German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said talks with Greece on its taking back of migrants who previously sought asylum there are well-advanced. Similar negotiations with Italy have some way to go, according to the chancellor. Merkel said Monday she’s prepared to speak with the Greek and Italian leaders if needed but “we haven’t yet reached that point,” AP reports.
Last week, Berlin reached an agreement with Spain for Madrid to take back asylum-seekers who previously applied there and then show up at the German-Austrian border. Greece and Italy have been bigger sources of migration to Germany. In June, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer threatened to turn back previously registered migrants unilaterally at the border.