Obama thanks Germany's Angela Merkel for her open refugee policy

US President Barack Obama made a special thank you to Chancellor Angela Merkel and Germany yesterday (20 September 2016) at the United Nations, praising her for doing "the right thing".

President Barack Obama with Chancellor Angela Merkel. Photo: DPA.

Obama addressed world leaders at the UN in New York on Tuesday, speaking on the topic of the international refugee crisis and the need for countries to collaborate more to take care of those fleeing violent wars.

"I want to personally thank Chancellor Merkel and [Canadian] Prime Minister Trudeau, and the people of both those countries - because the politics sometimes can be hard, but it's the right thing to do," Obama said.

"It is a crisis of our shared security. Not because refugees are a threat. Refugees, most of whom are women and children, are often fleeing war and terrorism. They are victims. They’re families who want to be safe and to work, be good citizens and contribute to their country."

Merkel's popularity dwindles

Meanwhile Merkel has been facing increased pressure at home to further tighten her liberal refugee policies, especially since her party has lost votes in recent elections to the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party (AfD), including in the typically left-leaning capital of Berlin.

The Chancellor admitted this week that Germany had been unprepared for the hundreds of thousands of refugees that applied for asylum last year, making these statements a day after her party slipped to just 18 % of the vote and the AfD shot up to 14 % in the Berlin election.

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