Expect ‘Millions’ More Refugees From Syria — EU Warned

“We expect Turkey to do the same”, EU President Donald Tusk told reporters alongside Erdogan.

French President Francois Hollande and AU chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, after holding talks in Paris on Monday, said they wanted the summit to come up with a plan to tackle the causes behind the mass movement, such as poverty, education and youth unemployment.

He added that millions of potential refugees and migrants are dreaming about Europe.

Strengthen the visa requirements and residence rules applicable in Turkey to nationals from countries that are potentially source of irregular migration for Turkey and the EU. “According to Turkish estimates, another 3 million potential refugees may come from Aleppo [one of Syria’s largest cities] and its neighborhood”, Tusk said.

While European states complain about not having the capacity to receive the current influx of refugees, Turkey, which shares a border with war-torn Syria, is struggling the most, Turkish analysts say. “Europe has to manage its borders better”.

Speaking in Brussels alongside Mr. Tusk, Mr. Erdogan said his campaign against the PKK isn’t ethnically motivated.

The “Draft Action Plan” was presented to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his two-day visit to Belgium and the European Union, but has yet to be officially accepted by Turkey.

The idea is for the Turkish military to establish a buffer zone in northern Syria to stem the flow of migrants and to repatriate a few refugees. By accepting the plan and implementing it, Ankara “would also contribute to accelerate Turkey’s fulfilment of the visa liberalization roadmap benchmarks”, the text said, referring to Ankara’s long-held desire to smooth travel for its citizens.

Details are now to be hashed out by leading European Union officials and Ankara.

Erdogan, preparing for a November 1 parliamentary election, boasted of Turkey’s record in taking 2 million refugees from neighbouring Syria and Iraq, and contrasted it with the numbers passing through the bloc. The majority of refugees are located in bordering countries like Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan.

The commission has written to Hungary asking it to clarify its controversial migration policies, Vice President Frans Timmermans said on Tuesday.

Support Turkey to strengthen its capacity to combat migrant smuggling, notably by reinforcing the Turkish Coast Guard patrolling and surveillance capacity.

He spoke as the latest migrant routes into Europe were confirmed and, as Breitbart London reported, over 1,800 migrants were rescued from six vessels found adrift in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Libya.

The two leaders also discussed Yemen, where the United Nations is trying to revive peace talks and where Iran plays a key role through its support of Huthi rebels, who are Shiite. The commission is now assessing the economic and legal implications of the move. The proposal has met with wariness, however.