Germany is considering withdrawing all of its planes and soldiers from a NATO base in Turkey, because the Turkish government won’t let German lawmakers conduct inspections.
Turkey barred German lawmakers from entering the country after the German Bundestag passed a resolution branding the 1915 killing of nearly one million Armenians, “genocide.” Turkey is extremely sensitive about international acknowledgement of the systematic killing of Armenians by Ottoman troops in 1915.
Germany and Turkey’s deteriorating relations mirror broader cracks in the NATO alliance. In the aftermath of a failed July 15 coup attempt by elements of the Turkish military, Turkey accused the west of not being quick enough to condemn the coup perpetrators. In one instance, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused U.S. Army Gen. Joesph Votel of siding with the coup.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden traveled to Ankara Wednesday telling Erdogan,“I wish I could have been here earlier,” and that he has the “absolute and unwavering” support of the U.S. government. Erdogan publicly clashed with Germany, after a German court ruled he could not address a rally of his followers in Cologne.
Erdogan also set off alarm bells within the NATO alliance when he visited Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 9. Both nations trumpeted the visit as a reset of relations, after Turkey shot down a Russian jet that invaded its airspace in Nov. 2015. Russian President Vladimir Putin also actively works to undermine the NATO alliance, and exploit NATO’s political differences.
Germany’s parliament will vote later this month on whether to pull its equipment from the NATO base. If the vote passes, it will mark a significant cleavage in the NATO alliance. German media reported the government was considering basing their planes out of Jordan, but were wary of the increased fuel costs required for reconnaissance flights over Syria. The move would also delay air operations against ISIS for nearly two months.
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