News / EU

Turkey says ready to curb flow of refugees to Europe

Monday, 07 March 2016 2:31 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 07 March 2016 2:29 PM ]

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (L) meets with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (C) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Brussels on March 7, 2016. (AFP photo)

German and Dutch leaders have met with the Turkish prime minister ahead of the European Union (EU) summit on refugee crisis with Turkey saying it is now ready to act on controlling a flow of refugees to Europe.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose country currently holds the European Union presidency, held a five-hour meeting with Turkey’s Ahmet Davutoglu in Brussels on Monday.

The meeting was aimed at persuading Ankara to stop the flood of refugees who cross illegally from Turkey to Europe’s frontline states; Greece and Italy.

"I am sure these challenges will be solved through our cooperation and Turkey is ready to work with the EU," Davutoglu said.

Ankara, in return, raised the issue of its membership of the EU and demanded more than the €3bn (USD 3.3bn) aid pledged by the EU to help some 2.9 million Syrian refugees it hosts as well as an easing of visa restrictions.

"Turkey is ready to be a member of the EU as well. Today I hope this summit will not just focus on irregular migration but also the Turkish accession process to the EU," Davutoglu added.

A child refugee plays on a rail track at the Greek-Macedonian border near the village of Idomeni on March 7, 2016. (AFP photo)

The crucial EU summit began at 12:00 GMT in Brussels and will be in two parts. The first part will involve Turkey while EU leaders will take part in the afternoon meeting session to reach a common approach to Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II.

A draft summit communiqué seen by journalists on Sunday said that "irregular flows of migrants along the Western Balkans are coming to an end; this route is closed.”

Merkel, however, said that the summit “can’t be about closing something.” She noted that "today is about finding a lasting solution together with Turkey... trying to find a way to stop illegal migration and improving the living conditions for the refugees."

The EU leaders will also ask Turkey to accept thousands of people whose applications for asylum were rejected and in return discuss plans to resettle some refugees in Europe from Turkish camps.

The future of Schengen zone will also be discussed at the summit, as eight countries introduced temporary border controls. EU officials say that the future of the Schengen agreement is very crucial for the bloc’s economy as the system makes billions of euros each year.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk