BERLIN, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned Turkey that it cannot continue to delay a settlement with Cyprus if it wants to join the European Union.
"We need the implementation of the Ankara protocol on the freedom of movement of goods also with Cyprus. Otherwise, a very, very serious situation arises regarding the continuation of the accession talks," Merkel said in an interview published Monday in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
A European Commission report expected to be released Wednesday could recommend a partial freeze in talks between Turkey and the union, the EU Observer reported. Merkel has said she would support a hold on negotiations if Turkey remains intransigent.
Cyprus is a member of the union. European leaders are also critical of Turkey's human rights situation and its curbs on free speech which have included prosecutions for "insulting Turkishness" for writers who discuss the massacre of Armenians in World War I.
