Erdogan, Merkel Discuss Developments In Syria, Libya In Phone Talks - Ankara

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held phone talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday, during which the two leaders discussed bilateral relations as well as the situation in Syria and Libya, the Turkish Presidential Communications Directorate said in a statement

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th September, 2019) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held phone talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday, during which the two leaders discussed bilateral relations as well as the situation in Syria and Libya, the Turkish Presidential Communications Directorate said in a statement.

According to the statement, the sides also spoke about the issue of migration, which complicated the relations between Turkey and the European Union, especially after Ankara threatened to suspend a migration deal with Brussels.

On Tuesday, Erdogan said that Turkey could not take a new influx of migrants coming from Syria in the case that the crisis in the middle Eastern country is not settled.

He added that Turkey acted as a buffer state for migrants coming into Europe from the Middle East and Africa, hosting one of the largest migrant and refugee populations in the world.

According to the International Organization for Migration, in late 2015, at the peak of Syria's civil war and the resulting refugee crisis, over 2.5 million people � primarily Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans � sought asylum within Turkey.

The Syrian civil war, which began in 2011, has brought about a total of over 5.6 million refugees and over 6 million internally displaced people. As the government forces have now regained control over most of the country's territories, they strive to create favorable repatriation conditions for the refugees.