Merkel praises Turkey’s contribution to G-20 summit

HAMBURG - Anadolu Agency

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel on July 8 praised Turkey's contribution to the success of the G20 summit, a key gathering of the world’s 20 largest economies.  

"Turkey and President [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan showed a lot of commitment. He was very much engaged on the whole agenda of the summit and gave his contribution," Merkel told a news conference at the end of the two-day summit in Hamburg.  

"We also paid tribute to Turkey's efforts for the refugees, and he also pointed out these efforts again during the discussion round on migration," she added.  

Merkel recalled that she and Erdoğan held a bilateral meeting on July 6 on the sidelines of the summit, where they discussed recent political disagreements between the two countries.  

"The many arrests, the overall actions in Turkey, and the failure to allow visits to Incirlik (air base) - those are all developments that show deep differences and we did not sweep them under the table," she said.