Europe should find a way to communicate effectively with Turkey, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said in Athens on Thursday.
"Turkey is a member of NATO; it is located at the European border, so we need to find a way to be able to communicate and negotiate in a more effective way," Gabriel said, speaking to reporters after a meeting with his Greek counterpart, Nikos Kotzias.
"Turkey certainly isn't on the verge of joining [the EU], but in no case should we close communication channels, even though things are difficult," the German foreign minister said.
Abandoning democratic values is unacceptable, said Kotzias.
"We want a democratic and European Turkey, but the problem is not ours, it is Turkey's. It is Turkey that needs to decide if it wants a European path," he added.
Thursday marked the last day of Gabriel's two-day visit to Athens, during which he also met Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
The visit came a little over a year after the EU-Turkish migration deal was signed.
The March 2016 EU-Turkey statement envisaged a "one-for-one" formula under which failed asylum seekers in Europe would be returned to Turkey while Syrian refugees would be resettled in EU states under a quota system.
Please click to read our informative text prepared pursuant to the Law on the Protection of Personal Data No. 6698 and to get information about the cookies used on our website in accordance with the relevant legislation.
6698 sayılı Kişisel Verilerin Korunması Kanunu uyarınca hazırlanmış aydınlatma metnimizi okumak ve sitemizde ilgili mevzuata uygun olarak kullanılan çerezlerle ilgili bilgi almak için lütfen tıklayınız.