NEWS CENTER - The Washington administration asked Turkey for clarification on the threat of closure of the Incirlik air base.
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper answered to Turkey's comments about the closure of the Incirlik base "if necessary" in a press conference.
Esper said: "The isssue has not been brought up to me before. It's the first I heard of it. But I was reading it in the papers. And so I need to talk to my defense counterparts and what's -- what they really mean and what this -- how serious they are."
Asked whether it's time to get the nuclear weapons out of Incirlik, Esper said: "I make no comments regarding where the United States may have weapons. I think the issue here is, once again, what is Turkey's direction with regard to the NATO alliance, and -- 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 defense of Europe, or other things?"
The Incirlik base in Adana province has been used as the US air base for decades. According to experts, Incirlik, contains about 50 nuclear heads. NATO has an important radar station in Kürecik, Malatya.
President Erdoğan said in a televised interview: "If necessary, we will hold discussions with all our delegations, and if necessary, we may close Incirlik and Kürecik."