Finding alternative to Incirlik air base might not be easy

By Azernews

By Kamila Aliyeva

Ties between NATO allies Germany and Turkey have been recently strained by a series of rows and Germany will decide on June 7 whether to withdraw troops deployed at Turkey's Incirlik Air Force Base.

Roughly 250 German troops are based at Incirlik to help in the fight against ISIS militants.

The decision might be approved by the Bundestag in mid-June, while Jordan was named as a possible alternative to the Incirlik Airbase. Media reports that representatives of the Bundeswehr were inspecting eight sites where German planes from Turkey could be relocated. Three air bases were visited in Jordan, three – in Kuwait, and two – in Cyprus.

Finding alternative to the Incirlik Air Base might not be easy for the West, especially for Germany, said Salih Yilmaz, an expert at the University of Ankara.

Yilmaz believes that the issue of relocation of German military to Cyprus is not so easy.

“In the first place, in order to deploy the German Air Force in Cyprus, the permission from the UK and a number of other countries is required,” he said.

Cyprus is not a NATO member and it does not belong to the coalition against ISIS, therefore Germany can possibly use two British bases in Cyprus - Akrotiri and Paphos. However, this is fraught with political complications - Cyprus is not a NATO member, but is part of the EU. Therefore, the attempt to involve the country in military operations against its will can create certain difficulties for Germany.

Yilmaz further said that there are also a number of obstacles for the deployment of the German Air Force in the territory of Jordan.

“At present there are U.S. military bases there and it is not yet known whether the authorities of Jordan will approve such a decision of Germany," Yilmaz said.

The expert noted that the importance of Incirlik Air Base also lies in the fact that it includes an air defense system and is also protected by other types of modern weapons.

"Another important advantage of Incirlik Air Base is its close location to Iran," Yilmaz added.

The expert stressed that Germany's position towards Turkey was initially incorrect. "It is not permissible for Germany to conduct a "double play" in relation to Turkey, and at the same time to deploy a military contingent on the territory of this country. Moreover, Turkey did not feel the support of the German Air Force during the military operation ‘Shield of the Euphrates’," Yilmaz said.

Recently, the Turkish government refused to grant German lawmakers access to the site prompting German Chancellor Angela Merkel to suggest that Berlin may consider moving the troops stationed at the Incirlik Air Base to one of the neighboring countries.

In turn, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a possible withdrawal of the German Air Force contingent from the Incirlik air Base in southern Turkey poses no problem for Ankara.

Turkey remains the key NATO member country in the Middle East. The Incirlik Air Base is one of the main bases of the United States and the alliance in the region. Aircrafts of the countries of the international coalition led by the United States, which participates in air operations against ISIS , are based here.

German military specialists are involved in the formation of crews for AWACS radar reconnaissance aircraft. Berlin also supports the coalition's actions with the help of six reconnaissance planes Tornado, which are deployed in Incirlik.

The Bundeswehr's mandate in the Syrian operation does not involve participation in ground operations.