Turkey's inflation in March hit its highest annual rate in over eight years, reaching over 11 percent, according to official data on Monday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said he expected parliament to approve restoring capital punishment after the April 16 referendum on expanding its powers, a move that could end Ankara's bid to join the EU.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday warned that the Netherlands would face more retaliation from Ankara in a spiraling diplomatic crisis, as he made a new jibe against the country over the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.

In an uncompromising speech, Erdogan said a 'yes' vote in an April 16 referendum on expanding his powers would be the best response to Turkey's "enemies" in a dispute that risks wrecking the entire Ankara-Brussels relationship.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel of backing terrorists, as new acrimony erupted between Turkey and its EU allies.

Erdogan's scathing broadside came hours after the European Union urged him to avoid inflammatory rhetoric in a growing standoff with Germany and the Netherlands over the blocking of ministers seeking to address rallies promoting a 'yes' vote in a April 16 referendum on giving him greater powers.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday threatened that the Netherlands would "pay a price" after expelling a Turkish minister and preventing Ankara's top diplomat from landing ahead of planned rallies.

Protesters briefly took down the Dutch flag at The Netherlands' consulate in Istanbul on Sunday and replaced it with a Turkish one, AFP journalists saw, as tensions escalated in a diplomatic row.

Turkey's Family Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya was back in Istanbul on Sunday after being expelled from the Netherlands and escorted back to Germany by Dutch police, condemning The Hague's "ugly" treatment.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday that he would go ahead with a planned visit to Germany despite local authorities' banning him from making a speech on safety grounds.

Germany's large Turkish community, including 1.4 million people eligible to vote in Turkey, is a potential electoral goldmine for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his bid to win a referendum on expanding his powers.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Saturday he would speak with German Chancellor Angela Merkel by telephone amid a row over rallies cancelled in Germany ahead of a vote next month in Turkey.

"I have a telephone call with the German chancellor at 3:00 pm (1200 GMT)," Yildirim told a rally in the central Turkish province of Kirsehir where he was campaigning for a "Yes" vote in the April 16 referendum to boost President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers.