Turkey reacted angrily on Monday to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s declaration on Sunday that Ankara must not join the European Union. President Recep Tayyip Erdogans spokesman accused German politicians of surrendering to populism after Merkel said she would seek to end talks on Turkeys accession to the EU. "Attacking Turkey-Erdogan and ignoring Germanys and Europes fundamental and urgent problems are a reflection of a lack of vision," Ibrahim Kalin said in a tirade on Twitter. Kalin said this was a "surrender to populism and marginalization/hostility (which) only fuels discrimination and racism". Relations between the two countries have been strained since last years failed coup in Turkey and Berlins strong condemnation of Erdogan following a subsequent crackdown that has seen more than 50,000 people arrested. In a televised with challenger Martin Schulz on Sunday ahead of elections on September 24, Merkel said it was "clear that Turkey should not become a member of the European Union". Merkel said she would discuss with EU counterparts if "we can end these membership talks", adding: "I dont see (Turkey) ever joining and I had never believed that it would happen." Schulz had also promised to push for an end to Turkeys EU negotiations if elected chancellor. Merkel’s spokesman reiterated her stance on Monday. "The chancellors words speak for themselves," Steffen Seibert, told a regular government news conference in Berlin. "At the moment, Turkey is not at all in a position to join the European Union. In fact, the negotiations are dormant at the moment," he said, adding that EU leaders would pick up the issue when they meet in October. Turkeys EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik said on Monday that any talk of ending his countrys negotiations for EU accession amounted to an "attack on Europes founding principles". "They are building a Berlin wall with bricks of populism," he tweeted. Turkey will "keep going with its head held high as a European country and a European democracy," he said. Meanwhile, the EU executive said that the actions of the Turkish authorities are making it "impossible" for the country to join the Union. Quoting European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker from last week, before Merkels election campaign comment, the Commissions chief spokesman told a regular news briefing: "Turkey is taking giant strides away from Europe and that is making it impossible for Turkey to join the European Union." He stressed, however, that any decision on whether to formally halt the long-stalled membership process would be up to the 28 member states of the bloc, not the Brussels executive.