Ursula von der Leyen

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen visited Turkey Dec. 3 to conduct talks with her counterpart, ?smet Y?lmaz.

Although no official decision has been taken yet, German and Turkish officials have been working on finalizing a memorandum of understanding on the basis of Germany's proposals, diplomatic sources told the Hürriyet Daily News.

Sevil Erku?sevil.erkus@hurriyet.com.trOnly two days after Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet approved plans for Germany's participation in the military campaign against jihadists of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the country's defense minister is set to visit to Turkey for technical talks on Germany's support

Berlin and Paris have notified Ankara of their desire to use Turkish bases to consolidate the battle against jihadists in SyriaGermany and France have applied to the Turkish government to use the country's air bases in to increase the intensity of their fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) after deadly terrorist attacks in Paris on Nov. 13. 

Germany is holding talks with Turkey and Jordan over the deployment of German Tornado reconnaissance jets in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Germany's top soldier has said. 

NATO troops may need to stay in Afghanistan for a longer period and any decision should be based on the situation on the ground, Germany?s defence minister said on Oct. 8 in an implicit criticism of U.S. withdrawal plans. 

Turkey appealed to its NATO allies on Oct. 8 to shore up missile defences in the country aimed at shooting down Syrian rockets, as Germany said again that it will withdraw its Patriot batteries and the United States was set to do the same. 

NATO is now waiting for other nations to plug those gaps. 

German DM: European army is "long-term goal"

BERLIN -- The creation of a European army is our long-term goal, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen has said.

She mentioned the example of the German-Dutch military cooperation in a joint interview with her Dutch colleague Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert given to the daily Bild am Sonntag.

Nobody should underestimate NATO?s rapid response capacity, which has been ratcheted up in response to worries about Russia?s military ambitions after its actions in Ukraine, according to Germany?s defense minister.

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker on Sunday called for the creation of an EU army in the wake of rising tensions with Russia.
      
Juncker said the force could help counter new threats beyond the bloc's borders and defend European "values", in an interview with Germany's Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
      

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev will participate in the opening of the 51st Munich Security Conference on Friday. Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger, Germany's Federal Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Jens Soltenberg are also going to be a part of the ceremony.