German Chancellor Angela Merkel's upcoming visit to Turkey for a summit on migration problems is still being reviewed due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) fears, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Friday
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th March, 2020) German Chancellor Angela Merkel's upcoming visit to Turkey for a summit on migration problems is still being reviewed due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) fears, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Friday.
Earlier this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the migration summit was expected to be held in Istanbul on March 17, with the participation of the German chancellor and French President Emmanuel Macron.
"The situation is tense due to the coronavirus disease, therefore, possible talks with Erdogan are being worked out," Seibert said when asked whether the visit would take place.
Earlier in the day, the spokesman said that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's visit to Berlin, scheduled for Monday, would not be held. Merkel and Vucic will hold a video conference instead.
The same measures are being taken regarding German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas' meetings. In particular, on Thursday, he and his Visegrad Group counterparts canceled their meeting in Prague slated for Friday and decided to hold a video conference instead.
So far, Germany has registered over 2,000 cases of the disease on its soil, and five patients have died.
On Wednesday, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus characterized the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic.
