Erdogan to Greece: Open your borders to migrants

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeals to Greece to open its borders to thousands of migrants attempting to cross the country toward other European destinations.

"Hey Greece; I appeal to you... open the gates as well and be free of this burden," Erdogan said during a televised speech in Istanbul on Sunday, Press TV reported.

"Let them go to other European countries."

Earlier, Greek police fired tear gas at migrants on its border with Turkey who were seeking access to European Union territory.

The police also used water cannon to stop the migrants, many of whom have been stranded for days at the Pazarkule border, known as Kastanies on the Greek side.

On March 2, Erdogan said Ankara had no plans to stop the flow of migrants into the European Union, warning that “millions of refugees” will soon be moving toward Turkey’s borders with the EU.

Ever since, over 1,700 migrants are said to have landed on the Greek island of Lesbos and four other Aegean islands from Turkey, adding to the 38,000 who are already crammed into overstretched refugee centers there.

Turkish officials say Erdogan has ordered the Turkish coast guard to prevent refugees from crossing the Aegean Sea due to the risks.

During the same televised speech, Erdogan said he will hold talks in Brussels on Monday, focusing on the migration issue after Turkey opened its borders.

"I will have a meeting with European Union officials tomorrow (Monday) in Belgium," Erdogan said. 

"I hope I will return from Belgium with different outcomes."

The Turkish decision to allow refugees to cross the border into Europe followed an escalation of clashes in the Syrian province of Idlib.

Last month, Turkey relaxed curbs on the migrants’ movement through its borders and said Ankara would no longer prevent hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers in its territory from reaching Europe despite an agreement struck with the EU in 2016, under which Ankara was committed to stop the refugee flow into Europe in exchange for financial assistance from Europe.

SS