ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that “millions” of migrants would soon head for Europe, drawing accusations from European leaders that he was trying to pressure them into backing his incursions into Syria. Turkey gave the green light to refugees and migrants on Friday to leave for the EU and thousands have since massed at the Greek border, triggering fears of an influx like that poisoned European politics in 2015. His office later added that he had spoken to Merkel over the phone and warned once again that Europe must take a “fair share of the burden” of dealing with migrants. He claimed the numbers of migrants at the Greek border — who include Afghans, Syrian and Iraqis — were far higher than figures provided by officials and reporters at the scene, saying “hundreds of thousands” were already there. A video shared by a Turkish official, which could not be independently verified, showed a boat of migrants being shot at and harassed by Greek coastguards.

Source: Manila Times March 03, 2020 16:21 UTC