Merkel: Turkey Trying to Solve Its Problems on the Back of Refugees

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Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany on Monday voiced her support for talks between the European Union (EU) and Turkey to upgrade their 2016 refugee deal, amid growing doubts about the future of the pact.

Addressing an economic forum in Berlin, together with Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Merkel criticized Turkey's recent decision to open its borders for Europe-bound asylum seekers, accusing Turkey of trying to "solve its problems on the backs of refugees."

"We have to eliminate the root causes of migration...That was the main philosophy of the EU-Turkey agreement. I have been advocating for that since 2015, and I will continue to do so in the future," she stressed. "I would make every effort to bring the EU-Turkey agreement to a new level."

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The EU-Turkey agreement stopped refugee flows in recent years, but Turkey on February 28 announced that it will no longer stop refugees from reaching Europe, after an airstrike in Syria that killed 34 of its soldiers.

Since the implementation of the agreement, President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been accusing the EU of not fulfilling its part of the deal.

In exchange for Turkey stopping the migration flow to Europe, the EU promised to allocate 6 billion Euro in aid for refugees in Turkey.

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Erdoğan is set to meet with EU Council President Charles Michel and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday evening to discuss the 2016 deal and recent developments in the region.

Since Turkey opened its borders, thousands of asylum seekers have flocked to Turkey's coastal and border provinces to make their way to Europe.

Turkey currently hosts 3.7 million refugees who fled from the war in Syria. (EKN/VK)