The Turkish Armed Forces have said that the İncirlik Air Base remains a Turkish facility under the ownership of the Republic of Türkiye and the control of the Turkish Armed Forces.

All activities are conducted in line with national legislation and Türkiye’s sovereign rights, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

The base, located in the province of Adana and operating under the Turkish Air Force’s 10th Main Jet Base Command, hosts a range of air assets, including in-flight refuelling aircraft, combat jets, general-purpose helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles, the statement added.

It noted that all facilities at the base are the property of Türkiye, and all operations are conducted under the oversight and coordination of Turkish authorities, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements to which Türkiye is a party.

Construction of İncirlik Air Base began in 1951 following decisions made at the Second Cairo Conference in 1943, and the facility was completed in 1954. Its operational use started after the signing of the “Military Facilities Agreement” on June 23 1954.

Following the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation and a subsequent US arms embargo on Türkiye, all US military activity at Incirlik and Cigli, except NATO operations, was halted in 1975. After the embargo was lifted by the US Congress in September 1978, US military operations in Türkiye resumed.

The statement further explained that the legal framework governing military relations between Türkiye and the US was revised with the Defence and Economic Cooperation Agreement (SEIA) signed on March 29 1980, which replaced the previous Military Facilities Agreement and defined the terms of the base’s use.

It added that Incirlik Air Base can support NATO missions, bilateral agreements, and UN Security Council operations, with all security and overall control under Turkish authorities, noting that any foreign personnel, equipment, or use of facilities occurs with Turkish knowledge and approval.

The statement noted that, under NATO and bilateral agreements, military personnel from the US, Spain, Poland and Qatar are stationed at İncirlik, performing tasks including air defence, communications support, and combat service support as part of NATO security assurances for Türkiye.