Turkey could shut down Incirlik Air Base used by US if necessary – Erdogan on US sanctions
As well the air base, which is located in Adana, the Kurecik Radar Station in the Malatya province may also be closed, Erdogan said. The Kurecik base houses an early-warning radar installed by the US Army, which plays a strategic role in NATO’s ballistic missile defense network.
#Turkey President @RTErdogan says will retaliate for any US sanctions, could shut down Incirlik Air Base if deemed necessary. https://t.co/VoiUnJY9hZ
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) December 15, 2019
#BREAKING#Turkish President #Erdogan:
▪️”The #US senate’s decision on the so-called Armenian Genocide is null and void for #Turkey. In case of sanctions, we can take steps to close Incirlik and Kürecik. If the US continues to act like this, we have steps to take as well.” pic.twitter.com/8NUc0VnA0y
— EHA News (@eha_news) December 15, 2019
Erdogan made the threat, which had earlier been suggested by FM Mevlut Cavusoglu, while talking to the A Haber channel about the Armenian Genocide resolution passed by the US Senate. It formally recognizes as genocide the mass murder of some 1.5 million Armenians in the early 20th century by the Ottoman Empire.
While the resolution was actually opposed by US President Donald Trump because it came amid a notable low-point in American-Turkish relations, Trump himself has not shied away from threatening Ankara with sanctions – even with the use of force. This war of words was triggered particularly by Turkey’s October military operation in northern Syria, which targeted Kurdish militias allied with the US. Back then, Ankara was slapped with sanctions, but those were later rolled back when Trump decided that the crisis was resolved.