German Foreign Minister: 'Turkey's Direction is Europe'

German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle (L) and Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu (R) chat with an overview of the Bosphorus, the narrow strait separating Europe and Asia. Photo by EPA/BGNES

German federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Guido Westerwelle voiced his conviction that Turkey's true orientation is a European one on his official visit to the country, but still left uncertainty over Turkey's eventual accession to the EU.

“Turkey's direction is Europe,” said Westerwelle in Turkish at a joint press-conference with Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu, reports Deutsche Welle.

The German foreign minister stated that his country has a “great interest” in Turkey's looking towards the EU, adding that Germany views Turkey as “an exceptionally important strategic partner.”

Westerwelle nevertheless did not fail to give signals of Germany's misgivings about a future EU-membership on the part of Turkey, saying that the process of accession is open-ended and not automatic.

In an interview for German daily Bild before his visit to Turkey, Westerwelle had said: “If the question had to be decided today, then Turkey is not capable of accession and the EU is not capable of admission.” He nevertheless added that it is of utmost importance that the EU does not alienate the country and that the Union retains and fosters the partnership between the two.

Westerwelle's visit comes just days after British PM David Cameron, on his visit to Turkey in the beginning of the week, strongly vowed for Turkish EU-membership and expressed “anger” and “frustration” at slow accession talks, directing his ire at detractors of Turkey.

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