Germany's opposition rejects NATO’s airbase visit offer

Germany’s opposition has turned down NATO’s proposal to resolve an ongoing dispute between Ankara and Berlin regarding German lawmakers’ visits to troops stationed in Turkey.

The Left Party’s senior lawmaker Alexander Neu told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday his party group would not back a compromise solution proposed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

"The Left Party disagrees with the proposal of Mr. Stoltenberg,” Neu said, referring to NATO chief’s proposal to organize a visit "within the framework of NATO”.

"The German parliament is the only parliament in the world which has fought for parliamentarian rights such as to visit and control the German army during military operations,” he said.

"The proposal of Mr. Stoltenberg would diminish our democratic rights.”

German lawmakers are demanding unrestricted access to bases where German soldiers are deployed, including at the NATO base in central Turkish city of Konya, where around a dozen German soldiers are stationed.

Last week, Ankara postponed a planned visit by a group of German lawmakers to the base due to growing uneasiness over NATO ally Germany’s reluctance in showing solidarity with Turkey in the fight against terrorism.

Ankara was particularly angry at several opposition lawmakers who publicly announced their support for the terrorist PKK organization.

In an effort to resolve the dispute, NATO chief proposed to Ankara and Berlin to arrange a parliamentary visit "within a NATO framework” at the airbase in Konya.

The airbase hosts NATO’s AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) surveillance aircraft, which supports Turkey’s air defense, as well as operations against Daesh in Syria.

While Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic bloc (CDU/CSU) welcomed NATO’s proposal, the opposition Left Party called for withdrawing German soldiers from Konya.

"The AWACS-System can operate even from Greece if necessary,” Neu said.

In June, Germany decided to withdraw its Tornado surveillance jets and around 260 troops from Incirlik, another key military base in Turkey, after a similar dispute between Berlin and Ankara.

The German government had underlined that the army was controlled by the parliament, which also decided on military deployments abroad, and insisted that such parliamentary visits should be possible without any restriction.

Ahead of general elections in September, Merkel’s coalition government remains under growing pressure by opposition parties, which accuses the chancellor of making Germany “too dependent” on Turkey in addressing the refugee crisis, and demand a harsher tone against Ankara.