BERLIN (Sputnik) — The meeting is to take place during the two-day European Council summit in Brussels on February 18-19. European leaders are expected to discuss migration plans and the United Kingdom's plans to hold a referendum on its membership of the bloc, among other points.
"Merkel is meeting with the Greek and Turkish prime ministers at a joint meeting, as well as separately," the spokesperson told reporters.
Merkel, Tsipras and Davutoglu are expected to discuss creating a legal migration corridor into Europe, according to the spokesperson.
Greece and Turkey are the two key transit countries for Middle Eastern refugees using the Balkan route to travel to Europe, with many destined for Germany, which registered some 1.1 million refugees in 2015, nearly five times more than the number registered in 2014, according to the German Interior Ministry’s estimates.
The plan was approved by the European Union and Turkey in November. It aims to counter excessive migration into Europe, under which EU member states agreed to give some 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) to Ankara to help it assist migrants on its territory and fast track negotiations for its EU accession.
Merkel insisted on intensified Schengen border controls, faster construction of refugee reception centers in Greece and Italy, as well as the allocation of refugees among different states at the upcoming summit of EU leaders. The plan is preferable to closing Greece's northern borders, she said.
