Tensions are increasing between Washington and Ankara ... Esper surprised about Erdogan's threats

On Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he needed to speak with his Turkish counterpart to understand how serious Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was when he said he might shut down Incirlik Air Base, which contains US nuclear warheads.

Speaking to reporters on a US military plane, Esper added, "I didn't know about it before, the first time I learned about it was through newspapers, and then I need to talk to my Turkish counterpart, to understand what they really mean and how serious they are."

This is not the first time that Erdogan has threatened to close the Incirlik base, and Turkey has repeatedly threatened to close it, and usually hints at this decision being taken at every diplomatic tension between Ankara and Washington.

Tensions rose between the two countries, as the United States imposed sanctions on Turkey for its purchase of Russian S-400 missiles, despite Washington's warnings of the consequences of this.

In recent months, relations between the two countries have deteriorated after Ankara launched an attack on the northern and eastern regions of Syria.

Last Wednesday, the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee adopted a proposed law supported by the Republican and Democratic parties, noting harsh sanctions against Turkey and its officials against the background of the S-400 missile purchase and attack on northern and eastern Syria.

On Thursday, the Senate unanimously adopted a text "to commemorate the Armenian genocide by formally recognizing it," in reference to the massacres that the Ottoman Sultanate was accused of committing in 1915.

J.O