Berlin, July 11, 2016 (AFP) – The government of Angela Merkel urged Ankara on Monday to lift its opposition to a visit by German MPs on a Turkish base stationed where the Bundeswehr, new bone of contention in the already tense relations between the two countries.
“It is necessary that our members can go to the Bundeswehr on the Incirlik base” in southern Turkey, where German soldiers are stationed as part of the fight against the Islamic State organization, told the press spokesman of the Chancellor, Steffen Seibert.
Turkey recently prevented the visit of a delegation of German parliamentarians on site, after the vote on June 2 by the German Parliament of a resolution recognizing the 1915 Armenian genocide under the Ottoman Empire. An initiative that has sickened Ankara.
– Parliamentary army ‘-
The spokesman reiterated that the mission of the Bundeswehr were strictly supervised by German lawmakers, who therefore have a duty to control, and even used on that expression of “parliamentary army”.
The Chancellor is itself leapt over the weekend, trying to get the green light for Turkey during a meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Warsaw with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. She received a plea.
“The disagreements do not disappear after just such an interview,” she said after.
The Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus justified blocking Monday that parliamentarians had nothing to do on a military site.
“For us this is a military matter,” he said, while “the German side the question Incirlik or sending German soldiers under the authority of the German parliament (. ..) the visit is not yet certain, the discussions continue. “
But there is little doubt that this is primarily a retaliation after the Bundestag vote on the Armenian Genocide.
According to the daily Hurriyet on Monday, President Erdogan served Angela Merkel during their meeting this weekend his unease about the resolution and said he expected the German government to distance itself publicly with the text.
– Withdrawal of threat –
Facing the Turkish blockade, the tone begins to rise in Germany, whose relations with Turkey have recently been soured by a television satire of President Erdogan broadcast on German public television. The Head of State has filed a complaint against the author of the pamphlet, Jan Böhmermann.
Personal attacks and threats suffered by the Germans of Turkish origin MPs from media or officials in Turkey have raised as a stir in Berlin and led the president of the Bundestag to protest publicly.
Several MEPs called for the withdrawal of German soldiers from the Incirlik base if Ankara should not give in.
This air base used by NATO in the framework of the fight against EI. Turkish fighter aircraft, American, British and also German are deployed. German Tornados are responsible for monitoring mission and Germany also contributes to the refueling aircraft flying in the area.
President Erdogan “risk withdrawal of the Bundeswehr by his attitude,” ruled Andreas Scheuer, general secretary of the CSU, the Bavarian branch of the conservative party of Angela Merkel.
“We need to be clear, sustainable refusal by Turkey can cause the end of the German participation in the NATO mission” on site, echoed him Niels Annen, the Social Democratic party.
Angela Merkel prefers for now the path of dialogue as it needs Turkey particularly in the context of the agreement with the EU to stem the flow of refugees from Syria to Europe.
By Yacine FOREST
Stéphane © armenews.com