Impossible to Solve EU Migrant Crisis Without Turkey – Tsipras

The European Union will not resolve the major refugee crisis without Turkey, which is a country of transit for thousands of refugees from the Middle East and Africa, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Sunday on the sidelines of a meeting of the European Commission on the Western Balkans route of migrants.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — Greece will do whatever it takes to decrease the flow of migrants and to solve the humanitarian problem, Tsipras added.

"The Commission initiative for this informal meeting was a positive initiative. However, a critical partner in this – Turkey- it is not invited. So, today the discussion will be among the countries of the corridor of the refugee flows. But everybody knows that at the end of the corridor there is an entrance, so if we will not be able to agree with the country at the entrance, it will be very difficult to find a solution," Tsipras told reporters.

Last week, Brussels pledged up to $3.4 billion in aid, simplified visa procedures and accelerated EU ascension procedures for Turkey in return for its cooperation in stopping the refugee flow to Europe.

Over 710,000 migrants arrived in the bloc during the first nine months of 2015, according to the EU border agency Frontex.