Austria joins row as 3 referendum rallies of Turkish politicians canceled

Local authorities in Austria have canceled three planned meetings to be hosted by Turkish politicians in order to seek support for “yes” votes in an upcoming referendum in Turkey that will expand the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

After the cancellation of Turkish ministers’ programs by German and Dutch authorities, events in the Austrian towns of Linz, Hoerbranz and Herzogenburg were also canceled.

A statement from the municipality of Wiener Neustadt, which includes the town of Herzogenburg, said the event had been canceled due to fire safety regulations.

Around 116,000 Turkish nationals live in Austria.

Turkey’s relations with Germany and the Netherlands were recently strained due to the cancellation of events featuring Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekçi and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

Meanwhile, a rally to be held by Çavuşoğlu at a hotel in the Swiss city of Zurich was canceled by local authorities due to “significant security risks.”

Swiss police suggested Çavuşoğlu’s team find a new venue for the event on Sunday. (turkishminute.com) March 11, 2017

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