"In my opinion agreements such an agreement with Turkey won't work. What we do have a need for is a clear deportation agreements which will allow us to deport and send back those people who just come to Austria seeking economic support," Hofer said in an interview.
He added that migrants come to Austria in large numbers not because their lives were in danger but due to a chance of getting large benefits.
"We have to be honest and ask ourselves why so many people come to Austria, Germany and Sweden when they pass through a number of safe countries on their route. The answer is because they receive the largest financial support. If I know that my life is seriously being threatened, I would chose the first safest country to settle in," the presidential candidate said.
In mid-March, Brussels and Ankara agreed on a deal 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 European Union pledged to provide a total of 3 billion euros to Turkey to help it deal with refugees, with a possible further 3-billion-euro provision in 2018.
