Turkey's official cancels visit to Germany over protest

Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag on Thursday cancelled a planned visit to Germany, describing it was "unacceptable" that the German authorities revoked permission.

Bozdag was scheduled to deliver a speech in a meeting organized by the Union of European Turkish Democrats (UETD) in the southern German town of Gaggenau.

He was expected to meet with Turkish community members in a rally and address about the upcoming referendum on April 16 for the proposed constitutional amendments in Turkey, Daily Sabah reported.

"The right of assembly was one of the irreplaceable features of democracy," Bozdag told reporters in Strasbourg, France, adding that the decision also did not fit the rule of law.

A statement released by the city of Gaggenau said that the meeting was canceled due to security concerns and incapacity problems. Gaggenau Mayor Michael Pfeiffer said the decision was not a political one.

Meanwhile late Thursday, an official from the city of Cologne said an event on March 5, where Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci would be holding a rally through the UETD, had also been canceled, the German Press Agency (DPA) reported.

A row has occurred recently between Berlin and Ankara over Turkey's abroad rallies regarding the April 16 referendum on constitutional amendment.

German politicians opposed against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) officials holding rallies in Germany.

With an estimated 3 million people, Germany is the largest Turkish community abroad. Endit