Man sets himself alight inside Turkish consulate in the Netherlands

Local reports say the man was not seriously injured

The attempted self-immolation comes just months after the two nations resumed formal diplomatic relations. AP

A man has set himself alight inside the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Emergency services, including a medical helicopter, attended the scene on Monday morning and the man suffered minor injuries, local news said.

The consulate could not be contacted for comment on the matter and Dutch police told reporters that as they considered the incident an attempted suicide they would not be commenting.

No reason for the attempted self-immolation has been given.

Local news reporter, Robert Bas said the man did not appear to be seriously injured as he left the consulate. "He was approachable and was taken to a hospital with burns," he said.

Formal diplomatic relations between the Dutch Government and Turkey only resumed in July 2018, following the withdrawal of the Turkish ambassador from the Netherlands in March 2017.

The withdrawal was sparked by the Netherlands banning members of President Tayyip Erdogan’s government from campaigning among the Turkish diaspora in the Netherlands during the Dutch election season. Turkey's Family Minister, Fatma Betul Sayan Kayar, was barred from entering the Turkish consulate and the plane of the country’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu prevented from landing.