Turkey threatens to abandon refugee deal
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warns the EU to uphold its promise to provide visa-free travel for Turks by June or see Ankara walk away from a key refugee deal.
Turkey and the EU last month sealed a controversial deal intended to stem the flow of refugees from Syria and other troubled countries to Europe in return for financial and political rewards for Ankara.
Under the deal, the EU will take in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and reward it with money, visa-free travel and progress in its EU membership negotiations.
“These pledges are mutual, if the European Union does not take the necessary steps, it would be unthinkable for Turkey to do so,” Davutoglu told a news conference before departing for Strasbourg.
He said 17 of the 75 requirements required for visa-free travel for Turks by June were yet to be completed, adding he expected those to be fulfilled by May.
A top European Union official said Turkey must meet all criteria for visa-free travel with Europe.
"Visa liberalisation is a matter of criteria. The criteria will not be watered down in the case of Turkey," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said.
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