ANKARA, Feb. 11 (NsNewsWire) — Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) on Friday announced recall and dismissal of Turkish imams who were accused of spying by Germany.

Turkey doesn’t accept the accusations of spying but decides to take measures to prevent similar incidents in the future, the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) said in a statement, reports Xinhua.

“The Directorate of Religious Affairs decide to discharge the religious officials from their duties in Germany following necessary examinations and assessments after determining that they had exceeded their power,” read the statement.

The measures aim to avoid damaging relations that have been continuing for 40 years between Turkey and Germany, and to prevent the growth of a negative perception among the public toward the directorate and its officials, it added.

German spy agency chief claimed that they “would not tolerate” Turkish intelligence operations within its borders, and the chief prosecutor has launched an investigation into suspected Turkey’s Muslim imams in the country.