Angela Merkel meets Turkish PM over migrant crisis

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived Istanbul on Sunday to hold talks with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu , over ways to resolve the migrant crisis after Turkey expressed disappointment with the EU’s efforts so far.

Speaking in Istanbul at a joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Merkel offer aid and concessions to Turkey in exchange for measures to stem the mass movement of migrants across Europe’s borders.

Merkel said Germany could help accelerate the path to visa-free travel to the EU for Turks and push forward Ankara’s protracted EU membership talks. In exchange, the Turkey should take in migrants sent back by the EU.

Her discussions with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan come at a time when thousands of new arrivals a day are stretching Germany’s capacity to house refugees and other migrants.

Apart from the migrant crisis, the Turkish and German leaders also discussed the fight against terrorism and the situation in Syria. They said there could be no lasting solution to the migration crisis without resolving the conflict in Syria, from where more than 2 million refugees have now fled to Turkey.

By accepting EU’s offer Davutoglu said the sharing of the refugee burden should be fair. The amount of aid is secondary and the Visa-free travel for Turks should be brought forward to July 2016 instead of the current planned 2017. He also said Turkey should have a seat at EU summits.

“Germany is ready to offer support,” Merkel said. ” Turkey could join the EU sooner after helping with the ‘disorderly’ migrant crisis, says Merkel.