Baku, Azerbaijan, June 5
By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:
Turkey and Germany discussed the presence of Germany’s Air Force at the Incirlik Air Base, said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
He made the remarks at a press conference with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who arrived in Ankara on June 5 to discuss the presence of German Air Force contingent at the Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.
Cavusoglu noted that the two sides discussed a number of important problems, among which there is the presence of members of the Fethullah Gulen movement and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorist group in Germany.
It was previously reported that Turkey blocked a group of German lawmakers from visiting the servicemen at the Incirlik Air Base prompting German Chancellor Angela Merkel to suggest that Berlin may consider moving 250 troops stationed at the Air Base to one of the neighboring countries.
In turn, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a possible withdrawal of the German Air Force contingent from the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey poses no problem for Ankara.
Turkey remains a key country – member of NATO in the Middle East. The Incirlik Air Base is one of the main bases of the US and NATO in the region.
Planes of the US-led coalition members, which participate in air operations against the so-called Islamic State (IS aka ISIS/ISIL) terrorist group, are stationed at this air base.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu