Germany rules out EU membership for Turkey under Erdogan

‘Turkey will never be accepted into the European Union as long as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in office, Germany’s Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel says, blasting the Turkish head of state for not taking accession talks seriously.
“It is clear that in this state, Turkey will never become a member of the EU,” said Gabriel, who is also Germany’s Vice Chancellor. “It’s not because we don’t want them but because the Turkish government and Erdogan are moving fast away from everything that Europe stands for.”
European leaders have been critical of Erdogan over his government’s crackdown on opponents following last year’s botched military coup in the country.
The Turkish president has also come under fire for holding a referendum to expand his presidential powers.
Gabriel’s remarks followed a series of fiery exchanges between the leaders of the two countries. Germany has repeatedly criticized Ankara’s crackdown on those suspected of involvement in the coup, saying the Turkish government has acted beyond the rule of law.’
Read more: Germany rules out EU membership for Turkey under Erdogan