Turkish Deputy PM: Russia cannot use Incirlik Air Base
Russia is not a member of NATO; that's why Russian military aircraft cannot use Incirlik base for the fight against the extremists of the Islamic State organization. This was stated by the deputy prime minister of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş, in an interview with the television channel NTV on Tuesday, August 23.
However, the deputy to the head of the Turkish government believes that Russia’s participation in the attempts to resolve the crisis in Syria would have paved the way for the restoration of peace in the country. When the peace talks on the future of Syria are held, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should also participate in them, Kurtulmuş stressed.
Earlier, Prime Minister of Turkey Binali Yıldırım said that the country’s authorities would not object if the Russian air force used Incirlik air base to participate in special operations in Syria. At the same time, the head of the Turkish government said that Russia has not made such a request.