German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday she was shocked at Turkey's tough response to anti-government protests.
"I'm appalled, like many others," Merkel said of Turkey's handling of two weeks of unrest that began over a redevelopment project in an Istanbul park but has grown into broader protest against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's government, Reuters reports.
EU politicians are divided on whether interrupting accession talks would help or hamper Turkey's democratization process.
EU officials say Germany is reluctant to open a new area of negotiation with Turkey this month. Merkel has backed Turkish accession talks while at the same time expressing skepticism about its future EU membership, Reuters says.
