Turkey condemns German politician Schulz's Erdoğan remarks

Turkey on Thursday said it condemned "unacceptable political remarks" made earlier this week by some German figures critical of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Ambassador Hüseyin Müftüoğlu, a spokesman for the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described as "regretful" comments made ahead of the Turkish leader's planned visit to Germany next week to attend a G20 summit in Hamburg.

Former European Parliament President Martin Schulz said on Wednesday he did not want the Turkish leader to hold large-scale events in Germany, according to reports in local media.

Germany has a large Turkish community of over three million people.

Schulz, now leader of Germany's Social Democratic Party, also accused the Turkish president of jailing "opposition politicians and journalists".

Müftüoğlu said any moves "towards imposing restrictions on freedom of assembly and expression" would reveal "the double standard of those who aim to lecture … others".

This latest intervention has added to recent tensions between Berlin and Ankara, particularly after Germany said it did not expect a number of bodyguards from Erdoğan's security detail to be present during the G20 summit.

The U.S. has issued arrest warrants for 16 people, including 12 of the Turkish president's bodyguards, over an incident in May outside Turkey's Washington D.C. embassy when several people were injured during a brawl; Erdoğan was on an official visit to the U.S. at the time of the incident.