ANKARA, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte had apologized by the phone over detention of Turkish charge d'affaires and Rotterdam consul general, Daily Sabah reported Wednesday.
During a televised interview with local channel late Tuesday, Yildirim said that Mr. Rutte had apologised in a phone conversation with him for the detention of Turkish Rotterdam consul general, Sadin Ayyildiz, and charge d'affaires in the Hague, Alper Yuksel.
"Mr. Rutte said that the detentions were carried out by mistake," Yildirim said.
"He stated that the Dutch officials also did not desire to increase tensions to such an extent," the Prime Minister said, adding Rutte even offered to have a dinner together with him.
Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus announced late Monday to impose political sanctions against Netherlands.
Turkish government will suspend high-level relations and all planned meetings with Netherlands. The Dutch ambassador to Ankara, who is out the country at the moment, will not be allowed to enter Turkey.
A permission given in December for diplomatic flights for Dutch officials is also cancelled.
Diplomatic tensions between the two countries escalated on the weekend after the Dutch authorities cancelled Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's flight permission to the Netherlands and then blocked Turkish Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya from entering the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam on Saturday.