Intelligence chiefs of Turkey, Germany to meet over spying report

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu called his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, late Aug. 18 to personally express his government’s anger after media reports claimed Germany’s intelligence agency had spied on Turkey, its NATO ally.

The two ministers agreed that the chiefs of the two countries’ intelligence services, Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT), and Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND), should come together in the shortest time and the German side should give an explanation to the Turkish side, state-run Anadolu Agency reported late Aug. 18.

“Considering an ally country as a target in intelligence activities is against the spirit of the alliance,” diplomatic sources speaking with Anadolu quoted Davutoğlu as telling Steinmeier during the phone call.

“The pursuit of intelligence between two allies, while spying on each other cannot be accepted,” Davutoğlu also told Steinmeier, anonymous diplomatic sources told Anadolu.

Earlier on Aug. 18, Turkey summoned the German ambassador and called for a full explanation following Der Spiegel magazine’s report that the BND foreign intelligence agency had been spying on Turkey for years and identified Ankara as a top surveillance target in an internal government document from 2009.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry described the weekend report as “absolutely unacceptable,” if true.

“It is expected that the German authorities will present an official and satisfactory explanation on the claims reported by German media and end these activities immediately if the claims are true,” it said in a statement.