Turkey's Erdogan says apology from Netherlands not enough, further sanctions may follow

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday a diplomatic row with the Netherlands could not be dismissed with an apology, and that further actions could be taken, after Turkey on Monday suspended high-level diplomatic ties with the Dutch.

Speaking at an event in Ankara, Erdogan also accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel of attacking Turkey the same way Dutch police used dogs and water cannon to Turkish disperse protesters outside the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam. Erdogan said Merkel was "no different from the Netherlands", and urged emigre Turks to not vote for "the government and the racists" in upcoming European elections.

Turkey has suspended high-level diplomatic relations with the Netherlands after Dutch authorities prevented its ministers from speaking at rallies of expatriate Turks in order to drum up support for an April referendum to grant Erdogan's office sweeping powers, deepening the row between the two NATO allies.

 Erdogan, who is seeking Turkish voters' support in an April 16 referendum on boosting his powers as head of state, had accused the Dutch government of acting like "Nazi remnants" for barring his ministers.

The sanctions include the banning of the Dutch ambassador and diplomatic flights from the Netherlands. They do not appear to include economic measures or travel restrictions for ordinary citizens.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday said that the sanctions were "not too bad" but were inappropriate as the Dutch have more to be angry about.