Turkey presses EU to help with migrants
BRUSSELS — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pressed the European Union on Monday for more help caring for Syrian refugees after EU officials accused him of “blackmail” for waving migrants through to Europe.
Thousands of migrants have massed at Turkey’s land border with Greece, an EU member, since Erdogan’s government made good on a longstanding threat and announced it would no longer prevent migrants from crossing.
EU countries have rallied behind Greece, which is also a member of NATO, and described it as a “shield” protecting Europe’s borders with the outside world.
“It is beyond reason and understanding that a neighboring and ally country can point to us as the cause of the wave of irregular migration,” Erdogan told reporters after talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Turkey hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees, and Erdogan has demanded that Europe shoulder more of the burden of caring for them.
He has accused the EU of not meeting its obligations, including failing to pay money promised to Turkey under a 2016 deal to stem the flow of migrants to Europe. The EU says it is disbursing the funds.
The Turkish leader later met with top EU officials, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, to discuss the 2016 deal.
The deal called for Turkey to halt the flow of Europe-bound migrants and refugees in exchange for up to $6.7 billion in aid for Syrian refugees on its territory, fast-track EU membership and visa-free travel to Europe for Turkish citizens.
Michel told reporters that Turkey and the EU “have different opinions on different things and that’s why it’s important to have a frank and open dialogue.”
“For us, it’s important to implement the deal,” he said.
Beyond migration, the EU was keen to discuss developments in Syria with Erdogan and “how we can contribute to bringing more political support, more stability in the entire region,” Michel said.
A high-level Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government rules, said the sides would discuss a possible revision of the agreement. It wasn’t clear if a deal would emerge Monday.
Von der Leyen said the meeting would be the “restart of a dialogue.” She repeated that the EU has the obligation to protect its borders, but also to guarantee the fundamental individual right for asylum.
Erdogan was also expected to raise concerns over tactics by Greek authorities as they push migrants back to Turkey.
Greece has deployed riot police and border guards to repel people, and the border area has since seen violent confrontations. On Saturday, youths threw rocks at Greek police and tried to pull down a border fence.
Many migrants have alleged mistreatment at the hands of Greek police, and Turkey says two migrants were killed in violence along the border. Greece has denied the accusations.
Germany’s coalition government said early Monday that the country was willing to support Greece.