Leader of opposition party slams Ankara over downing of Russian jet

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Russian government on Wednesday, December 23 played host to Selahattin Demirtas, the leader of Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition party, who used his visit to criticize Ankara for shooting down a Russian warplane last month, Reuters reports.

Russia imposed economic sanctions on Turkey after the incident and has sharply criticized the political leadership of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

The visit by Demirtas, the leader of Turkey's People's Democratic Party (HDP), is likely to worsen already poor ties between Moscow and Ankara since his party is a staunch political foe of the AK Party Erdogan founded.

Demirtas on Wednesday held closed-door talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

"We criticized the actions of the government when the Russian plane was shot down," Russian news agencies quoted him as telling Lavrov.

"From the very first days, we declared as an opposition party in the country, that we do not support the position of worsening relations with Russia," he said.

Selahattin's visit is likely to boost his pro-Kurdish party's profile in Turkey, where it is officially registered and represented in parliament.

Media reports quoted him before the visit as saying he wanted to open a representative office for his party in Moscow.