Merkel in favor of extending German border controls

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) has spoken out in favour of extending German border controls on Tuesday, supporting a call to maintain such measures adopted by Interior Minister and CSU leader Horst Seehofer, Xinhua reports.

"The chancellor and interior minister have reached an agreement that an extension of controls at the German border is currently necessary," Steffen Seibert, official spokesperson for the chancellery, told the press here.

Earlier, Seehofer had demanded a continuation of border patrols as long as external border management measures established by the European Union (EU) were not sufficiently cohesive and effective. However, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry noted that the extension would not be indefinite.