Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said both Europe and Turkey had a shared interest in finding a solution to Europe’s refugee crisis and Merkel’s approach was correct.
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She said that “this is about additional money, as we understand it; we still have to talk about the details, of course”.
“As for fresh resources, we’re talking about a 3 billion euro amount in the first stage”.
Turkey’s conditions, which the EU has agreed to in principle, include the opening of negotiation chapters, visa liberalization, the payment of 3 billion euros in financial support by the EU for migrants in Turkey and the invitation of Turkish leaders to EU summits, diplomatic sources told the Hürriyet Daily News. “But we don’t want to fixate on this because the requirements may go up, and the assessment for this would need to be done annually”, said Davutoğlu according to Reuters.
Turkey wants fresh funding from the European Union in exchange for stopping migrants streaming to Europe but should not be expected to turn itself into a “concentration camp” for refugees, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday.
Merkel’s poll ratings and her party bloc’s voter support are declining as political allies and ordinary Germans object to her insistence that Germany can do little to halt the inflow.
On October 18, after the talks with Erdogan, Merkel said that both countries are interested in a “fair share of the burden” and will seek opportunities for a migration load balance to overcome the current crisis.
Europe’s migration crisis showed no signs of letting up on Monday with the United Nations refugee agency saying more than 10,000 refugees were now stranded in Serbia, stranded by limits imposed further west in Europe.
“It is our priority that steps will be taken to prevent an increase of refugees from Aleppo due to the offensive [there] by Iranian militia, Isis and Russian attacks”, Davutoğlu said on Sunday.
The headline read: “Who gains most from the chancellor’s Turkey trip: Merkel or Erdogan?”
Other politicians criticized Merkel for not taking the time, so close to a November. 1 general election, to meet with Turkish opposition parties, calling her visit a campaign coup for Erdogan’s ruling AKP party. “Turkey has been left alone in recent years”, he said.
Germany is willing to help Ankara to reduce the refugee burden, Merkel said.
The German and Turkish foreign, defense and economy ministers will also meet in January 2016 in Berlin, Davutoğlu said. Stephan Mayer, a fellow CSU lawmaker, added, “An accession of Turkey to the European Union is out of the question for me”. Pressure is building as thousands of refugees were stranded in the Balkans over the weekend after Hungary sealed its border to Croatia on Saturday, narrowing the route to Europe for people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and North Africa.
Syrian refugees have spoken to VICE News about the difficulties they encounter there, including limited access to education and resentment from locals.
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“The chancellor is strolling on skinny ice”, judged the conservative every day Die Welt, pointing to a “rising hole” between Merkel and the bottom of her centre-proper Christian Democrats (CDU) who demand she stem the document inflow.
