|
ANKARA, Sept. 5-- Ailing bilateral relations between NATO members Turkey and Germany have taken another heavy blow and are bound to spill over to the European Union, where German Chancellor Angela Merkel will seek to suspend or end Ankara's arduous membership bid, a move which can ultimately prove costly for Berlin, analysts said. Merkel appeared to have sharpened her rhetoric on Turkey during Sunday's debate when her challenger Social Democrat (SDP) leader Martin Schulz vowed to stop Ankara's bid to join the European Union if he were elected chancellor. Merkel, who has been at odds with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on many issues since last year, said "the fact is clear that Turkey should not become a member of the EU." The chancellor put her words into practice on Tuesday, by announcing that she'll bring up the future of Turkey's accession bid with fellow EU leaders during their next month's summit, raising the prospect of a formal end to Ankara's membership aspirations. "I will recommend that we discuss the future status of Turkey, including whether to suspend or end talks," Merkel said in a speech to lower-house lawmakers in Berlin, causing a drop in the Turkish lira and bonds in the financial markets. "In the short term Turkey can lose this dispute, but in the long term it will prove costly for Germany," said Huseyin Bagci, professor of international relations at Middle East Technical University (METU). | 
