Germany is threatening to pull its forces from a major airbase in Turkey after the Turkish government again denied German lawmakers access to their forces.
Germany and Turkey have clashed repeatedly in recent years over a variety of issues. Turkey originally barred German lawmakers from visiting the nearly 250 soldiers at Incrilik airbase in June 2016, after the German legislature recognized the Ottoman empire’s genocide of Armenians in the early 1900s. The two countries have clashed over refugee policy, elections, and ISIS operations.
Incrilik airbase is particularly important to the U.S. led anti-ISIS coalition who use the base to target the terrorist group in neighboring Syria. German removal from the base could hinder their participation in anti-ISIS operations and reveals growing fissures between the two key NATO allies.
Turkey relented on allowing German visitors to the base in October 2016 but appears to be again clashing with Germany. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was particularly upset with Germany after the German government made efforts to curtail his campaign efforts directed at the Turkish diaspora in Germany.
Erdogan sought the millions of votes of Turks living in Europe for a constitutional referendum which significantly boosted his power. He was so piqued he compared Germany’s actions to “fascism” in late March which is particularly politically sensitive in Germany.
“It is particularly grave, and makes me sad because Nazi comparisons only lead to one thing: The trivialisation of the unfathomable suffering of those affected by Nazi crimes against humanity,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel responded.
Turkey’s latest ban on German lawmakers also drew censure from Merkel. “We will continue talks with Turkey but in parallel we will also do what is set out in the mandate, that means, searching for alternatives,” she said in a statement.
“We’re not going to be blackmailed,” a German lawmaker told German media after the incident.
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