GETTY Angela Merkel says Europe needs to take a different approach to Africa

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Speaking ahead of a three-day trip to Africa, where discussions will focus on co-operation between the two continents on migrant policy, Mrs Merkel said the welfare of millions of people on the continent was in Germany's interest and had become a "strategically highly important issue". She said: "Most of the time we were simply satisfied that no refugees were coming." Mrs Merkel has come under intense criticism for Germany's open-door immigration policy which has seen more than 1.1 million refugees pour into the country. Germans were initially sympathetic to the policy but soon became disillusioned when the impact the huge numbers of extra people had on the country became clear.

GETTY African migrants are rescued from their boat in the Mediterannean

Mrs Merkel's ruling CDU party suffered major losses at recent local elections and she was forced to admit mistakes had been made. She said: "If I, as German Chancellor, want to ensure that Germans are doing well, that the European Union sticks together, I must also ensure that in Europe's neighbourhood people can perceive their home as a home. "Specifically, in our days, this means that we have to deal with Africa in a new way. "Of course we can not change the whole world for the better from one day to the next. "But if we want to pursue German interests, realistically we also have to say that Africa's welfare is of Germany's interest."

GETTY Angela Merkel is preparing for a three-day visit to Africa

My goal is to not stand idly by when people have to live in degrading conditions Angela Merkel

Mrs Merkel insisted she was not acting out of pity but in line with the common values and interests of Europe. She said: "If we take our human image seriously, the claim that human dignity should be inviolable can not stop at the German national borders - and not at the EU's external borders. "If you ask me whether the closure of the Balkan Route has solved the problem, I would definitely say no. "It might have led to fewer refugees arriving in Germany in the weeks before the EU-Turkey Agreement became active - but on the other hand 45,000 arrived in Greece.” Mrs Merkel justified her unpopular policies and insisted her general view on open-border immigration had not changed despite the social upheaval the migrant crisis had caused in parts of Europe.

GETTY Fences have sprung up along European borders to try to stop the flow of migrants

Migrant Crisis: Mass exodus from the migrant camp continues Tue, October 25, 2016 Hundreds of migrants are continuing to arrive in Europe as they flee the scenes of chaos and brutality of the Islamic State in the Middle East. Play slideshow 1 of 224