The file of combating irregular migration to Europe topped the program for meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his guest, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, today, Saturday, in the Turkish city of Istanbul.
The German Chancellor stressed in a joint press conference with Erdogan that the European Union will continue to support Turkey in the file of combating irregular migration, and said that "our goal is to prevent human smuggling, and the European Union's support for Turkey in this regard is a necessity and a prerequisite."
Merkel said that she discussed with Erdogan the file of Turkey's accession to the European Union, and continued, "We are doing everything we can to develop our relationship with Turkey."
"I discussed with President Erdogan the situation in Syria and Libya," she added, stressing that all countries of the world should seek to find radical solutions to the Afghan issue.
The German chancellor made it clear that her country always had common interests with Turkey, and that the next federal government would take this into account.
For his part, the Turkish President expressed his hope for good relations with the new German government, similar to the successful relations with Chancellor Merkel's government.
He added at the press conference that he and the German Chancellor discussed bilateral relations, stressing that the Turkish society in Germany constitutes the most important social aspect in the relations and the common wealth between the two countries.
He pointed out that racism, anti-Islam, xenophobia and discrimination are still at the forefront of the problems suffered by Turks in Europe.
In another context, the Turkish president expressed his ambition to raise the volume of trade exchange with Germany to 50 billion dollars.