Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold a remote summit by teleconference with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel due to the coronavirus, the official Anadolu news agency said on Friday.
Read also: Macron and Merkel in Istanbul on March 17 to talk about migrants and Syria with Erdogan
Erdogan said on Tuesday that he would receive Merkel and Macron on March 17 in Istanbul for talks on migrants and Syria. But due to the new coronavirus pandemic, discussions will take place by teleconference, the agency said.
The meeting was to deal with the crisis that arose after Turkey's decision in February to open its doors to Europe to allow thousands of migrants to pass, which caused an influx at the Greek border. Thousands of migrants have gathered on this border, where Greek law enforcement has used tear gas and water cannons in clashes with those seeking to enter Greek territory. This decision provoked tensions with the EU and a verbal war with Greece. Turkey, home to some four million refugees, mostly Syrians, calls on the EU to take its "share of the burden" but Europeans denounce migrants as "blackmail".
Eighteen people have died from the Covid-19 pandemic in France in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll from coronavirus to 79. Germany recorded seven deaths and 2,300 cases of contamination, according to the latest report released by the DPA agency. Ankara has announced that flights from nine European countries including France and Germany will be suspended from Saturday 05:00 GMT until April 17. Five cases have been identified so far in Turkey, all linked to the first cases announced on Wednesday, a man who returned from Europe.
Read also: LIVE - Coronavirus: 800 new cases in France, 79 deaths in total
