Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has refused to attend a meeting with the Greek Prime Minister in Sofia on March 6 upon the initiative of Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov after reports that the Greek police killed two Syrian refugees on the Turkish-Greek border, Eurasia Diary reports citing Huriyyet.
Borisov on March 2 said that he suggested to host a trilateral summit in Sofia with the participation of Turkey and Greece, yet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan turned down his offer after Greek police killed two refugees on the border.
Erdogan and Borisov met on March 2 with the recent migration crisis on their agenda, as well as bilateral relations and cooperation.
Speaking at a joint news conference, Borisov said that no one is able to see “the huge humanitarian crisis at the door” and called on the EU to abide by the deals.
“I cannot understand why Turkey is not given resources [for the care of migrants]. One of the main principles of the EU is sharing the burden,” he said.
The president slammed Greece, saying the fact that Greek police killed two migrants and heavily injured one has “negatively affected this process.”
“They do not have respect for international migration law. Maybe they are saying, ‘Turkey has been taking care of the refugees for the past nine years, maybe it will do so for the next 19 years as well.’ I’m sorry, but there is no such a process right now,” Erdogan said.
The asylum seekers and migrants have the right and freedom to leave the country they currently reside in and pick their next destination point, Erdoğan said.
“These people are leaving our country on their own will. According to international law, it is not possible for these people to forcibly hold in a country,” he added.
A child died after being pulled from the sea when a boat capsized on March 2 off the Greek island of Lesbos and media have reported that a Syrian man was reportedly shot dead by police on the border.