French President Nikola Sarkozy and Angela Merkel, Germany's first female chancellor, stated that they object to Turkey joining the European Union.
Both leaders took part in the Let's Build Our Future Together conference, executed by the ruling Union for a Popular Movement party. "I would like to be accepted as a friend of Turkey. However, I have to state that there is no place for Turkey in the European Union as the country is located in the Asia Minor. We may consider Turkey as a privileged partner of the European Union," the French President said. "We should not be tempted in thinking that all European neighboring countries must become members of European Union. "If we keep expanding the European Union we will destroy the policy in Europe," Sarkozy said.
Delivering his speech Merkel stated that the Union for Popular Movement, the main French centre-right political party and the Christian Democratic Union is united in its intention to propose that Turkey be a privileged partnership, but not given full membership in the European Union," Vzglad.ru reported.