Germany's Foreign Minister: Turkey's EU Membership Process is at a Standstill

Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has stated that Turkey's accession negotiations to the European Union (EU) have come to a standstill in recent years and have entered a dead end.

“We have very clear rules regarding accession processes, and the fact that the processes related to Turkey have not only stalled but, I would say, have deeply frozen in recent years can be explained by the fundamental conditions necessary for those negotiations: the rule of law, the protection of human rights, which are not only not being implemented but are far from being realized,” TASS quotes Baerbock.

At the same time, the German Foreign Minister emphasized the need to maintain ties with Turkey, stating that “the neighborhood with Turkey is extremely important.” After the recent NATO summit in Vilnius, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced his intention to expedite the EU membership negotiations for Turkey.