Merkel: Aiding refugees combats ISIS

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stated that providing refuge to Iraqis and Syrians is part of Germany's effort to combat and fight ISIS.

In her weekly video podcast, she urged asylum seekers from Iraq and Syria to integrate into the country's customs and activities, and to learn German. She added that refugees are being taught transferable skills that will help them rebuild and reestablish their home countries when peace returns.

The German Chancellor has faced increasing criticism in her country for agreeing on a large number of asylum seekers. Almost 1.1 million are estimated to have entered Germany last year. Bloomberg Business reports a rapid decrease in her approval rating, sliding to its lowest this month since August 2011. Poll respondents believe her government has lost control of the refugee crisis.

The chancellor met French President Francois Hollande in Strasbourg on the Franco-German border on Sunday to discuss the agenda of the next European summit agreed to prioritize the action plan involving assistance to Greece to control its borders defined by the European Commission. The plan includes reinforcing Greece's means to register refugees and accelerate methods to transport illegal migrants out of the country.

Merkel supports appeals for better security of the European Union's external borders. She will focus on Turkey this week as another wave of asylum seekers threaten to force her to withdraw and close German borders due to overcapacity.

She is also under pressure to follow in the steps of other EU countries to close its borders to refugees. Travelling to Ankara on Monday, Merkel urged the Turkish government to do more to stop the outpour of asylum seekers bound for Europe.

EU leaders will continue disucssions on handling the deportation of asylum seekers at their next summit on February 18-19 in Brussels.