Turkish president warns refugee deal will be called off if EU goes back on promises
The country had agreed to take in people illegally entering Europe in exchange for money, visa-free travel for Turks and progress in their membership to the EU.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday warned that his country will not continue to implement the agreement to take in illegal refugees from Europe if the European Union did not fulfil the terms it agreed to. According to the deal, Ankara will take in refugees crossing the Aegean Sea to enter Greece illegally in return for money, visa-free travel and progress in negotiations for Turkey to join the EU. The deal came into effect on Monday, when more than 200 asylum-seekers were sent to Turkey from the Greek island of Lesbos.
The agreement has been heavily criticised, with the United Nations saying the plan may be illegal by international laws. Afghan and Syrian refugees on the Greek island of Chios have threatened to commit suicide if they are sent back under the Turkey-EU deal, The Guardian reported.
The continent has seen the largest refugee crisis since World War II, in the wake of the civil war in Syria and the expansion of terror outfits like the Islamic State. On Thursday, Syrian state media reported that the militant group had kidnapped around 300 workers from a cement factory northeast of the capital, Damascus. Officials have not been able to make contact with any of the workers, AFP reported state-run news agency SANA as saying.
