Turkey summons German envoy over spying allegations

Turkey said it has 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 Germany's Federal Intelligence Service BND had spied on Turkey since 2009 and had listened in on at least one telephone conversation including US 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 US intelligence had allegedly eavesdropped on Chancellor Angela Merkel's conversations.

Last October, after reports surfaced that the United States had been monitoring her mobile phone, Merkel said that "spying among friends is not at all acceptable".

Der Spiegel said the German government reviews its espionage programme every four years but did not modify its priorities after the scandal over US spying.

Angry opposition

As well as the angry reaction from Turkey, the German government faced accusations of hypocrisy from its own opposition.

Greens party co-leader Simone Peter said it was "incomprehensible" that Germany should be "actively spying on allied states" after the outcry about the NSA's activities.

Katja Kipping of the hardline Left party, itself the target of spying by the domestic intelligence agency in recent years, said the BND was "a state within the state" and needed to be brought to heel.

Merkel's deputy spokeswoman Christiane Wirtz, asked about the spying reports at a news conference on Monday, declined to comment, saying intelligence activities were overseen by a government panel whose deliberations and decisions were secret, reported Reuters. 

Translation: "Oh, double standards"

Translation: ‘Spying on friends is not on’