German Chancellor Angela Merkel is on her way to Turkey in an attempt to try and soothe tensions over the EU-Turkey pact. The deal, which came into force three weeks ago, is aimed at helping to end the chaotic arrival of migrants and refugees on the Greek islands.

The deal initially sharply slowed the number of arrivals to Greece, but boats carrying about 150 people each have started arriving daily again. Merkel and European Council President Donald Tusk will go to Gaziantep near the Turkish border with Syria on Saturday, where they are due to visit a refugee camp and meet Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Turkish government officials said the main focus of the meeting would be on relations with the EU and implementing the migrant deal. It would also cover how a promised 3.4 billion US dollars in funding would be spent.