Poland, which is not on the migrants’ route, has agreed to accept some 7,000 refugees, but is prickly about the figure.
Advertisement
He added: “Let us not us not be naive though”.
“As Turkey is making an effort to take in refugees – who will not come to Europe – it’s reasonable that Turkey receive help from Europe to accommodate those refugees”, Hollande told reporters.
“This meeting will provide new momentum to relations”.
3 billion euros will be allocated for the 2.2 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, meant to raise living standards and so persuade more to stay put rather than attempt often perilous crossings to the Greek islands and the EU.
European Union leaders also pledge to “re-energize” talks on Turkey joining the EU. Davutoglu is standing in for Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at the Brussels meeting.
A crisis that European Union leaders have been unable to solve alone.
Cameron said much of the discussions at the summit Sunday would focus on Europe’s no-borders zone and that Britain would continue to keep its “vital” border controls. About 2.2 million Syrian refugees are now living in Turkey.
“We expect a major step towards changing the rules of the game when it comes to stemming the migration flow that is coming to the EU via Turkey”, Mr Tusk said at a press conference with Mr Davutoglu and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker at the conclusion of the summit.
“From today onwards, we will also, I will personally, work on a high-level dialogue with Turkey comprising all the different and sometimes hard issues we have on the table with them – all of them, none exclusions”, she said.
“This is a historic day”, Davutoglu said after the talks, thanking the leaders for the “fruitful meeting”.
This will include working together to prevent migrants traveling to Turkey and the European Union and “swiftly returning migrants who are not in need of worldwide protection to their countries of origin”, according to the statement. Follow Jake Parrock on Twitter @jackeparrock Turkey plays host to more than two million asylum seekers, mainly people displaced by the Syrian conflict.
There remains a degree of nervousness, however, that Turkey could hold out for more – a nervousness heightened by Erdogan’s decision not to attend himself but to send his prime minister.
Turkey has long sought to join the bloc. The deal is reportedly expected to be struck Sunday at a summit in Brussels.
“There must be an agreement which allows for us to commit to an action plan between Europe and Turkey so that refugees can be welcomed in Turkey at the closest point to their countries of origin”.
“This three billion euros is to be spent for refugees in Turkey, it’s not for Turkey”.
Tusk said that if the migrant crisis cannot be contained, the continent’s vaunted Schengen system of borderless travel could collapse.
Advertisement
European Council President Donald Tusk warned on Sunday that if Europe doesn’t protect its external borders effectively, the Schengen area will become history.
