Turkish faith soon lifts ban on visits to military bases

(Baonghean.vn) - Germany is optimistic that Türkiye will lift the ban on parliamentarians visiting NATO air bases in Türkiye, where German troops are stationed. However, Ankara has yet to give a specific stance after tense negotiations on this issue.

German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer believes that Türkiye will soon lift the ban on German lawmakers visiting the Incrilik base. Photo: Reuters.

In June, Türkiye banned German lawmakers from visiting the Incirlik base near the border with Syria, reportedly in retaliation for Germany's designation of the massacre of 1,915 Armenians by Turkish troops as genocide. German lawmakers responded with threats to end Germany's military mission at the NATO air base in Türkiye, which was built to fight IS.

German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said there had been serious discussions between Germany and Turkey about resolving the conflict, which could affect Germany's participation in the US-led military coalition against IS militants.

“We are optimistic and hope that visits by German parliamentarians to Incirlik or other places will be accepted. But we are not yet completely sure about this,” he affirmed.

Schaefer said the decision to approve the visits would be a “good and important step” in efforts to ease tensions over Armenia. “It would show that German-Turkish relations are on a positive path, at least for now.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was also optimistic about the issue after meeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in China on September 4. She hoped the dispute over Incrilik would end and that Turks would be able to travel without visas within Europe.

Quan Le

(According to Reuters)