German Chancellor Angela Merkel was on Sunday holding talks with Turkish leaders over ways to resolve the migrant crisis after Turkey expressed disappointment with the European U’s efforts so far.
Merkel was meeting Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at the Ottoman-era Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul ahead of talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on a critical one-day visit which was only announced on October 12, World Bulletin reported.
With no end in sight to the crisis that has posed the biggest challenge of Merkel’s career, the flood of migrants and refugees continued to make their way across Europe, pouring into Slovenia after Hungary closed off its border with Croatia.
The European Union wants Turkey to do more to tighten its border security and help contain the historic influx of people from Syria, Iraq and other conflict zones seeking shelter in the 28-nation bloc.
In return, Ankara wants greater recognition for its role in hosting over two million Syrian refugees, a concrete increase in financial help and for an acceleration of its long-stalled bid for EU membership.
Germany has been Europe’s top destination for refugees, most of whom travel through Turkey and the Balkans, and is expecting to register up to a million asylum requests this year–a development which has hurt Merkel politically.
But Erdogan has heaped scorn on Europe’s efforts to deal with the crisis and urged Brussels to take Ankara’s EU membership bid more seriously.
“We are hosting 2.5 million refugees but nobody cares,” he said.
