Angela Merkel condemns 'putting up walls' in Mexico visit, in thinly veiled criticism of Donald Trump

President Enrique Pena Nieto has rejected paying for proposed new border security

Angela Merkel has condemned “putting up walls” during a visit to Mexico, in a thinly veiled criticism of Donald Trump.

The German Chancellor was speaking on a panel with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, but did not explicitly mention the US President.

Mr Trump has vowed to build a wall on his country’s southern border, making it a key tenet of his 2016 election campaign.

Ms Merkel said the key to solving problems with migration was building relationships and understanding with other countries.

"Obviously the main reason for people leaving must be addressed on site first, which means putting up walls and cutting oneself off will not solve the problem,” Ms Merkel said.

She said lessons could be drawn from the great empires of the past.

“Essentially, only when great empires have managed to forge sensible relationships with their neighbours and to manage migration has it been a success,” the Chancellor said.

Ms Merkel added that she didn't think that "simply improving the border facilities" would solve the problem.

President Trump made a US border wall with Mexico a consistent – but controversial – theme of his campaign, claiming it was needed to keep out illegal immigrants and criminals.

At rallies, Mr Trump would tell supporters the Mexican government would pay for the structure.

But Mr Peña Nieto ruled out paying for a wall several times and Mr Trump did not allocate funding for it in his April budget plan.

Soon after his inauguration, Mr Trump signed an executive order authorising the wall, but work on it is yet to begin.

Last week, Mr Trump proposed funding the wall by installing solar panels on it.