Germany's Gabriel warns Turkey against 'blackmail' over Incirlik base
Germany's foreign minister has said Berlin may pull its troops out of a base in Turkey if lawmakers aren't allowed to visit. The latest spat comes as two Turkish generals reportedly applied for asylum in Frankfurt.
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German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel sharply criticized Turkey's decision to block a parliament delegation from visiting Bundeswehr soldiers stationed at Turkey's Incirlik base in an interview on Wednesday.
If "the German parliament is to be blackmailed, then the limit of tolerance has been reached," Gabriel told German newspaper the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung."
"I can only hope that the Turkish government will change its mind in the coming days," he said. "Otherwise, the German Bundestag will certainly not leave soldiers in Turkey."
Gabriel noted that if cooperative work is no longer possible out of Incirlik, including that members of parliament can visit soldiers at the base, "then we have to consider alternatives."
Possible move to Jordan
On Monday, Turkish authorities blocked a delegation of German lawmakers from accessing the southern Turkish air base. The parliamentarians were attempting to visit the 250 Bundeswehr soldiers stationed there as part of the US-led coalition fighting the militant "Islamic State" (IS) group.
German news magazine "Der Spiegel" reported that the Defense Ministry was already scoping alternatives to the Incirlik base in Jordan, Kuwait and Cyprus.
If "the German parliament is to be blackmailed, then the limit of tolerance has been reached," Gabriel told German newspaper the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung."
"I can only hope that the Turkish government will change its mind in the coming days," he said. "Otherwise, the German Bundestag will certainly not leave soldiers in Turkey."
Gabriel noted that if cooperative work is no longer possible out of Incirlik, including that members of parliament can visit soldiers at the base, "then we have to consider alternatives."
Possible move to Jordan
On Monday, Turkish authorities blocked a delegation of German lawmakers from accessing the southern Turkish air base. The parliamentarians were attempting to visit the 250 Bundeswehr soldiers stationed there as part of the US-led coalition fighting the militant "Islamic State" (IS) group.
German news magazine "Der Spiegel" reported that the Defense Ministry was already scoping alternatives to the Incirlik base in Jordan, Kuwait and Cyprus.
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