Alwaght- The German military has completed its withdrawal from Turkey’s Incirlik airbase, amid a deepening row between the two NATO-member countries.
The move comes after Turkey refused Ankara’s refusal to allow visits by German parliamentarians.
Germany’s transfer of reconnaissance and refueling aircraft from Incirlik to Jordan’s al-Asrak airbase had been an “unprecedented, mammoth task,” German contingent commander Stefan Kleinheyer said Wednesday.
The German parliament voted overwhelmingly in June to leave Incirlik amid a dispute with Turkey. The Bundeswehr relocated a set of Tornado reconnaissance jets, a German refueling aircraft, logistical equipment and 260 personnel to Jordan.
The latest move comes after German Chancellor Angela Merkel joined a growing choir of German politicians calling for an end to European Union (EU) accession talks with Turkey. The comments by Merkel further exacerbated the long-standing diplomatic row between Berlin and Ankara, however, her words were seen as a veiled threat to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Germany and Turkey became embroiled in a spat over the plans of Turkish politicians to hold campaign rallies in Europe. Hoping to win support among Turkish migrant communities for a constitutional referendum, which ultimately passed in April 2017, Erdogan and members of his AKP party ran up against heavy opposition in several European capitals. Germany rejected the request by AKP to hold rallies in the country.
Turkey retaliated by banning German parliamentarians from visiting German armed forces stationed at the Turkish bases of Incirlik and Konya, which in turn prompted German lawmakers to transfer troops to a new location in Jordan.
The bilateral conflict between Germany and Turkey also worsened after a failed military coup against Erdogan's government in July 2016.
Ankara has rejected Berlin's criticisms that it engaged in an excessive crack-down on political opponents in response to the coup, and is resentful towards Berlin for allegedly granting asylum to Turkish revolutionaries. Figures released by the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees suggest that the number of Turkish asylum seekers in Germany has risen dramatically since July 2016.
There are no signs of thawing of ties between Germany and Turkey and more acrimony is expected between the two NATO allies.
