This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/world/europe/merkel-gives-turkey-hope-for-eu-membership.html

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Merkel Hints at a Change of Heart for Turkish Membership in E.U. Merkel Raises Turks’ Hope Of European Union Entry
(35 minutes later)
BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany has called for the opening of “a new chapter” in talks between Turkey and the European Union amid signals of decreasing resistance from her center-right party about Ankara’s eventual membership in the bloc. BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany arrived in Turkey on Sunday for talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, holding out hope for new impetus in the stalled negotiations for the country to join the European Union.
Ms. Merkel said before leaving Sunday for a two-day visit to Turkey that she would address the issue of the stalled negotiations in her meetings with Turkish leaders, but she stressed that she remained skeptical about Turkey’s readiness to join the European Union. “In recent times, negotiations stalled somewhat and I am in favor of opening a new chapter in order to move forward,” Ms. Merkel said in her weekly podcast, broadcast on Saturday.
“I think a long negotiating path lies ahead of us,” Ms. Merkel said in her weekly podcast, broadcast on Saturday. “I agreed with the continuation of membership discussions. We are engaging in these with an open result.” She began her tour on Sunday with a visit to German troops who are deployed along the Turkish border with Syria.
Turkey has complained about the German government’s lack of support for its campaign, which began in 2005. Negotiations have all but ground to a halt over crucial issues, including human rights and the status of Cyprus, where Turkey occupies the northern part of the island. There is significant skepticism within Ms. Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union about Turkish membership in the European Union, but as Turkey has continued to grow and the economies of the bloc have stagnated, the dynamic has begun to change.
“In recent times, negotiations stalled somewhat, and I am in favor of opening a new chapter in order to move forward,” Ms. Merkel said. Germany and Turkey are bound tightly by the large population of Turkish guest workers who came to work in West German factories in the 1960s and remained. In addition, Turkey is one of Germany’s most important trade partners outside of the European Union, with an annual exchange of goods worth roughly $40 billion.
France has also resisted the idea of Turkey’s full membership and, along with Cyprus and the European Commission, has blocked certain key steps necessary for membership. The country pushed through structural reforms to its economy and social services nearly a decade ago as part of its efforts to join the bloc, which have helped contribute to solid growth of about 5.2 percent annually between 2002 and 2011, according to Turkish government figures.
But President François Hollande of France signaled last week that he was ready to restart talks on one chapter blocked by the government of his predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy. Günther Oettinger, a member of the Christian Democrats who now serves as the energy commissioner for the European Union, stirred debate in Berlin last week when he said in an interview with the newspaper Bild that he believed that if the European Union waited too long to revive negotiations with Turkey, it risked an eventual turning of the tables.
Ms. Merkel’s government and her Christian Democratic Union have called for the European Union to give Turkey a “privileged partnership” with the bloc instead of full-blown membership. But crucial party members have begun to indicate their apprehensions may be changing. “I’d bet that within the next decade, a German chancellor along with their colleagues from France will go begging on their knees to Ankara saying, ‘Friends, come to us,’ ” Mr. Oettinger told the newspaper.
Ruprecht Polenz, an ally of Ms. Merkel’s and an expert in international affairs, said in remarks to the Berliner Zeitung newspaper on Saturday that it was “clear to most people in my party that the idea of ‘privileged partnership’ is defunct.” Turkey has complained bitterly about the lack of support from the German government for its accession campaign, which started in 2005. Recently, negotiations have all but ground to a halt over opposing views on crucial issues, including human rights and a divided Cyprus.
Turkey is one of Germany’s most important trade partners outside of the European Union, with an annual exchange of about $40 billion in goods. Turkey pushed through structural changes to its economy and social services nearly a decade ago as part of its efforts to join the European bloc, which have helped contribute to solid economic growth of about 5.2 percent annually between 2002 and 2011, according to Turkish government figures. Ms. Merkel’s government and the Christian Democrats have for years called on the bloc to allow Turkey to achieve what they call a “privileged partnership,” instead of full membership. But important party members have begun to indicate their apprehensions toward Ankara may be changing.
Günther Oettinger, a member of the Christian Democrats who now serves as the energy commissioner for the European Union, stirred a debate in Berlin last week when he said in an interview with the Bild newspaper that the bloc would regret delaying membership to Turkey. France has also resisted the idea of Turkey’s full accession and, with Cyprus and the European Commission, has blocked movement on all but 13 of the 35 policy areas, called chapters, that countries striving for membership must complete. Turkey has so far completed only one.
“I’d like to bet that within the next decade, a German chancellor along with their colleagues from France will go begging on their knees to Ankara saying, ‘Friends come to us,’ ” Mr. Oettinger said. But President François Hollande of France signaled last week that he was ready to open talks on one chapter blocked under the government of his predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey said in Istanbul that he was hopeful that Ms. Merkel’s and Mr. Hollande’s remarks meant that talks could be renewed before July, when Ireland is to give up the European Union’s rotating presidency. Prime Minister Erdogan said in Istanbul that he was hopeful that Ms. Merkel’s comments and similar remarks by Mr. Hollande meant there could be renewed movement while the Irish presidency holds the European Union’s rotating presidency, which ends in July.
“Since Ms. Merkel came to office, she has repeatedly used the expression ‘privileged partnership’ about our European Union process,” Reuters quoted Mr. Erdogan as saying on Saturday. “Yet when Germany had the rotating presidency, we were still able to secure the opening of certain chapters.” “Since Ms. Merkel came to office, she has repeatedly used the expression ‘privileged partnership’ about our European Union process,” Mr. Erdogan said, according to Reuters.
“Now there is change in France and a difference in the views of Germany and France,” Mr. Erdogan said. “Along with Chancellor Merkel’s positive statement on opening chapters, these will pay off during Ireland’s presidency.” He said: “Now there is change in France and a difference in the views of Germany and France. Along with Chancellor Merkel’s positive statement on opening chapters, these will pay off during Ireland’s presidency.”
Ms. Merkel began her tour on Sunday with a visit to German troops deployed along the Turkish border with Syria. On Monday, she will hold talks in Ankara with Mr. Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul. On Monday, she will hold talks in Ankara with Mr. Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul.
“I think a long negotiating path lies ahead of us,” Ms. Merkel said “Although I am skeptical, I agreed with the continuation of membership discussions. We are engaging in these with an open result.”