REUTERS: Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Monday that "millions" of
migrants would soon head for Europe, drawing accusations from EU leaders that
he is trying to pressure them into backing his incursions into Syria. Turkey
gave the green light to refugees and migrants on Friday to leave for the
European Union and thousands have since massed at the Greek border,
triggering fears of an influx like that which poisoned European politics in
2015.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel described Turkey's move as "unacceptable" and EU migration commissioner Margaritis Schinas said nobody could "blackmail or intimidate the EU".
German Chancellor Angela Merkel described Turkey's move as "unacceptable" and EU migration commissioner Margaritis Schinas said nobody could "blackmail or intimidate the EU".
But Turkey, which hosts roughly four million refugees, is
trying to hold off another mass influx from Syria – where government forces
backed by Russian air power are advancing into the last rebel stronghold of
Idlib.
NEWS UPDATE LINKS:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51781394
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/greece-plans-to-deport-migrants-who-arrived-after-march-1/ar-BB10LZ3h?ocid=spartandhp
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/boy-dies-after-boat-capsizes-as-migrants-try-to-cross-greek-turkish-border/ar-BB10EjH0?ocid=spartandhp
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/greece-claims-video-of-dead-refugee-in-the-woods-is-fake-news-as-migration-crisis-grows/ar-BB10Ft5y?ocid=spartandhp
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/ap-explains-the-new-migration-crisis-at-europes-borders/ar-BB10Fyxs?ocid=spartandhp
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/thousands-of-migrants-look-for-way-around-shut-greek-border/ar-BB10FNCw?ocid=spartandhp
Erdogan further
ramped up the pressure late on Monday, saying he had turned down an EU offer of
one billion euros (£1.1 billion) in extra aid for migrants, adding to a
six-billion-euro deal agreed in 2016. "We don't want this money," Erdogan said at a
news conference without specifying when the money was offered, or by whom. His office later added that he had spoken to Merkel over
the phone and warned once again that Europe must take a "fair share of the
burden" of dealing with migrants. He claimed the numbers of migrants at the Greek border –
who include Afghans, Syrian and Iraqis – were far higher than figures provided
by officials and reporters at the scene, saying "hundreds of
thousands" were already there. "There will be more. Soon, this number will be
expressed in millions," he added. Top EU
officials to visit border. Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European
Commission, was due to visit Greece’s land border with Turkey on Tuesday,
accompanied by European Council head Charles Michel and Greek Prime Minister
Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Greece says some 10,000 people were barred from entering
the country over the weekend. Clashes broke out as police fired tear gas at the
refugees, who responded by lobbing rocks. A video shared by a Turkish official, which could not be
independently verified, showed a boat of migrants being shot at and harassed by
Greek coastguards. Turkey accused Greek
police of killing two migrants after a video was shared of a bloodied Syrian on
the border, although Athens rejected this as "fake news". In desperation, many have sought alternative routes and
Greek port police said a young boy died when a makeshift boat capsized off the
Greek island of Lesbos.NEWS UPDATE LINKS:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51781394
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/greece-plans-to-deport-migrants-who-arrived-after-march-1/ar-BB10LZ3h?ocid=spartandhp
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/boy-dies-after-boat-capsizes-as-migrants-try-to-cross-greek-turkish-border/ar-BB10EjH0?ocid=spartandhp
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/greece-claims-video-of-dead-refugee-in-the-woods-is-fake-news-as-migration-crisis-grows/ar-BB10Ft5y?ocid=spartandhp
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/ap-explains-the-new-migration-crisis-at-europes-borders/ar-BB10Fyxs?ocid=spartandhp
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/thousands-of-migrants-look-for-way-around-shut-greek-border/ar-BB10FNCw?ocid=spartandhp
Athens said it would boost patrols and it suspended
asylum applications by those entering illegally – a move denounced by the UN
refugee agency as having "no legal basis". The emergency at Greece’s border comes as Turkey has
launched a military operation in Idlib in north-western Syria in a bid to push
back the regime's offensive against country’s the last rebel-held bastion. Close to one million people have been forced to flee the
Syrian government's assault in the biggest wave of displacement of the
nine-year conflict, but they are not being allowed to enter Turkey. Erdogan said he hoped for a ceasefire in Syria when he
meets his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin later this week.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS)
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(FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS)
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