(AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel will press Turkey to fulfill its obligations to the European Union if it wants its membership talks with the bloc to succeed when she begins her two day visit here, reports Trend.
Merkel's visit comes hot on the heels of that by EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, who sternly warned Turkey to pursue democratic reforms and resolve a trade row with Cyprus to avoid a "train crash" in its ties with Brussels.
High on the agenda of Merkel's visit -- her first since she became chancellor last year -- will be Turkey's refusal to open its air and sea ports to Cyprus, an EU member Ankara does not recognise, German government sources said Wednesday.
Merkel is expected to remind Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Ankara must adhere to the criteria set down for its membership, which include recognising Cyprus and allowing access to Cypriot vessels, the sources said.
"If there are no clear signs from Turkey that it is prepared to apply the Ankara Protocol, an accident is inevitable," one said.
"There will no halfway house," the source added, explaining that if Turkey does not respect all the criteria, it will not be allowed into the EU.
The Ankara Protocol extends the customs union agreement between Turkey and the European Union to the 10 countries that joined the bloc in May 2004, including Cyprus.
Turkey signed the protocol in July 2005, but continues to block Cyprus from using its ports.
Brussels has warned Ankara that its membership talks, which only started in October 2005, could be suspended if it fails to honour its obligations.
Ankara insists that Cypriot ships and planes will remain barred from Turkish facilities unless the EU delivers on its promise to ease trade restrictions on the island's breakaway Turkish Cypriot state, recognized only by Turkey.
Turkey also refuses to recognize the Cypriot government until a permanent political settlement is found to reunify the island.
Finland, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU, has proposed a formula to help resolve the stalemate, but no details have been released.
The row has heated up ahead of a crucial annual report the EU's executive arm, the European Commission, will issue on November 8 on Turkey's progress in membership talks.
Germany will take over the rotating six-month presidency of the EU from Finland on January 1.
Merkel was opposed to membership talks with Turkey, preferring instead a "privileged partnership."
But in subsequent EU talks, as well as in the power-sharing deal between Merkel's Christian Democrats and the Social Democrats, she dropped her opposition to starting negotiations with Ankara.
The government adopted the formula that the outcome of the negotiations remain "open," and therefore guarantees nothing.
Merkel, who will meet Erdogan and President Ahmet Necdet Sezer on Thursday, will also attend a meeting with Turkish and German businessmen in Istanbul, the country's financial capital, on Friday.
Germany, which is home to a 2.5-million-strong community of Turkish immigrants, is also one of Turkey's principal trade partners.
Trade volume between the two stood at 23 billion dollars (18 billion euros) in 2005.