Ex-spy chief says Germany not supporting PKK

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - Germany’s former spy chief has rejected claims that his country was becoming a safe haven for the PKK terrorist group, which has recently threatened more violence against Turkey.

“We are not encouraging the PKK, not at all. We are not encouraging separatism in Turkey,” Dr. August Hanning, former head of the country’s foreign intelligence agency BND has said.

“I can assure you that it is not the policy of our German government,” he told Anadolu Agency.

Ankara has long criticized its NATO partner for turning a blind eye to the activities of PKK, which has been responsible for the death of nearly 40,000 people in Turkey, including those of women and children.

Hanning, who headed the BND between 1998 and 2005, underlined that the terrorist group has been outlawed in Germany, and authorities were taking measures against the activities of the group.

“But on the other side, we have to respect our own liberal framework, our legal framework, and that’s sometimes very difficult to explain it to our Turkish friends,” he said.

"We have a very liberal democracy in Germany. And everybody is allowed to express his views,” he added.

While the PKK has been banned in the country since 1993, it managed to set up several cover organizations and used them for its propaganda, recruitment and fundraising activities.

- PKK’s followers in Germany

It had nearly 14,000 followers among the Kurdish immigrant population in Germany, according to the latest annual report of the country’s domestic intelligence agency.

"I know from the past that Turkey has suffered severe terrorist attacks. And some of them have had some links to Germany,” Hanning said, without elaborating.

He voiced hope that both countries would normalize their relations after months long political tensions, and also resume close cooperation on security issues.

“We are both fighting terrorism, and we have a lot of common interests on security issues,” he said.

“Traditionally, we are really friends and I hope that they could look into the future. But we need efforts from both sides to have a better relationship,” he added.

Ties between Ankara and Berlin were strained after the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, as Turkish politicians heavily criticized their German counterparts for failing to show strong solidarity with Turkish government against the attempted military takeover.

Several commentators in Turkish media argued that the coup plotters were backed by several Western countries, and they also speculated that several Western intelligence services might have been involved.

- July 2016 defeated coup

The former BND chief Hanning ruled out any involvement by Germany’s foreign intelligence agency.

"It’s completely stupid. We do not have any interest to interfere in the internal Turkish politics. I can assure you, it is completely nonsense,” he said.

The defeated coup, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured, was orchestrated by the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO) and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen.

Despite Turkey’s warnings, hundreds of Turkish citizens with suspected ties to the coup attempt or the FETO organization arrived in Germany, and at least 400 of them were granted asylum.

German authorities so far declined to return FETO suspects to Turkey for trial, citing their concerns on human rights or rule of law.

“The Gulen group is active here in Germany, but it is under the radar of the German security forces,” Hanning said.

German authorities view FETO with suspicion but the group is not outlawed in the country, with the authorities stressing that such a move could only come with concrete evidence of acts against laws and the constitution.

FETO has a large network in Germany, which has a three million strong Turkish community, the largest Turkish diaspora in Europe.

Turkey and Germany took steps in recent months towards normalization, and intensified talks to address their political differences on a number of issues.