German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she backs opening a new chapter in stalled talks on Turkey's membership of the European Union. Despite being skeptical about Turkey's membership herself, Merkel says she is willing to continue negotiations with Ankara without prejudice as to the outcome, according to a report of the Associated Press. The leader of Europe's biggest economy spoke in pre-recorded video broadcast Saturday ahead of her trip to Turkey Sunday and Monday. Merkel is scheduled to visit German troops operating NATO missile batteries in Kahramanmaras near the Syrian border on Sunday. On Monday, she is due to confer with members of the Turkish government in Ankara.
