German parliamentary group cancels Turkey visit

A parliamentary group from Germany, which was scheduled to visit Turkey, has canceled the trip when it was informed that the lawmakers could not hold talks with officials in the Turkish government and parliament.

German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said on Wednesday that Ankara had informed Berlin that the trip by four German lawmakers could not go ahead as planned. According to Schaefer, Turkey had indicated that the cancelation was because of "a domestic political situation in Turkey that wasn't conducive" to the trip.

The group of four, which included lawmakers from three parties, had been planned to visit Turkey between May 25 and 28 on a trip that would take them to Ankara, Diyarbakir and Istanbul. The lawmakers were scheduled to hold talks with government officials, opposition lawmakers and non-government groups.

Germany's ambassador to Turkey said it was inconceivable how Turkey “so rudely and bluntly” rejected “such a friendly and dialogue-oriented visit.”

Claudia Roth, a deputy speaker of the German parliament and a member of the opposition Greens who was to head the German delegation to Turkey, said the incident was a "political provocation," apparently making a reference to an earlier spat between Germany and Turkey over Ankara’s refusal to allow another group of lawmakers to visit German troops stationed in southern Turkey.

Relations between Turkey and Germany began to deteriorate after a failed coup in Turkey last year.

Germany has repeatedly criticized Ankara's crackdown, saying the Turkish government has acted beyond the rule of law.

Turkey defends the crackdown and insists that European governments have failed to properly condemn the coup.

Ankara also accuses Berlin of giving sanctuary to outlawed Kurdish militants and allowing their sympathizers to stage anti-Turkey rallies across Germany.

Relations between Germany and Turkey hit a new low during a Turkish referendum in April, which boosted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's powers.

The two countries have also clashed over the arrest of a Turkish journalist working for a major German daily.

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