Turkey: More than 130,000 refugees crossed into Greece
Shafaq News / Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soilo said that about 130,000 irregular migrants crossed the Turkish borders, as of Tuesday morning.
The statements of the Turkish Minister of the Interior, which were reported by the official Turkish news agency Anatolia, come as thousands of Syrian refugees flock to the Turkish border with Greece, within the framework of Turkish measures aimed at pressuring Europe with the refugee file.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has demanded German Chancellor Angela Merkel a fair sharing of responsibility and burdens in relation to refugees.
According to the Turkish presidential statement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a phone call to German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues, particularly the crisis in Idlib and the refugee file.
Erdogan called, as quoted by Anatolia, Merkel, for "a fair sharing of responsibility and burdens in relation to refugees," stressing "the need to observe international obligations in this regard."
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavoyuzoglu said, "The Europeans have closed their eyes for years to the refugee crisis," wondering: "Is it not yet time to assume responsibilities?”
In a tweet published in response to his German counterpart Haikou Mas, who stressed the necessity of Turkey's continued commitment to its responsibility in accordance with the refugee agreement with the European Union, Turkey’s Foreign Minister added, “My dear Haiku Maas, I would have liked to believe your words, but I wish you could talk to your Greek friends. Currently, the migrants are brutally killed in their borders, "which Greek government spokesperson denied, and considered it false news.
The flow of refugees to the Turkish-Greek border began last Thursday, after Ankara announced that it would not hinder the movement of refugees to Europe.
Turkey, a few years ago, entered into an agreement with the European Union to host thousands of Syrian refugees, in exchange for financial aid from the European Union.
On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that his country will keep its doors open to refugees wishing to go to Europe, stressing that Turkey has no energy to absorb a new wave of immigration, in the wake of the killing of dozens of Turkish soldiers in clashes with the Syrian regime forces in Idlib, while demanding Erdogan with the support of NATO, and Europe in facing the Syrian regime backed by Russia.
