Turkey’s Erdogan: If Berlin wants to pull troops, we’d say ‘Goodbye’
Turkey would tell Germany “goodbye” if it decided to withdraw its troops from the Incirlik air force base, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.
Erdogan, who was speaking in Ankara before flying to Brussels for a summit of NATO leaders and a meeting with European Union leaders, also said that Turkey had not received any indication from Berlin on the possible withdrawal of troops stationed at the southern Turkish air force base. He also said that Turkey was not seeking to break with the EU but that the bloc must fulfil its own responsibilities.
The future of the German troops at Incirlik has been thrown into question after Turkey blocked German lawmakers from visiting the troops this month, prompting Berlin to say it may consider moving the troops. Some 250 German troops are stationed at Incirlik, where they contribute to the U.S.-led fight against Islamic St
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Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday NATO allies should cooperate more closely in the fight against terrorism and that rapid information sharing was crucial.
Turkey’s relations with NATO and the EU have been strained by differences over Syria policy with the United States and by open disagreements with European leaders during last month’s referendum which granted Erdogan sweeping new powers.
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