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Published 16:24 IST, December 17th 2019

US wants explanation from Turkey on threats to shut military bases

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he wants an explanation from Turkey following President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s threat to close down two US military bases.

Reported by: Kunal Gaurav
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US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he wants an explanation from Turkey following President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s threat to close down two military bases of United States. Erdogan had warned the US of shutting down Incirlik and Kurecik strategic military bases in response to potential sanctions and the Armenian genocide bill passed by Congress.

Read: Esper Sees No Immediate Need To Send More US Troops To Gulf

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'How serious they are?'

Esper said that he wants to know ‘how serious they are’ and that the issue was brought up to him before. “And so I need to talk to my defence counterparts and what they really mean and how serious they are,” said Esper. The Defense Secretary also said that he was not sure whether the threat was more bluster than substance. When asked about whether its time for the US to remove nuclear weapons out of Incirlik, Esper denied making any comment that could confirm the presence of weapons in the region.

“I think the issue here is, what is Turkey's direction with regard to the NATO alliance, and the actions they're taking on any number of issues that I've mentioned in the past, whether it's the S-400, whether it's the holding-up of NATO plans for the defence of Europe, or other things,” said Esper during a media briefing.

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Read: Esper Doesn’t Regret Delaying Drills, Despite N. Korea Snub

Right to host

The Defense Secretary was of the opinion that the alliance would have to discuss this issue and Turkey, being a sovereign nation, has the inherent right to host or to not host NATO bases or foreign troops on its land. “Again, I think this becomes an alliance matter, and their commitment to the alliance,” he added. Esper also talked about the military support on the ground in Syria and opined that there should be more multilateralism since its not only US mission. “We should operate as coalitions as often as we can. And I think Syria is a very good place to do that,” said Esper.

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Read: US Defence Secretary Mark Esper Meets Saudi Arabia's King Salman

Read: Donald Trump Nominates Mark Esper To Be His New Defence Secretary

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15:38 IST, December 17th 2019