Turkey withdraws ambassador to Austria amid diplomatic spat

ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey's foreign minister says the country has withdrawn its ambassador to Austria following a growing diplomatic spat.

Mevlut Cavusoglu said Monday that the ambassador was called back to Ankara for "consultations."

Ties between Turkey and Austria have been tense for several weeks, with a top Austrian official saying Turkey was heading toward a dictatorship and other leaders calling for an end to Turkey's European Union membership talks.

Turkey, in turn, has described Austria as the "capital of radical racism."