EU may chase Turkey soon: German FM

BERLIN - Anatolia News Agency

AP Photo

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said the European Union should resume negotiations with Turkey over chapters without losing further time, warning that otherwise Turkey’s interest in the union would decline.

Westerwelle called on the EU to open further chapters with Turkey at an interview with German daily Saarbrücker Zeitung.

“We, the Europeans, should open chapters to negotiations with Turkey in the first half of 2013. Otherwise, in the upcoming term, our interest in Turkey may be greater than Turkey’s interest in us,” Westerwelle said. Turkey did not demand an urgent EU membership, he also said.

“Turkey’s demands to receive fair treatment, confidence and respect in negotiations were all justified,” Westerwelle said. Turkey has written a breathtaking success story in the past decade, Westerwelle said. Developments indicate that Turkey could be a bridge between Europe’s Muslim neighbors and the EU, Westerwelle stated.