Berlin may transfer its troops to another country if Ankara refuses to allow members of the Bundestag defense committee, the Federal Lower House of Germany, to visit members of the German armed forces serving the NATO mission On the Incirlik airbase, chancellor Angela Merkel was interviewing.
During a press conference, Merkel insisted that it is of paramount importance that German parliamentarians can visit the approximately 270 German militants in Incirlik, who are part of the North Atlantic Treaty Task Force, which targets the Islamic Islamic State Organization (IA).
"We will continue to talk with Turkey, but at the same time we will have to look for other ways to fulfill our mandate," Merkel said. "This means finding alternatives beyond Incirlik, and one of the alternatives is Jordan".
Merkel described Ankara's decision as "regrettable."
The Chancellor recalled that this is not the first time Germany faces difficulties in organizing visits by members of the Bundestag to Incirlik.