Migrant boats sink off Greek islands leaving at least 21 dead

As Valls spoke in Davos, at least 42 people, including 17 children, drowned in two separate incidents in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey.

Dozens of people survived and a search and rescue operation was launched for more survivors.

The first boat struck rocks near the Greek island of Farmakonisi, while the second overturned near Kalolimnos. Thirty-four bodies – 16 women, 11 children, and seven men – were recovered by the coast guard, and 26 people were rescued.

A search operation, backed by a helicopter from European Union border agency, was under way for dozens of people still missing from the boat.

Turkey has a special relationship with Germany as the EU’s biggest economy is not only home to around three million people with Turkish roots, but is also its biggest trading partner.

File picture of a refugee handing over a toddler to a volunteer lifeguard as a half-sunken catamaran carrying around 150 refugees arrive near the Greek island of Lesbos, October 30, 2015.

Yesterday at least 12 migrants, including children, drowned off the Turkish coast as their boat tried to reach Greece. Germany – where most are heading – has welcomed those it considers refugees. If we cooperate, we can bring this crisis under control.

Early on Friday, Macedonia temporarily closed its border with Greece near the town of Idomeni, the main exit point for migrants, leaving hundreds of asylum seekers in freezing conditions and unable to continue their journey to central and Northern Europe.

Turkey pledged to ratchet up efforts to halt the flow of refugees bound for Europe, offering German Chancellor Angela Merkel a lifeline as she vowed to stand by her open-door policy while targeting the root causes of migration.

Previous year over a millions of migrants have arrived in Europe in which more than 700 died while crossing from Turkey to Greece. However, Greek officials made it clear during the meeting that they have encountered numerous problems in the process due to the lack of cooperation on the part of other countries, such as Pakistan and Turkey.

Merkel said she raised thorny topics with Davutoglu such as media independence and the situation of the Kurds, but she said these issues were “very strongly outweighed” by common concerns including the refugee crisis and the battle against the Islamic State group.

The Greek authorities said they managed to rescue one girl, while 40 people who had been onboard managed to reach land on their own.

Police spokesman Daniel Drageset says 82 people have, however, been formally arrested inside a camp for refuges facing deportation in Kirkenes, a Norwegian town close to the Russian border, for fear they might flee.