German cold on Turkish EU membership

Germany said here on Wednesday that it supports closer Turkey-European Union ties but refuses to comment directly on Turkish EU membership.

Emphasizing the importance of a Europe-oriented Turkey, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said "Turkey's direction is Europe," during a press conference with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul.

He added that Turkey was of strategic importance to Europe, and that the deepening of bilateral relations served the interests of all parties involved.

Yet on Tuesday, Westerwelle told German daily Bild regarding Turkish EU membership "If the question had to be decided today, Turkey would not be able to join and the European Union would not be able to incorporate."

Asked directly about his Bild comments, Westerwelle said "We are not able to make a decision today. We have to consider each point, one by one."

Other topics discussed between the foreign ministers included cooperation in counter-terrorism and developments in the Iranian nuclear situation.

Westerwelle said that Europe viewed positively Turkey's efforts at addressing the Iranian nuclear issue, and that it was important to establish dialogue with Iran.

However, the EU voted for a new round of sanctions on Iran on Monday, which he defended as saying "the sanctions aren't to punish the Iranian people, but to bring the Iranian government to the table."

He said the Tehran Declaration penned between Brazil, Turkey and Iran which detailed a trust-building uranium swap was a development, but it only addressed one part of the atomic program. He added that the important issue was to establish a "general transparency" regarding all parts of the atomic program.

Source: Xinhua