Germany mulls relocating troops after Incirlik row

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - Germany’s government signaled on Monday that its troops stationed in Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey could be relocated to another country amid recent disagreements with Ankara.

Turkey turned down a request by German lawmakers to visit their troops in Incirlik this week, Germany’s foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer told a news conference in Berlin.

He added the German government was now moving towards considering alternatives, after growing disagreements with Ankara over the strategic facility.

"We will continue our efforts to ensure that German lawmakers can visit Incirlik, but if Turkey's position would remain the same, then we will enter into a situation where we have to consider other solutions," Schaefer said.

Diplomatic sources in Ankara confirmed that the German parliamentarians’ request was not approved by Turkey, as such a visit was considered to be “inappropriate in the current situation”.

Schaefer said the Turkish side apparently wanted to convey its uneasiness over recent decisions by the German immigration authorities to grant asylum to several Turkish ex-soldiers suspected of involvement in the defeated July 15, 2016 coup attempt.

“The message of the Turkish side was so clear that it can’t be misunderstood,” Schaefer said, commenting on German ambassador Martin Erdmann’s meeting with Turkish counterparts in Ankara over the weekend to discuss issues related to Incirlik.

Schaefer underlined that the German armed forces were mandated by parliament for its missions abroad and argued that lawmakers should have the opportunity to visit troops overseas.

-Disagreements

Since 2015, around 240 German troops, six high-tech Tornado surveillance jets and a tanker aircraft have been stationed in Incirlik Air Base, providing support for anti-Daesh operations.

German lawmakers have long been critical of the deployment due to political disagreements between Germany and Turkey, and Ankara’s reluctance to authorize visits by lawmakers to Incirlik.

Last year, Turkey rejected similar requests due to a controversial parliamentary motion in Germany describing the deaths of Ottoman Armenians in 1915 as “genocide”.

Later on, Ankara turned down requests by opposition Left Party lawmakers who had publicly expressed support for the terrorist PKK group.

Political disagreements between Turkey and Germany have also blocked planned infrastructure investments for the German forces stationed in Incirlik, including a new runway and a portable command center.

German Defense Ministry spokesman Jens Flosdorff said on Monday Incirlik was the "best option” from a military point of view for the deployment, but added they had identified several bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Southern Cyprus as potential alternatives, depending on political developments.

“Nobody is planning … immediate and speedy measures,” he said, adding that political discussions on the issue would likely continue for some time, and any potential relocation of troops would take several months.

The German parliamentary mandate for the ongoing Incirlik deployment will end on Dec. 31, 2017.

This latest row between the two NATO allies erupted after German immigration authorities granted political asylum to a number of Turkish ex-soldiers suspected of involvement in the foiled July 15, 2016 coup attempt.

Germany’s government had distanced itself from the decision of the immigration authorities, and claimed that each asylum application was individually assessed and decisions were taken in line with domestic law and international conventions.

However, Turkey has sharpened its criticism of Germany, accusing it of not taking any serious measures against the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

Led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, FETO is believed to have organized July’s attempted military takeover in Turkey, which left at least 249 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Germany, which hosts a three-million-strong Turkish community, is among the countries where FETO has a large network, with dozens of private schools, businesses and media organizations.

A 2014 report by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency said followers of the movement had founded more than 500 organizations across the country, including at least 24 schools and many cultural foundations.

Germany views FETO members with suspicion but the group is not outlawed in the country, with the authorities stressing that such a move could only come after concrete evidence of criminality is presented.