Angela Merkel 'on right side of history' over pro-refugee stance: Barack Obama

Obama lauded Merkel for taking "very tough politics not just to express a humanitarian concern but also a practical concern"

US President Barack Obama today leapt to the defence of Chancellor Angela Merkel, saying the German leader, facing fire at home over a record refugee influx, is on the "right side of history".

"What's happening with respect to her position on refugees here, in Europe, she's on the right side of history on this," said Obama on his fifth and final official visit to Germany.

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Lauding Merkel for taking "very tough politics not just to express a humanitarian concern but also a practical concern", the US leader said, "She is giving a voice to the kinds of principles that bring people together rather than divide them."

Merkel has faced virulent criticism in Germany over her liberal stance after 1.1 million asylum seekers arrived in Europe's top economy last year.

Critics, particularly from within her conservative camp, argue that Germany is ill-equipped to cope with the sheer scale of the arrivals.