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ANKARA, Turkey - Turkish authorities say three Germans seized by Kurdish rebels during a climbing expedition on Mount Ararat more than a week ago have been released in good condition.

Foreign Minister Ali Babacan called his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to let him know the Germans are in Turkish custody, but refused to say where or when the climbers were released.

Agri Gov. Mehmet Cetin told reporters Sunday the rebels were forced to free the hostages after being pursued by Turkish troops and that the climbers will be handed over to German authorities after a routine medical check.

Private CNN-Turk television says the climbers are in the border town of Dogubayazit, close to Mount Ararat.

The three men were kidnapped from eastern Agri Province on July 8, allegedly as a rebel protest against a German crackdown on Kurdistan Workers' Party supporters in Germany.

The group, known as the PKK, has been fighting for self-rule in southeast Turkey since 1984 in a campaign that has left tens of thousands of people dead. Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union consider the PKK a terrorist organization.