Germany has been spying on Turkey since 1976: Report

Germany's foreign intelligence agency has been spying on Turkey for nearly four decades, Focus magazine said on Aug. 23 in a report which could raise tensions further between the NATO allies.

The details about the duration of possible surveillance and on the decision-making surrounding it go further than first reports earlier this week.

Turkey summoned Germany's ambassador in Ankara on Aug. 18 after media reports that Berlin had identifiedAnkara as a top target of surveillance in a government document from 2009 and had been spying on Turkey for years.

Focus magazine said the BND intelligence agency had been spying on Turkey since 1976 and that German government under the then Social Democrat chancellor Helmut Schmidt had expressly approved the step.

The magazine also cited government sources as saying the BND's current mandate to monitor Turkish political and state institutions had been agreed by a government working group. That included representatives of the chancellor's office, the defense, foreign and economy ministries.

A spokesman for the German government declined to comment on the report.

The report is a further embarrassment for Angela Merkel's government which faces accusations of hypocrisy because of its outrage over allegations of widespread surveillance by the United States on Germans, including the tapping of the chancellor's phone.

However, conservative lawmaker Hans-Peter Uhl told Focus there were "good reasons" for the BND to bug Turkey. He cited human trafficking, drugs and terrorism as issues of concern and his comments chime with the views of many German politicians.

"We need to know what is coming to us from EU-applicant Turkey," Focus quoted him as saying.

Germany is Turkey's largest trading partner in the European Union and home to at least 3 million Turks. But relations are not always smooth. Merkel's conservatives are skeptical about Turkish EU membership.

In response to media reports about U.S. spying in Germany, Merkel has said spying among friends is "not at all acceptable".

In a public spat which chilled relations between Berlin and Washington, Germany told the top U.S. spy in Germany to leave earlier this year after a double agent at the BND was unearthed.

Der Spiegel magazine reported that the BND has also targeted Albania, another member of NATO, for surveillance.

Turkish Army denies claims of German troops’ mistreatment

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) has denied claims that Germantroops sent to operate Patriot batteries near the Syrian border are being treated badly.

The TSK said in a statement issued on March 3 that they have not conveyed any complaints or demands to the Turkish side over the claims.

Germany’s special commissioner for the armed forces, Hellmut Königshaus, issued a report last week on the conditions of Germansoldiers stationed in southeastern province of Kahramanmaraş in Turkey. The report claimed that meals were monotonous and usually cold. Toilets were described as “filthy,” most of them unable to flush. The bodies of dead dogs, shot by Turkish soldiers, had been left to decompose on the site. Soldiers’ mail was being held back so that it did not reach them for days or even weeks, according to the report, which also added that soldiers were forced to exchange euros at poor rates in currency exchange offices.

The TSK statement denied the poor accommodation conditions, saying that Germantroops have been staying in four or five-star hotels since they arrived in Kahramanmaraş and are using field toilets and their own mobile toilets while on the ground.

In regards to Königshaus’s claims that the ground is covered with mud, the TSK said there has been a major effort to build a new road at the request of the German side.

Denying allegations that there are problems in communication and cooperation betweenGerman and Turkish soldiers, the TSK said all services including infirmaries, sports halls, military pubs and other social facilities are being used jointly with Turkish troops.

Königshaus has also claimed that one German female soldier was pushed by the Turkish commanding officer, a general, during a physical confrontation, adding that she later complained of bruising. The TSK responded that these reports do not reflect the truth.

German minister to address troop ‘problems’ in Turkey

German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere has admitted that conditions could be better for Bundeswehr troops stationed in Kahramanmaraş city of Turkey, after a critical report was published on the situation.

De Maiziere made the comments after a report by Germany’s special commissioner for the armed forces, Hellmut Königshaus, which said cooperation between the Germanand Turkish contingents was “perceived mainly as a problem.”

The Königshaus’ report claimed that meals were monotonous and that usually there was only cold food. Toilets were described as “filthy,” most of them having no flush. The bodies of dead dogs, shot by the Turkish soldiers, had been left to decompose on the site. Soldiers’ post was being held back so that it did not reach them for days, or even weeks, according to the report, which also added that soldiers were forced to exchange euros at poor rates in currency exchange offices.

De Maiziere said he had noted that there were issues to address while on a visit to the site where German soldiers are deployed. “Even though I tend to be shown the better side of how things are, I also perceived that there were certain problems,” de Maiziere told the German daily Bild. He stressed the armed forces first had to ensure that they could fulfill their mission, but at present the most important aspect was to improve troop conditions.

He said Turkey had gone to great lengths to provide good accommodation, adding that work on new quarters was being completed. “When this new accommodation is ready, a lot of things will change when it comes to the issues that have been brought up,” he said. He added Turkish officials had reprimanded German soldiers for contact with their Turkish counterparts. One German female soldier was allegedly pushed by a Turkish general during a visit by de Maiziere to the base. She later complained of bruising.

Turkish General Staff denies reports with a statement

Meanwhile, the Turkish General Staff refuted March 3 reports in the German press thatGerman troops based in Kahramanmaraş had been subjected to poor treatment and that a female officer was assaulted by a Turkish soldier. 

No complaints or demands have been made regarding the conditions of the Germansoldiers, the General Staff said in its statement, adding that the German chancellor and interior minister had both praised the assistance provided by Turkish troops during their respective visits last week.