German Chancellor Angela Merkel will offer Turkey alternatives to full European Union (EU) membership during a visit to Turkey later this month, she said in a media interview on Sunday, dpa reported.
"I am of the opinion that we should rather aim for a privileged partnership, in other words a very close affiliation of Turkey to the European Union," Merkel told Deutschlandfunk radio.
Turkey has previously rejected similar statements by the German chancellor, calling them "unacceptable." Progress has been sluggish on Turkish EU accession talks, which began in 2005.
Merkel's two-day visit to Turkey begins March 29. Her trip will focus on the European Capital of Culture, Istanbul. The chancellor is also due to discuss the integration of German immigrants of Turkish origin with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.