ON THE FIRST DAY OF HER TRIP TO TURKEY, COURAGEOUS MERKEL TELLS ERDOGAN THAT TURKEY IS UNSUITABLE FOR EU MEMBERSHIP

BBC:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has repeated her belief that Turkey is not suitable for full EU membership, on the first day of an official Turkish visit.

Turkey should not view her offer of a "privileged partnership" - rather than full membership - negatively, she said.

Turkey, which began negotiations to become a member in 2005, has dismissed that offer as an insult.

There were also disagreements over Iran, Cyprus and educating Turkish children in Germany in Turkish.

Germany is Turkey's biggest trading partner, its biggest foreign investor, its biggest source of tourist revenue, and nearly three million Turks live in Germany.

Brava Angela! MORE:

Turkey's sometimes fraught relationship with the European Union will not be helped by this visit.

On Iran, Mrs Merkel wants Turkish support for international sanctions, which Mr Erdogan argues are counter-productive and hypocritical.

Turkey has recently strengthened its relations with Iran and opposes the tougher sanctions threatened by Western governments.

MAYBE IF TURKEY BEHAVED LIKE A DEPENDABLE ALLY OF EUROPE AND THE WEST THINGS MIGHT BE DIFFERENT VIS A VIS THEIR ASPIRATION TO JOIN THE EU.

BUT THE AKP'S ISLAMIST CORE DOESN'T REALLY PERMIT THEM TO FAVOR CHRISTIAN EUROPEANS OVER THEIR FELLOW MUSLIMS.

WHICH IS WHY - WHILE FIGHTING WW4, WHICH IS A WAR AGAINST GLOBAL JIHADISM - IT'S INSANE TO KEEP TURKEY IN NATO.

TURKEY SHOULD NO MORE BE IN NATO THAN THE EU.