German Chancellor Merkel to visit Turkey on Oct. 16

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Turkey on Oct. 16 to discuss bilateral relations and international issues, her spokesman said Friday.

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, Steffen Seibert said Merkel will visit Istanbul for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“Turkey is a very important, close partner for us,” he said, adding that the two leaders will discuss a wide range of international and regional issues, including the EU-Turkey cooperation on migration management and refugee protection.

Chancellor Merkel’s visit will take place ahead of an EU leaders summit in Brussels on Oct. 21-22.