BERLIN

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk, discussed a land border control decision, the prime minister's Office said Friday.

The two leaders exchanged views via telephone about Berlin's call to introduce temporary internal border controls at land borders as part of the migration policy measures initiated by the German government and the reduction of irregular migration as part of a European legal order, according to the office.

Emphasizing that the challenges of irregular migration and smuggling can only be tackled together, Scholz and Tusk agreed that close cooperation between European partners is essential.

The leaders also agreed to strengthen the protection of Europe's external borders, especially in the face of Belarus' instrumentalization of migrants.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced Monday that Germany would reinstate checks at all land borders to curb irregular migration.

Tusk slammed Germany for the move on Tuesday, saying: “Such actions are unacceptable from the Polish perspective.”​​​​​​​

*Writing by Merve Berker