“An army that answers to parliament must be able to be visited by their deputies”, Steinmeier said.
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Ankara banned access to Incirlik in June in anger at a resolution passed by the German parliament declaring that the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces amounted to “genocide”.
Turkey has approved plans for German lawmakers to visit their country’s troops at a Turkish air base, officials said Thursday, ending a standoff that had deepened strains in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies’ relationship.
Turkey’s foreign minister on Thursday confirmed Ankara would allow German lawmakers to visit Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey, saying Berlin had fulfilled conditions required for the visit. “With this decision by the Turkish government we have moved a step forward”.
Steinmeier added that “an armed force mandated by parliament must be able to be visited by its lawmakers”.
Last week, the German government stressed that the parliamentary resolution on the killings of the Armenians was not legally binding.
On Tuesday, the magazine “Der Spiegel” said Berlin was prepared to invest in new German facilities at the busy air base. At the same time, Chancellor Angela Merkel strongly rejected suggestions that her government was distancing itself from the motion.
Other sources of discord remain, including German criticism of the Erdogan government’s treatment of journalists, its Kurdish minority and of numerous alleged plotters detained in sweeping arrests after the failed coup in July.
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As the EU’s top destination for refugees a year ago, Germany has relied on an EU-Turkey agreement created to stop the massive influx of people fleeing war and poverty.
