Westerwelle says keeping chapters closed in Turkey's EU bid is of no avail

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has said he hopes to open new chapters in the negotiations with Turkey in its EU membership bid, pointing out that "chapters remaining closed will not produce any benefit to anyone." "Turkey might make its way forward in the process of negotiations if Ankara shows more flexibility and tolerance," Westerwelle was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency on Wednesday. Briefing international media in Berlin about current regional and international issues, Westerwelle praised Turkey's growth and development, saying Ankara has not just progressed in its economy, but has continued to grow in all spheres in the past 10 years. His remarks came as hopes increase for new momentum in Turkey's EU membership bid after the EU officially agreed last month to launch talks on a new chapter, ending a two-and-a-half-year hiatus in the accession talks, following France's partial lifting of a block imposed during the term of former President Nicolas Sarkozy. Together with Greek Cyprus, France blocked talks on five chapters directly related to Turkey's accession during Sarkozy's presidency, saying Turkey does not culturally belong to Europe. Paris recently announced that it was withdrawing its veto on Chapter 22, one of the five chapters it has been blocking. Highlighting 2013 as a year of returning to stability in Europe, Westerwelle said that 2014 will be the year of Europe. "If we are not going to say where the train is going, no one will get on the train," Westerwelle said. Commenting on Turkish-Israeli relations, Westerwelle said the current situation was not encouraging but added that he was hopeful for the normalization of relations. As regards Iran and its disputed nuclear program, Westerwelle said the negotiations should be soon resumed.