German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (L) talk prior to the second day of two-day EU Summit in Brussels, Belgium, on Oct. 20, 2017. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)
BERLIN, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters on Thursday night that she wanted to keep communicative channels with Turkey open as the European Union (EU) moved to cut financial aid currently granted to Ankara.
"We want to speak with Turkey, rather than just about it," Merkel said. The Chancellor emphasized that it was important not to burn bridges all between Europe and Turkey prematurely.
However, she also voiced concerns about the situation in Turkey, claiming that the country's "entire state of law developed in the wrong direction".
The EU has agreed to increase its pressure on Ankara by canceling the expansion of the existing customs union with Turkey and reducing financial aid which the country receives as an accession candidate.
Under the existing framework, the Turkish government was scheduled to receive around 4.4 billion euros (5.2 billion U.S. dollars) between 2014 and 2020.
Relations between Turkey and several EU members have come under severe strain in the wake of a failed military coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016.
Amongst others, the governments of Germany and Austria have vocally called for officially ending negotiations with Turkey over its accession to the bloc as a consequence.
Nevertheless, Merkel praised the ongoing cooperation between the EU and Turkey in the refugee crisis. Ankara continued to take back refugees intercepted in the Aegean Sea as agreed and would hence receive an additional 3 billion euros in promised EU funds in exchange.
