German chancellor Merkel in Turkey for official visit.

By bne IntelliNews February 25, 2013
Germanys chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Turkey on Sunday for a two-day official visit to discuss a wide range issues, including Turkeys EU bid, bilateral trade relations, and the conflict in Syria. Merkel first travelled on Sunday to the city of Kahramanmaras where German troops are stationed to operate Patriot missiles that were provided by Germany following Turkeys request to NATO. Merkel is scheduled to meet with PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul in Ankara today (Feb 25). A high level delegation of German businessmen is also accompanying Merkel. Meanwhile Merkel said in a regular weekly video message that she favoured opening talks in a new policy chapter to revive the stalled talks between Turkey and the EU. However, a long negotiating path lies ahead both for Turkey and the EU, Merkel added. Germanys chancellor also said that she was still sceptical about Turkeys EU membership.

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