MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier on Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to open the country's borders with the European Union if the bloc continued its anti-Turkey policies. The statement came a day after the European Parliament voted in favor of freezing EU accession talks with Turkey over concerns about Ankara's post-coup crackdown.
"The EU-Turkey agreement is built on explicit responsibilities that both sides must fulfill. Europe fulfills its part of the agreement, and therefore, the current threats coming from the Turkish side are illegal. The intimidation of the EU citizens by the migration wave and the problematic situation over migrants should not become a subject of a political bargaining," Sobotka was quoted as saying by Novinky news portal.
Ankara and Brussels agreed on a deal in March, under which Turkey pledged to take back all undocumented migrants who arrive in the European Union through its territory in exchange for Syrian refugees accommodated in Turkey, on a one-for-one basis.
In return, the bloc pledged to accelerate the Turkish EU accession bid and introduce a visa-free regime, as well as provide financial aid to Turkey to cover the costs of migrant reception.
