Speaking after a meeting with PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara yesterday (Mar 29), German chancellor Angela Merkel said that the accession negotiations between Turkey and the EU were open-ended and this open-ended process should continue. The German chancellor also called on the Turkish government to implement the protocol which requires Turkey to open its ports to Greek Cypriot traffic. Merkel has long advocated the idea of offering Turkey a privileged partnership status instead of full membership. On a related note, Erdogan and Merkel appeared to overcome some differences over the Turkish PMs proposal for opening Turkish schools in Germany . Prior to her visit to Ankara , Merkel rejected the idea. However, after the meeting with Erdogan, Merkel said that they agreed to have a common stance on the issue but added that for a better integration to German society Turks living in Germany should learn the local language and this was not assimilation. |
The jailed leader of the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan, called for a ceasefire on Thursday, ordering armed PKK militants to withdraw from Turkey. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the city of ... more
The Syrian government said the rebel groups foreign supporters, Turkey and Qatar, were responsible for a chemical attack in Aleppo. The countries that back and support the rebels, including ... more
US secretary of state John Kerry was in Ankara on Friday for talks with the Turkish leaders, including PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul, focused on the crisis in Syria, ... more