Merkel backs upgrading EU-Turkey refugee deal

BERLIN (AA) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday voiced her support for talks between the 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 Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Merkel criticized Turkey’s recent decision to open its borders for Europe-bound asylum seekers, but also underlined the importance of continuing cooperation with Turkey.

“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.

The EU-Turkey agreement has been successful in stemming refugee flows in recent years, but the EU’s reluctance to take in refugees from Turkey, and bureaucratic hurdles in transferring promised funds for refugees, have led to sharp criticism from Turkish politicians, raising doubts about the future of the deal.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan 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.

“I would make every effort to bring the EU-Turkey agreement to a new level,” Merkel stressed.

In opening the borders late last month, Turkish authorities reiterated their longstanding complaint that the EU has failed to uphold its pledges under the 2016 deal.

Thousands of asylum seekers have since flocked to Turkey’s Edirne province – which borders Greece and Bulgaria – to make their way to Europe.

Turkey has also criticized what it calls Greek authorities’ brutality towards the asylum seekers at the border.

Turkey, which already hosts nearly 4 million Syrian migrants, more than any other country in the world, has said it would be unable to absorb yet another refugee wave.

Escalating attacks by the Assad regime and its allies in Idlib, Syria has sent a fresh wave of refugees toward Turkey's border.