Sigmar Gabriel
Foreign Minister of Germany, Sigmar Gabriel, stated the need to withdraw German soldiers from the Turkish air base in Incirlik. On Monday, June 5, according to Focus Online.
“Very sorry about this, but please understand that we will be forced to relocate the soldiers of the Bundeswehr base in Incirlik”, — the diplomat said after talks with Turkish foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara, reports Deutsche Welle.
The head of the foreign Ministry of Germany said that while a formal decision on the withdrawal of German soldiers is still pending. “While there is no specific plan about how it could happen,” he said.
Thus, according to the Minister, there is no alternative to the relocation of the Bundeswehr base in Incirlik, says Deutsche Welle.
Currently, Gabriel is located in Turkey on an official visit. In the center of the talks with Cavusoglu was an attempt to resolve the conflict between Berlin and Ankara over the rights of German parliamentarians to visit the soldiers of the Bundeswehr, located on the Turkish Incirlik air base.
15 may it was reported that Turkish authorities once again refused the group of German MPs visiting the airbase. One of the reasons that failed the visit of the parliamentarians was the fact that Germany has provided sanctuaries to several Turkish officers, suspected of involvement in the coup attempt. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, commenting on the actions of Ankara, said that Berlin would consider the withdrawal of its troops from Turkey.
On the eve of departure to Ankara Gabriel said in an interview with German newspaper Bild am Sonntag about the possible cooperation of the Bundeswehr with Jordan.
On the Incirlik air base located 260 soldiers of the Bundeswehr. It pilots, technicians and engineers from the German group participating in the international coalition against the militants of the terrorist group “Islamic state” (banned in Russia), which takes place on the territory of Syria.