Germany mulls withdrawing troops stationed in Turkey: official

Turkey again denied German members of parliament access to the German Bundeswehr soldiers stationed at Turkey's Incirlik air base on Monday.

The Turkish government has not granted the necessary diplomatic clearance to the politicians for their visit, despite multiple requests by the Federal Foreign Office.

The Office called the decision "absolutely unacceptable," and is considering withdrawing its operations from Turkey.

"We have to think about how to continue in light of the current situation," Federal Foreign Office representative Martin Schaefer said in Berlin.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has confirmed that while the dialogue with Turkey is continuing, the German government "searches for alternatives to Incirlik."

Since the German Bundeswehr is a parliamentary army, "it is absolutely necessary for members of parliament to have access to their soldiers," Merkel said. The decision on where to deploy the Tornado units is expected within two weeks.

Turkey has not provided a reason for their official refusal. But a response to asylum granted by German government to Turkish soldiers is a suspected reason. The soldiers feared persecution after the failed military coup against Turkish president Recep Erdogan last year.

Around 260 members of the Bundeswehr and several Tornado surveillance aircraft are currently stationed in Incirlik. It is the base of operations for support missions by the international coalition against the terror organization Islamic State (IS).

It is the second time that Turkey refused access to the German troops stationed there following a similar refusal last year. Endit