Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara will settle for nothing less than full membership in the European Union - a stance putting himself on a collision course with German Chancellor Merkel, who only supports a "privileged partnership" for Turkey.

Germany's objections that the sizeable mainlyMuslimcountry is not fit for membership are backed by another EU heavyweight,France, but Ankara points out that it has already opened negotiations aimed at becoming a proper member of the bloc.

"A privileged partnership is unknown to EU treaties," Erdogan toldDie Zeit. "For Turkey it would be a huge mistake to agree to that. And most of the other EU countries don't accept this suggestion either."