German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, Oct 31, the European Union (EU) would pursue accession talks with his country in good faith, despite some persistent disagreements, Reuters reported.

Erdogan said on Tuesday the EU would lose Turkey if it did not grant it membership by 2023, the first time he has indicated how long Ankara might continue down the path towards EU entry.

Turkey's talks to join the bloc, launched in 2005, have all but ground to a halt due to an intractable dispute over the divided island of Cyprus, an EU member, and opposition from core EU members France and Germany.