Turkish FM says German politicians' visit to Incirlik base "inappropriate"

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday it was "inappropriate" for politicians to visit the Incirlik air base, local NTV reported.

"It is inappropriate for non-military delegations and politicians to visit the Incirlik air base," said Cavusoglu during a joint press conference with his Maltese counterpart in Ankara.

He added that Ankara approves visits to the Incirlik base located in Turkey's south by military and specialized delegations.

According to German media reports, Turkey refused to grant a German delegation permission to visit the military base in July, including a deputy defense minister and legislators.

The Incirlik air base is primarily used by the United States-led coalition forces to launch airstrikes against targets of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in both Iraq and Syria.

Approximately 250 German soldiers are stationed at the Incirlik air base, along with six Tornado reconnaissance jets and a refueling plane, all of which are involved in coalition air operations against IS.

Ties between Germany and Turkey have been strained following the German parliament's resolution on June 2 recognizing the mass killing of Armenians in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire as a "genocide."

In response to the German resolution, Ankara immediately recalled its ambassador to Berlin. Endit