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Merkel on EU-Turkey Accession Talks, Migration Deal

© AP Photo / Yves LoggheEuropean Parliament President Martin Schulz, left, talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, during an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels (File)
European Parliament President Martin Schulz, left, talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, during an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels (File) - Sputnik International
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German Chancellor Merkel comments on EU-Turkey accession talks and the migration agreement during the debates with her chief opponent at the upcoming federal election, Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) Martin Schulz.

BERLIN (Sputnik) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday that Berlin cannot stop the talks on Turkey's accession, but it would impose economic punitive measures in response to arrests of German citizens.

"We have no powers [to stop the talks], this decision is made by the majority in the European Union," Merkel said, when asked whether the talks with Turkey should be halted following detentions of German nationals in Turkey.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left (AP Photo/Axel Schmidt) - Sputnik International
Merkel Mulls Revision of Relations With Ankara as Two Germans Detained in Turkey
The chancellor added that Berlin could put pressure on Ankara in terms of economy, in particular by issuing a stricter warning to those who wanted to visit the country and by introducing restrictions on loans from the European Central Bank, World Bank and Hermes covers, export credit guarantees issued by the German government.

Angela Merkel also said that the decision to sign the EU-Turkey migration agreement in 2016 was absolutely right, and the deal is still viable today.

"I remain convinced that it [the EU-Turkey migration agreement] is absolutely correct," Merkel said during a televised election debate broadcast by ARD TV channel, adding that Germany was harshly criticized for its participation in negotiating the deal.

In March 2016, the European Union and Turkey agreed that Syrian refugees arriving in Greece would be returned to Turkey if their claim for asylum is rejected, while Syrian asylum seekers in Turkey would be resettled in Europe on a one-for-one basis. In return, Ankara received $6.4 billion in financial aid and major concessions on EU membership and travel. The agreement was supposed to address the overwhelming influx of migrants and refugees to Europe.

German police officer and a migrant boy joke with the officer's cap while migrants wait for a bus after their arrival at the main train station in Munich, southern Germany, September 1, 2015 - Sputnik International
Border Control in Germany of Major Importance Amid Migration Crisis - Merkel
Answering a relevant question during the debate German Chancellor said that migrants who have been officially rejected asylum in Germany, should leave the country.

"We have done a lot of work in this regard, and I absolutely agree with you that those who have been rejected a refugee status should leave Germany," Merkel said.

Merkel was participating in the debates, broadcast by ARD, with her chief opponent at the upcoming general election, Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) Martin Schulz.

SPD and Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) are the two leading contenders for Bundestag seats in the election scheduled for September 24.

 

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