8 March 2017, 12:00 GMT
BERLIN (Sputnik) – Germany's BfV domestic intelligence service registered a boost in Turkish spying activities in Germany, Hans-Georg Maassen, the agency’s head, said on Wednesday.
"Now there is a significant rise of activities of the Turkish intelligence services in Germany," Maassen said, as quoted by the DPA news agency.
He said that the Turkish intelligence services focused on political opponents of the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"We have seen for a long time that the conflicts in Turkey influence the security situation in Germany," Maassen added.
German-Turkish relations have significantly deteriorated recently. On March 5, Erdogan drew parallel between the German authorities and Nazis criticizing Berlin for banning Ankara’s campaign rallies on German soil ahead of a crucial vote on the constitutional reform in Turkey.
