By Emin Avundukluoglu
ANKARA (AA) - The leader of Turkey's opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has called on Germany to right a wrong he considered was committed against Ankara, i.e. local bans against rallies organized by Turkish ministers.
In his party's parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday in Ankara, Devlet Bahceli slammed German authorities' decisions to ban Turkish ministers' rallies ahead of the April 16 constitutional referendum.
"Germany's chancellor should avoid actions and steps against Turkey that increase the tension [between the two countries] while correcting her mistake [against Turkey]," said Bahceli.
Bahceli suggested Germany to "look for a way to correct relations with Turkey with patience and calm".
He added: "If necessary, [...] we will not avoid taking matters into our own hands."
Tensions between Ankara and Berlin flared recently following certain German cities’ decisions to cancel several rallies of top Turkish ministers.
They were scheduled to address the representatives of Germany’s 3 million-strong Turkish community on the referendum on constitutional changes that would hand wide-ranging executive powers to the president.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed German authorities on Sunday for undermining the freedom of expression and right to assembly, calling such practices "no different from the Nazi ones of the past”.
Nearly 1.5 million Turkish residents in Germany are eligible to vote in Turkey’s referendum on constitutional changes. Turkish citizens in Germany can cast their votes at Turkish consulates between March 27 and April 9.