Turkey continues to go its own way and implements reforms regardless of Brussels’ decisions, however, the country has not changed its position regarding the accession process and is not going to quit the negotiations on this issue, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel.
"Our position on this issue has remained unchanged over the past few years: the EU decides the fate of the accession talks, and we are going our own way. We are reforming Turkey, regardless of whether a new chapter in the negotiation process will be opened, "TASS quotes the Turkish minister as saying.
Also, Cavusoglu noted that his country is ready to improve relations with Germany. "I am ready to make efforts in this direction, there is no reason for the problems between Germany and Turkey, even if the past year was difficult," he said, adding that German citizens remain under arrest in Turkey, which is the main reason for the quarrel between Berlin and Ankara, but it is not possible to influence the justice bodies, there is only an opportunity to ‘ask for help’.
Earlier, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel admitted that Turkey had better take the initiative to stop the negotiations on accession to the EU, because its policy did not comply with the norms adopted in Europe.
The relations between the European Union and Turkey have deteriorated sharply in recent months. The EU criticized the human rights situation in the country after a coup attempt, but Ankara reacted sharply to such criticism.
