Erdogan is a dictator! MEPs reject Turkish pressure and urge EU to reject Erdogan using of migrants

In a debate with European Commissioner Johansson and the Croatian Presidency of the Council, a majority of speakers in the European Parliament heavily criticised Turkish President Erdoğan for using people’s suffering for political purposes.

Many also underlined that the 2015 refugee crisis should not be repeated and insisted that the EU needs to update its common rules on asylum.

Some political group leaders called for a revision of the deal with Turkey, which was hammered out in 2016 to stem the flow of migrants and asylum-seekers in exchange for EU financial aid.

Others showed deep concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation both at the border with Turkey and on the Greek islands, where thousands of asylum-seekers, many of them unaccompanied minors, are stranded.

The need to respect the Geneva Convention and offer protection to refugees, the allegations about police violence against people attempting to cross the border and the risk that jihadists could be entering EU territory were also raised during the discussion.

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