German FM: "After all its efforts, the EU shouldn't snub Turkey"

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has called on the European Union to step up its faltering talks with Turkey over the country's bid to join the bloc, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. Westerwelle said Europe should send Ankara a positive signal in response to the country's latest political reforms. This call to deepen engagement with Turkey could reopen tensions with conservative supporters of Westerwelle's partner in power, Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is deeply skeptical about Turkey joining the EU. "Nobody should rashly snub Turkey by slamming the door in its face after all its efforts," Westerwelle said. Europe, he suggested, can't afford to underestimate Turkey's rising economic strength and strategic importance. On the constitutional changes Turkish voters approved earlier this month, Westerwelle called them "a step in the right direction," adding that they show Turkey wants a European future and has a European perspective.