German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Thursday urged Turkey to carry forward reforms needed for its entrance to the European Union and expressed support for the long-delayed process, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.
Turkey needs a new dynamic in its accession talks and should continue its reform process, the minister told an ambassadors' conference in Ankara, saying Germany supported this process within the scope of Europe's interest, according to the agency.
"What has been agreed between the EU and Turkey is still valid. This German government will honor these undertakings. You have my word on that," he was quoted of saying.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has opposed Turkey's bid and favored a "privileged partnership" instead of full membership for the mainly Muslim-populated country.
Meanwhile, Westerwelle said strict compliance with the " Copenhagen criteria," which require EU aspirants to meet certain standards in areas like democracy and human rights, remains a prerequisite for Turkey's accession.
He said membership talks "are an open-ended process. They do not imply anything automatic. The outcome cannot be guaranteed at the outset."
The minister said Germans are aware of Turkey's strategic role in Near East and Middle East and that he values the improvement of Turkey-Germany relations.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a press conference Thursday that Turkey's EU membership process was slowed down by those who "unfairly holds Turkey responsible for the Cyprus issue" and make the Turkey-EU relations "part of domestic political agenda of some EU member countries from time to time," Anatolia reported.
"But we are determined. We will further intensify our cooperation ties with all EU member states including Germany," Davutoglu was quoted as saying.
The EU agreed to launch accession talks with Turkey in October 2005, but progress was slow as the 27-nation bloc has urged Ankara to normalize relations with Cyprus and speed up reforms to improve human rights and democracy.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when the Turkish military intervened and occupied the northern part in response to a coup by a group of Greek officers. Ankara has retained some 35,000 troops in the north of the Mediterranean island and refused to recognize the Republic of Cyprus, effectively governing the Greek Cypriot south.