An EU agreement with Britain on relations after Brexit could serve as a model for ties with other countries that want to be as close as possible to the bloc but are not yet ready to join, such as Ukraine and Turkey, Germany’s foreign minister said. “I can’t imagine Turkey or Ukraine becoming EU members in the next few years,” he said. Thousands of people, including German citizens, have been detained in Turkey as part of a government crackdown since a failed coup in 2016. An agreement between the EU and Ukraine on a “deep and comprehensive free trade area” formally came into force in September, aimed at allowing free trade of goods, services and capital, and visa-free travel for people for short stays. Gabriel’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) is preparing for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives on governing together for another four years.

Source: Pakistan Today December 26, 2017 10:52 UTC