Erdoğan asks Scholz to revive Ankara's EU accession bid

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hopes a "close dialogue" with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will help rejuvenate his country's EU accession process, reported dpa.

In a phone call on Tuesday with Scholz, Erdoğan stressed the need to "revive Turkey-European Union dialogue, accession negotiations and talks aimed at updating the customs union," Erdoğan's office said.

The two leaders also discussed Russia-Ukraine war and recent tensions between Ankara and Greece, the office added.

Turkey was named an official EU candidate in 1999, but membership talks are effectively frozen.

Brussels cites worsening human rights and rule of law in Turkey, particularly since the failed 2016 military coup.

Last month, an European Commission report criticized Ankara for making no progress towards its goal of joining the bloc, citing "serious deficiencies in the functioning of [Turkey's] democratic institutions."

Berlin, among other Western allies, is an open critic of deteriorating human rights situation in Turkey.