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EU acknowledges Turkey's efforts but won't allow to be blackmailed

Author: Hari Alfeo

ZAGREB, March 6 (Hina) - The European Union will not be blackmailed and asks Turkey to honour the agreement on containing migrants, European foreign ministers said in Zagreb on Friday.

At an extraordinary meeting, the EU is trying to agree a common response to the crisis which poses the threat of a new migrant wave towards Europe.

Before the meeting, the foreign ministers welcomed a ceasefire which Russia and Turkey agreed on Thursday.

The ministers announced they would consider an initiative to create a safe zone in northern Syria as well as additional financial aid to Turkey.

Turkey is bearing the brunt of caring for refugees, but at the same time it is unacceptable that migrants are being used as a means of pressure, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters.

European officials claim the migrants heading for the Greek border have stayed in Turkey for years and are not those fleeing violence in Idlib, Syria.

That's clear proof that this movement has been created and orchestrated by Turkey. The EU won't let human suffering be instrumentalised, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said.

Acknowledging Turkey's efforts to stop a migrant wave in 2015, the Croatian presidency of the EU called on Turkey to honour the 2016 agreement.

That's what we want. I believe it's the only solution to prevent a repeat of the situations of four and a half years ago, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said.

He said the migrants who had arrived at the Greek border in the past few days should return to Turkey. We think that's the most appropriate option. They are not people who came because of the current situation in Idlib but people who have been in Turkey for several years, he added.

EU member states have shown solidarity with Greece and supported it in taking all the necessary measures to protect the EU's external borders. However, while some approve of the use of rubber bullets against migrants, others do not.

We are against violence and for a humanitarian approach. We believe there are sufficient measures that can be applied, not necessarily rubber bullets, said Plenkovic.

Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said it was necessary to see to migrants' dignity when protecting the border. I wasn't there but all people should be treated with respect, he said.

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinslau said rubber bullets were a legitimate means for deterring migrants. The defence of Europe's external border is not a humanitarian but a security issue, although it has humanitarian aspects. The Greek can undertake all the measures to prevent law violations, he added.

Tensions on the Greek-Turkish land border flared up today as teargas was fired at Greek border police from the Turkish side.

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