Migrant crisis: Merkel visits Turkey

Berlin, April 23: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and top EU officials will on Saturday visit the Turkish-Syrian border to promote a controversial month-old migrant deal. The visit comes amid questions over the legality of the EU-Turkey pact, which deports back to Turkey migrants who do not qualify for asylum in Greece. Human rights groups said Turkey is not a safe place to return people, BBC reported. Turkish officials have warned the deal could collapse if demands for visa-free EU travel for its citizens were not met. The chancellor has faced opposition in Germany for her migration policies and has defended the deal with Turkey despite opposition from some European partners. Her trip comes as she faces additiol pressure for agreeing to the prosecution of a German comedian accused of insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Advocates of freedom of speech in both Turkey and Germany have called on Merkel to send out a strong message on the issue during her visit. It has been over a month now since the migrant deal between the EU and Turkey was struck, but not everyone was convinced that it was working smoothly. (IANS)