German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party should be prevented from accessing classified information if it ever participates in the country's governance, DPA reported, BTA reported.
As his main argument, he cited the party's close ties to Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin. In an interview with the Bild newspaper, Pistorius stressed that this closeness was "unquestionable" and posed a risk to national security.
"Sensitive information must not fall into the wrong hands," he said, adding that a thorough investigation is currently underway into who could gain access to classified data. According to him, this is mandatory, as it concerns state security.
At the same time, the AfD, which is the largest opposition force in Germany, is under surveillance by internal security services in some federal states due to accusations of extremist and anti-immigrant positions.
The country's main political parties continue to maintain a so-called cordon sanitaire and refuse to cooperate with the AfD. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has repeatedly stated that he will not work with the party.
Nevertheless, the AfD hopes to win an absolute majority in the regional elections in September in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which would allow it to govern at the provincial level for the first time.