Turkey EU membership not on EU summit agenda: Merkel

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that Turkey's bid to join the European Union (EU) is not on the agenda of the upcoming EU summit in Brussels.

Merkel made the remarks on Wednesday ahead of the crucial meeting of the 28-nation bloc in Brussels on March 17-18, when European leaders are expected to examine Ankara’s proposals about EU-Turkey cooperation over ongoing refugee crisis.

"Negotiations with Turkey on EU membership are open-ended -- they are really not on the agenda now," Merkel said, noting that conditions for allowing Turkey into the EU "remain unchanged and will not be changed".

"The EU summit tomorrow and Friday is to see whether we can reach an agreement that could give us, for the first time, a real chance at a sustainable and pan-European solution to the refugee crisis," said Merkel.

The remarks come as the EU is pushing for an initial accord with Ankara this week to begin taking back refugees that have reached Europe via Turkey.

Ankara's EU membership bid is tied to its cooperation on the refugee crisis.

SS