Erdogan urges more German support for EU bid

Turkey's prime minister urged Germany Tuesday to step up support for his country's stumbling EU bid but ran into continued scepticism from Chancellor Angela Merkel.Recep Tayyip Erdogan, grappling with the worst crisis of his 11 years in office, acknowledged the need for his country to reform if it wanted to join the 28-member bloc, amid concerns over the state of democracy in Turkey."We expect to receive Germany's support for our path into the EU," Erdogan told the German Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank."We would like Germany to campaign more strongly than it has until now," he added through an interpreter.Erdogan's visit to Europe's top economy came on the eve of a parliamentary vote over new Internet legislation portrayed by the government as shielding the young from dangerous material but which critics say is a further erosion of personal freedom in the aspiring EU member."It goes without saying that also it's up to Turkey, in the (EU) admission process, to pursue its reforms and to continually carry these out," Erdogan told the think tank.Merkel, whose conservatives favour forging a partnership between the EU and Turkey rather than full membership, told reporters it was no secret she remained "sceptical" about Turkey's eventual accession.Still on crutches after an injury on a Christmas skiing holiday, the German leader said: "This process is open-ended and it is also not limited timewise. We have a series of problems anyway to still resolve."But she continued: "We want to advance it."Erdogan's visit to Germany, home to around three million people with Turkish roots and the country's biggest trading partner, followed a recent trip to Brussels aimed at reinvigorating Turkey's longstanding bid to join the bloc but dominated by his controversial response to his domestic problems.In his Berlin speech, Erodgan highlighted the contribution Turkey could make in conflict resolution, noting its cultural and historical ties with North Africa which could help in the Middle East peace process, he said, or its role in the Balkans. Merkel did not directly comment on the corruption scandal which erupted in December implicating Erdogan's inner circle and their families, prompting him to sack hundreds of police and prosecutors.But she told reporters that she and Erdogan had agreed to set up an exchange system between their justice ministers to focus on issues such as the independence of the judiciary.Turkey began formal EU membership talks in 2005 which then hit several stumbling blocks but negotiations resumed late last year following a three-year freeze.Erdogan's handling of the graft scandal, as well as last year's mass anti-government protests that rocked the country, have dented his popularity ahead of important local elections on March 30.He was later Tuesday due to take part in a rally in Berlin, expected to draw thousands of people, to drum up support for local elections and a presidential ballot in August.For the first time, Germany's Turkish population will be able to vote in the presidential election.