She also called for detained German citizens to be treated in line with the rule of law.

On the margins of the NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday, Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They discussed the current strains on German-Turkish relations.

The Chancellor once again pointed out that it is imperative for members of the German Bundestag to be able to visit Bundeswehr troops stationed outside Germany. "Otherwise we must leave Incirlik," she said in Brussels.

The Turkish government has barred members of the Bundestag Defence Committee from visiting Incirlik. Turkey justified this step by the fact that Turkish soldiers had been granted asylum in Germany. Ankara has accused the soldiers of being involved in the attempted military coup in July 2016.

Minister of Defence visits Jordan

The German government has already explored alternatives to Incirlik for the Bundeswehr contingent currently stationed at the Turkish air base. Federal Minister of Defence, Ursula von der Leyen flew to Jordan on 19 May. While there she met with a Bundeswehr assessment team. "My initial impression of the Al Azraq Air Base here in Jordan is positive," she reported after the meeting.

Jens Flosdorff, spokesperson of the Federal Ministry of Defence, reported at the government press conference on Monday (22 May) that the Minister had visited an airfield in Jordan. The operational conditions are good for tanker aircraft and Tornados. "But political talks with Turkey are continuing at various levels," stressed Jens Flosdorff.

From Incirlik Air Base German planes fly missions over Syrian and Iraqi sovereign territory as part of the anti-IS coalition.

Angela Merkel calls for the release of detained Germans

During her meeting with President Erdoğan in Brussels, Angela Merkel again called for detained German citizens to be treated in line with the rule of law. In particular she called for the release of Deniz Yücel. The German-Turkish journalist was remanded in custody in Istanbul at the end of February. He is accused of terrorist propaganda and sedition.

The German government has repeatedly called for his release. They have also pointed out that the Turkish judiciary must take into account the enormous value of the freedom of the press for every democratic society in the case of Deniz Yücel.

As well as Deniz Yücel, other German citizens are currently detained in Turkey. They include Mesale Tolu, who was detained at the end of April.