World Bulletin/News Desk

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has reportedly cancelled a planned trip to Berlin, Germany at the invitation of the German Social Democratic Party (SDP), apparently due to a quarrel that erupted last week in Brussels with the EU President of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists Hannes Swoboda.

The CHP cited a previously planned meeting between Kılıçdaroğlu and European Council President Herman van Rompuy, who is on an official visit to Ankara as the reason for the cancellation. However, sources recall that the German Social Democrats had in 2007 asked for the CHP to be kicked out of the Socialist International (SI) association of political parties and the CHP's cancellation could be an attempt to avoid potential tension.

CHP Deputy Chairman Faruk Loğoğlu said the change had nothing to do with the Swoboda affair. He also said that CHP Deputy Chairman Gökhan Günyadın, Party Council member Ercan Karakaş and CHP EU Representative Kader Sevinç will be visiting the SDP, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary.

Swoboda cancelled a scheduled bilateral meeting with Kılıçdaroğlu on May 15 after the latter called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan the “murderer” of the 51 people who died in the Syria-linked Reyhanlı bombings.

Swoboda said he could not agree with Kılıçdaroğlu, asserting that although Erdoğan's policies could be legitimately criticized, he cannot be compared to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is waging war against and terrorizing the people of Syria.

Later on in the day, Swoboda cancelled his scheduled meeting with Kılıçdaroğlu.