Erdoğan, new EU Commission head discuss Syrian refugees in phone call

The new president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday on her first day in office.

The two discussed Turkey's accession to the EU, the March 2016 Turkey-EU agreement regarding support to the Syrian refugees in Turkey, and voluntary return of Syrians to the safe zone being established by the Turkish administration in northern Syria.

Turkey and the EU signed a refugee deal in March 2016, which aimed to discourage irregular migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving the conditions of nearly 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.