A visit by German lawmakers to Turkey this week has been cancelled due to "extreme pressure" from Ankara, a deputy parliament speaker says.
"It is currently not considered opportune at the very, very, very highest Turkish level to conduct political talks with the German parliamentary side in Turkey," Bundestag Vice President Claudia Roth said on May 24.
Roth, of the opposition Greens, was to head a four-member delegation from three parties on a May 25-28 trip to Ankara, Diyarbakir, and Istanbul for meetings with officials, government and opposition lawmakers, and nongovernment organizations.
The cancellation comes amid souring relations between Germany and Turkey.
Ankara recently blocked a request for German lawmakers to visit their country's troops stationed in the Incirlik air base.
The move was seen in part as a response to fellow NATO member Germany's decision to grant political asylum to Turkish soldiers accused of involvement in a failed coup last July.