Turkey bars German MPs from troop visit
BERLIN -- Ankara has refused German lawmakers permission to visit soldiers serving at an air base near the Turkish town of Konya, a party defence spokesman said, marking a new escalation in tensions between the two NATO allies.
Turkey's earlier refusal to let lawmakers visit German soldiers serving at Incirlik air base led to Berlin relocating those troops to Jordan. For historical reasons, Germany's armed forces are under parliamentary control, and Berlin insists the parliamentarians must have access to its soldiers.
"The government, especially Chancellor Angela Merkel, must now take the necessary steps to ensure lawmakers can soon visit the soldiers in Konya," said Rainer Arnold, defence spokesperson for the Social Democrats, the junior coalition party in the government.
