Germany started on Sunday the withdrawal of its forces from the Turkish Incirlik airbase, what was approved by Bundestag in June following Berlin’s row with Ankara, German media reported.
BERLIN (Sputnik) – First of all, Berlin will pull out tanker aircraft and reconnaissance Tornado jets, Der Spiegel magazine reported, citing its sources.
The Tornado jets will reportedly be withdrawn from Turkey to Germany until the end of July. After that, in a month and a half, the aircraft will be moved to a base in Jordan.
The conflict between Berlin and Ankara dates back to May, when Turkey blocked a group of German lawmakers from visiting servicemen stationed at Incirlik, which has been used by Berlin to carry out reconnaissance flights as part of the international operation against against the Daesh (outlawed in Russia) terrorist organization. Mustafa Yeneroglu, a Turkish lawmaker representing the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), told Sputnik that the decision to ban German lawmakers from entering the base was made due to the threat posed by politicians who supported the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey.
To resolve the dispute between the two states, the German government backed the relocation of German troops from the Incirlk base. According to German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, the German military airplanes and equipment will be moved to airfield Azraq in northern Jordan.