Turkey threatens to open migrant floodgate on EU

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday threatened to open Turkey's borders to allow migrants to reach the EU, in a move that would tear up a landmark deal that has reduced the flow.

Erdogan's comments, some of his toughest in recent times against the European Union, prompted an immediate warning from Germany which helped broker the deal that such "threats" were unhelpful.

The threat came a day after the European Parliament angered Ankara by backing a freeze in EU accession talks, already hit by alarm over its crackdown in the wake of the July 15 failed coup.

"Listen to me. If you go any further, then the frontiers will be opened, bear that in mind," Erdogan told the EU during a speech in Istanbul.

He said Brussels had cried out for help in 2015 as tens of thousands of migrants massed at Turkey's border crossing with EU member Bulgaria.

"You began to ask us 'what will we do if Turkey opens its borders'?" he asked.

On March 18, Ankara and Brussels forged a deal for Turkey to halt the flow of migrants to Europe -- an accord that has largely been successful in reducing numbers crossing the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece.

Turkey agreed to step up maritime and land border controls in exchange for incentives on its long-stalled membership bid, including visa-free travel for its citizens and an acceleration of accession talks.

However with an October target passing, no apparent progress on the visa issue and the accession talks stalled, Ankara has accused Brussels of failing to keep its side of the bargain.

In response to Erdogan's remarks, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said the deal was in the interest "of all parties" and that "threats on either side are not helpful".

The vote by the EU Parliament reflected spiralling tensions between Ankara and the bloc after Brussels repeatedly expressed alarm over the magnitude of Turkey's crackdown after the coup.

Almost 37,000 suspects have been arrested, and tens of thousands of others have lost their jobs since the attempted putsch.