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Turkey’s Green Light of German Visit to Konya Airbase Unlikely to Improve Ties

© AP Photo / Selcan HacaogluA Turkish F-16 prepares to taxi while another one takes off during Anatolian Eagle exercise at 3rd Main Jet Air Base near the central Anatolian city of Konya, Turkey, Monday, June 15, 2009
A Turkish F-16 prepares to taxi while another one takes off during Anatolian Eagle exercise at 3rd Main Jet Air Base near the central Anatolian city of Konya, Turkey, Monday, June 15, 2009 - Sputnik International
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Alexander Neu, the Left Party spokesperson in the Bundestag Defense Committee, said that Ankara's approval of the German lawmakers' visit to the airbase in Turkey's Konya province will not improve the relations between Germany and Turkey.

Dozens of Turkish F-16 jets prepare to take off during Anatolian Eagle exercise at 3rd Main Jet Air Base near the central Anatolian city of Konya (File) - Sputnik International
Turkey Approves German Delegation's Visit to NATO Base in Konya
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Ankara's approval of the German lawmakers' visit to the airbase in Turkey's Konya province would barely improve the ties between the two nations, Alexander Neu, the Left Party spokesperson in the Bundestag Defense Committee, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, German media reported that Ankara had approved the visit of the German delegation to the base in Konya, where German military personnel is stationed. Tensions flared up in mid-July after Turkey banned the Bundestag Defense Committee from conducting the visit to the base. Also in July, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg unveiled a proposal to arrange the German delegation's visit within the Alliance's framework.

"No, because there are a lot of bilateral problems between Germany and Turkey… The German government needs to discuss openly the problems with the Turkish government. By now we see only Germany to make concessions for concessions," Neu said, answering a question about the possibilities of a thaw between Ankara and Berlin following the approval of the visit.

Dozens of Turkish F-16 jets prepare to take off during Anatolian Eagle exercise at 3rd Main Jet Air Base near the central Anatolian city of Konya (File) - Sputnik International
Germany Must Push NATO to Settle Issue With Konya Base in Turkey – Official
The German official also criticized the situation, in which the delegation would be headed not by the German lawmakers, but by the representatives of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

"The Left Party deeply criticizes this 'solution.' The German government delivers its sovereign rights and commitments of deciding and organizing this trip," Neu stressed.

The ties between Ankara and Berlin have been deteriorating in recent months, as Germany made a decision to ban Turkish pre-referendum rallies on its soil, and Turkey refused to allow German lawmakers to visit the Incirlik base in southeastern Turkey, where German troops are stationed.

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