The Turkish foreign minister has called Germany's spying on Turkey "unacceptable" following media claims that the German intelligence agency has been monitoring its NATO ally. Speaking on Monday, Ahmet Davutoglu said: "Considering an allied country as a target of intelligence activities contradicts the essence of the alliance." German media reported over the weekend that the BND intelligence service had monitored the activities of Turkish politicians since 2009. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported the chairman of the Bundestag's Committee on Internal Affairs, Wolfgang Bosbach, as saying there were "good reasons" to spy on Turkey. He cited the activities of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, Turkish political groups operating in Germany, drug trafficking and tensions on Turkey's border with Syria and Iraq, where German troops are stationed, as factors. Davutoglu discussed the claims with his German counterpart Frank Walter Steinmeier in a telephone call on Monday, diplomatic sources said.
The ministers agreed that the heads of Turkish and German intelligence organizations would meet soon to discuss the allegations. "If true, the activities should end immediately," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement. "It should be known that this issue can hurt the alliance between Turkey and Germany."