The European Union’s top diplomat in Ankara has stepped down after a row with Turkey over controversial comments he made on a landmark refugee deal, a spokesperson from his office said on Tuesday.

The European Union's top diplomat in Ankara has stepped down after a row with Turkey over controversial comments he made on a landmark refugee deal, a spokesperson from his office said on Tuesday.

"We confirm that the ambassador has resigned," the spokesperson told AFP after Hansjoerg Haber, a senior German diplomat who headed the EU delegation to Ankara, was summoned last month to the foreign ministry over the comments.