Mithat Sancar, a Turkish opposition politician, thanked German Foreign Minster Annalena Baerbock on Saturday for her open criticism of the Ankara government during a visit to the country.

On Friday, Baerbock put Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's administration under pressure on human rights, its clampdown on opponents and a planned military operation in northern Syria.

During a joint news conference in Istanbul and earlier in Athens, Baerbock also sided with Greece in its ongoing territorial dispute with Turkey over several islands in the Aegean Sea.

What did opposition leader Sancar say?

Sancar, the co-chair of the pro-Kurdish opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), praised Baerbock, saying she had not avoided the "necessary confrontation" during talks with her Turkish counterpart.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Germany had lost its neutrality as a mediator in the territorial dispute with Greece since the departure of Angela Merkel as chancellor last year. He urged Berlin to listen to both sides "without prejudice."

The pair also clashed over the Syrian conflict and the jailing of Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala.

On Saturday, Baerbock met the leaders of the HDP; the largest opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP); and the conservative nationalist Iyi (Good) Party. 

She then met the three opposition representatives and visited a counseling center for women who have experienced domestic violence. She was also due to visit a center for refugees from Syria and Iraq.

Baerbock traveled to the mausoleum for state founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, where she laid a wreath.

Erdogan weakened, may ban Kurdish party 

Under Erdogan's leadership, Turkey has been regularly pilloried for undermining basic human and democratic rights. 

International groups accuse him of using the judiciary as a political tool, especially since thousands of judges were deposed following the failed 2016 coup. 

Turkey is set for parliamentary and presidential elections next June, and opposition parties believe that they have the strongest chance of achieving a parliamentary majority than at any time during Erdogan's 19-year reign.

Current polls show that the president's Islamic conservative Justice and Development Party will struggle to retain its hold, partly because of Turkey's economic and currency crisis.

Sancar predicts pro-Kurdish party will be banned

There are concerns that Erdogan could seek to ban the HDP over its alleged links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a separatist movement that Ankara considers a terrorist organization.

Asked whether his party might soon be banned by Turkish authorities for links to separatism, Sancar said he expected such a move ahead of next year's elections.

Sancar called on the international community to take steps if Turkey carries out a military offensive in northern Syria, warning that such a move could have "fatal consequences" and strengthen terrorist groups such as the "Islamic State."

mm/fb (AFP, dpa)