President Erdoğan welcomes German Chancellor Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Thursday for the first time since July's failed coup.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed Merkel at the Presidential Palace.

Merkel is due to meet with Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and visit the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to see the sections that were bombed during the failed July 15 coup attempt.

Merkel is expected to renew support for the EU-Turkey refugee deal and highlight the positive results it has achieved so far.

Turkey's refugee deal with the EU will be at the top of the agenda, which will also include discussions on bilateral issues.

The current situation in Syria, cooperation inside NATO and the Cyprus question will also be on the table, according to German government spokesman Steffen Seibert.

The official visit marks Merkel's sixth visit to Turkey within three years and is the first after July's failed coup.