ammonnews.net

Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - On Monday, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (right in photo) said Turkey would continue to block a delegation of German lawmakers from visiting troops stationed at the strategic Incirlik air base.

"At the moment, a visit to the NATO base in Konya is possible, not Incirlik," Cavusoglu said at a joint press conference in Ankara on Monday with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel (left in photo).

In Berlin on Monday, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said the troops at Incirlik would be moved to a base in Jordan. "It is unacceptable that our deputies cannot visit the troops," she said. "We are ready for a transfer," she said, adding that a "comparable alternative" had been identified at the Azraq air base in Jordan and that King Abdullah supported the move.

Germany's cabinet is to "discuss and decide" an eventual move on Wednesday, von der Leyen added.

"We'll now discuss and decide upon our future approach on Wednesday together in the cabinet," von der Leyen said. "Incirlik is a good air base for the fight against Islamic State, but we can't accept not being able to visit our soldiers."

Germany has more than 250 military personnel stationed at Incirlik. They fly Tornado surveillance missions over Syria and refueling flights for partner nations in the coalition against the so-called "Islamic State" (IS).