Berlin  - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has told Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan she was relieved that his ruling party had escaped a constitutional ban, her spokesman said Thursday in Berlin.

The proposed ban on his AKP group failed by a slender margin to win confirmation Wednesday in an Ankara court.

Merkel spokesman Ulrich Wilhelm said stability and democratic order in Turkey were central concerns for the chancellor and she had conveyed her relief about the outcome to Erdogan.

Turkey was a major partner for Germany and the European Union and a NATO ally, he said.

Wilhelm said Berlin had still not received a copy of the judges' ruling, so it was too early to comment on the decision itself and its political implications for Turkey. (dpa)