He also told reporters that European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans would also be going to Gaziantep, Turkey.

The visit comes amid a diplomatic row between Germany and Turkey over the prosecution of a German comedian for a satiric poem which targeted Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

Commenting on the issue Angela Merkel said: “I want to stress again what was stressed yesterday – we have the fundamental values in the constitution and that includes article 5, which is the freedom of opinion, freedom of science and of course, the freedom of art” adding she will not compromise on fundamental democratic principles to protect the EU’s refugee deal with Turkey.