A snap poll on the incident by Peil.nl found that 86% of more than 2,000 respondents said that Mr Rutte had done a good job during the dispute. Mr Rutte and Mr Wilders were scheduled have their first debate of the campaign yesterday evening. That compared with a lead of some 12 seats held by Mr Wilders at the start of the year. Mr Rutte said Mr Erdogan's comments were "way out of line" and "unacceptable," while Mr Wilders called Mr Erdogan a "dictator" and told Turkish officials to stay away. Mr Erdogan is seeking backing for a referendum in April that would give greater powers to his currently ceremonial presidency.

Source: Bangkok Post March 13, 2017 21:56 UTC