German’s Roth: "Turkey belongs to the EU"

She further expressed Berlin’s support for the bid, saying that if Turkey fulfills the Copenhagen criteria, then it could begin its EU accession talks. “The EU would benefit from a democratic Turkey,” she added. Roth also criticized a recent suggestion by Angela Merkel, the leader of Germany’s Christian Democrats, that Turkey be given a “special partnership” instead of EU membership. Such a move would relegate Turkey to a second-class status, charged Roth.