own top diplomat in the country in February 2018.
