Turkey Summons German Envoy over Spying Claims
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Turkey said it had summoned the German ambassador Monday to demand an explanation following reports that Berlin has been spying on the country for years.
German weekly Der Spiegel reported on Sunday that the BND secret service had spied on Turkey since 2009 and had listened in on at least one telephone conversation including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Ambassador Eberhard Pohl was asked to provide a "formal and satisfactory explanation" over the reports and was told that if the claims were true, Germany should "immediately stop any spying activity targeting Turkey", the foreign ministry said in a statement.
"Such practices would not be acceptable in an environment that requires mutual trust and respect between friends and allies," the ministry said.
"If the allegations have the slightest element of truth, it would create a serious situation that would need to be explained by Germany."
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that if true, the allegations would be "unacceptable, inexcusable and would require an explanation."
"It is also a moral responsibility that arises from our relationship as allies," Davutoglu said, adding that he would talk to German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter-Steinmeier on the phone.
However, German foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer told AFP that Berlin's ambassador had not been summoned but merely "invited" to the Turkish foreign ministry.
"The discussion took place in a friendly atmosphere... It was to explain to the Turkish authorities what was published in the German media," he said.
Citing a confidential document, the magazine said that the German government had chosen NATO ally Turkey as a top target for intelligence gathering in 2009.
Germany itself was outraged by revelations last year that U.S. intelligence had allegedly eavesdropped on Chancellor Angela Merkel's conversations.
Der Spiegel said the German government reviews its espionage program every four years but did not modify its priorities after the scandal over U.S. spying.
