Asked in her weekly podcast if Turkey would join the EU in ten years, Merkel said: "I do not think it is appropriate to mention such a date now, given the state of affairs."
"We have said that this is an open accession process - on both sides. And in this process we have now opened a further chapter. I do not rule out opening more chapters, but the road is still very long. "Nevertheless, I welcome the intensification of contacts again," the chancellor added.
"I also hope that in the coming months we will be able to make progress on an issue that weighs heavily on us in this context: this is the Cyprus issue, which of course we need to discuss," Merkel continued.
He stressed that "good relations between the EU and Turkey are of the utmost importance, especially in the current global situation, especially because we are - at least Germany and Turkey - members of NATO and we have to face common challenges here as well."
Source: news.in.gr, with information from ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
