EU Council President Charles Michel (C) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (R) welcome Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (L) before their meeting at the EU headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, March 9, 2020. /Reuters
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan sought more European support on Monday over the war in Syria and for hosting millions of refugees, but was told he must first stop encouraging migrants to cross into Greece.
Erdogan flew to Brussels for talks with the European Union and NATO after tension rose over the fate of tens of thousands of migrants trying to enter EU-member Greece since Ankara said last month it would no longer try to keep them on Turkish soil.
Turkey hosts about 3.6 million refugees from Syria and has kept a lid on migration to Europe under a deal it agreed with the bloc in 2016 in return for billions of euros in aid.
But it has become frustrated with what it regards as too little European support over the war in Syria, where its troops are facing off against Russian-backed government forces and have suffered growing casualties.
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Migrants from Turkey gather at the closed Kastanies border crossing as Greek riot police stand guard, February 28, 2020. /Reuters
"The crisis stemming from Syria, with its security and humanitarian aspects, is threatening our region and even all of Europe," Erdogan said after arriving for talks with the EU and NATO. "No European country has the luxury to remain indifferent."
"We expect concrete support from all our allies in the fight that Turkey has been carrying out alone... NATO is in a critical period during which it needs to clearly show support."
The EU has little to offer in terms of military support in Syria, where it has condemned Turkey's engagement. The 27-nation bloc, in which most members are also Ankara's NATO allies, has dangled the promise of further aid – but in time and under conditions.
"The events at the Greek-Turkish border clearly point to politically motivated pressure on the EU's external border," the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said before talks with Erdogan. "Finding a solution to this situation will require relieving the pressure that is put on the border."
At the same time, the EU is trying to support Greece, where it says some 42,000 refugees and migrants are stuck on the islands, including about 5,500 unaccompanied children.
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France, Portugal, Finland, Germany and Luxembourg offered to take some in, with Berlin saying up to 1,500 minors could move in total. EU migration ministers are due to discuss the matter in Brussels on Friday.