After a recent report revealed that a German agency eavesdropped on conversations between NATO allies Turkey and the U.S., Turkey called out German Ambassador Eberhard Pohl on Monday and demanded an explanation, according to The Associated Press.
BND, Germany's foreign intelligence agency, has allegedly listened oin on calls made by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Hillary Clinton, German magazine Der Spiegel reported Saturday. Also cited, according to AP, was a confidential 2009 document in which BND called Turkey an intelligence-gathering target, though they did not explain what that spying involved.
"If there is the slightest element of truth in the allegations, it would constitute a serious situation that would need to be explained by Germany, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said according to AP. "Such practices would in no way be acceptable in an environment [that] requires mutual trust and respect between friends and allies."
Davutoğlu also added that if the allegations are deemed true, Germany's spying is "unacceptable [and] inexcusable," AP reported.
Turkey expects Germany to immediately stop any spy activities targeting the country, the Foreign Ministry said. According to AP, the spying threatened to harm Turkish and German security cooperation.
Davutoğlu plans to speak with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Monday in a "friendly atmosphere," according to German Foreign Ministry spokesman, Martin Schaefer.
German government spokeswoman Christiane Wirtz said the government has informed a parliament intelligence committee about some of the issues in the report, though German officials would not confirm the claim made in Der Spiegel, according to AP.
The rest of the committee, which is sworn into secrecy, will be informed soon, Wirtz said.
The U.S. has not released a statement, AP reports.
