President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened on Friday to open Turkey's borders to allow refugees and migrants to reach the European Union 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 EU, 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 following 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 state Bulgaria.

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

'Promises unfulfilled'

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 the number of people crossing the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece.

Hundreds of people have drowned in the Aegean en route from Turkey to Greece on unseaworthy boats.

They included three-year-old Syrian Aylan Kurdi, with the images of his lifeless body washed up on a Turkish beach spurring the international community into action.

Turkey agreed to step up maritime and land border controls in exchange for incentives on its long-stalled EU 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.

“This deal has always been inherently fragile and dependent not only on good political relations but each side holding up their end of the deal. As time goes on, we see it becoming more and more fragile, particularly since the coup over the summer,” Elizabeth Collett, director of the Migration Policy Institute, in Brussels, told Al Jazeera.

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“But one thing to remember … is that this was seen as a stop-gap measure while Europe got its house in order. Unfortunately, as the flows diminished … there’s been a reduction in political focus on this issue, which has also reduced the search for a sustainable solution in the European Union.”

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".

"Where there are difficulties, we need to resolve them," she added.

Erdogan said that while Turkey itself was looking after three million refugees - mainly 2.7 million Syrians who have fled the war next door - but "you [the EU] did not fulfil your promises".

"You never acted honourably, you did not act right," he told the bloc.

He has also accused Brussels of failing to fulfil a promise to deliver some $6.3bn in aid for refugees. The EU says the money is to be transferred gradually for individual projects and not in a single payment.

'Not a reality'

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.

Turkey has in turn accused Brussels of failing to show solidarity.

The parliamentary vote is non-binding and earlier this month, all EU foreign ministers - with the exception of Austria - said they were in favour of continuing the accession talks.

But analysts say the entire membership process is in deep trouble, with little hope of progress and several risk factors that could lead to its collapse.

"Realistically, moving forward is also nearly impossible ... Both Brussels and Ankara remain stuck and are playing for time," Asli Aydintasbas, of the European Council on Foreign Relations, said in a research paper published this week.

She suggested an alternative form of engagement between Turkey and the EU, other than full membership, could be agreed to save face and move forwards.

"In reality, most officials privately concede that full membership is not a possibility at this point," she said.</s>Erdogan threatens to open Turkey's border with Europe to migrants

Erdogan threatens to open Turkey's border with Europe to migrants

Turkey's president has threatened to throw open his country's borders to allow migrants to reach the EU after MEPs backed freezing membership talks.

The European Parliament vote for a temporary halt to negotiations came in response to concerns over Recep Tayyip Erdogan's heavy-handed crackdown following a failed coup in July.

Last year, after more than a million migrants made their way into Europe, mostly through Turkey, a landmark deal was reached between Ankara and Brussels in March.

July: A Look At The Events Proceeding Turkey's Failed Coup

Turkey would stem the flow of migrants travelling by sea in exchange for a number of incentives, including fast-tracked membership talks, aid for refugees in the country and visa-free travel for Turkish citizens.

But Turkey's "disproportionate" response to the uprising has led the Strasbourg assembly to press for negotiations to be suspended.

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It has led Mr Erdogan to accuse the bloc of dishonesty and not keeping its side of the bargain.

Speaking in the wake of the vote, the Turkish leader said: "If you go any further, these border gates will be opened. Neither me nor my people will be affected by these empty threats."

He also made specific reference to Turkey's main border crossing with EU member Bulgaria.

Image: Refugees at the Nizip refugee camp near Gaziantep in Turkey

Mr Erdogan also said money promised had yet to be delivered.

Since the thwarted coup, blamed on a network of followers of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, Turkey has engaged in an unprecedented crackdown.

Tens of thousands of people have been jailed and 120,000 people suspected of links to the cleric have been dismissed or suspended.

Turkey has also shut down more than 170 media outlets, detained more than 140 journalists and sacked elected Kurdish mayors and replaced them with government-appointed trustees.</s>Bulgaria has arrested hundreds of migrants after a riot at a reception centre near the Turkish border, amid renewed threats from Ankara to allow asylum seekers easy passage to the EU unless the bloc quickly implements a key refugee deal.

“Around 300 migrants . . . have been arrested,” Bulgarian prime minister Boiko Borisov said on Friday morning after visiting the Harmanli camp about 40km from the Turkish frontier.

Most of the alleged rioters were from Afghanistan, and Mr Borisov said a handful who were considered to be a national security threat would be deported to Kabul as soon as possible.

“The others who disturbed the peace will be among the first to be extradited but, until then, they will be placed in closed-type camps. A plane for Afghanistan has already been arranged and it will fly in December,” Bulgaria’s Novinite news agency quoted him as saying.

Officials said about 27 people were injured when some 1,500 migrants rioted on Thursday, burning tyres and furniture and hurling rocks at police, who responded with rubber bullets and water cannon.

The migrants were aggrieved at being confined to the camp due to claims from local people and ultra-nationalist groups that an infectious disease had broken out there.

State inspectors said the camp and its residents posed no health risk, but the disease claim and subsequent violence will only add to widespread hostility towards the migrants in Bulgaria.

About 13,000 migrants have become trapped in Bulgaria since Balkan states closed their borders to them in March.

They continue to reach Bulgaria by trekking from Turkey and finding a way through or around a fence on the frontier. From Bulgaria they try to move northwest to Serbia – a route on which one Afghan froze to death this week.

The EU’s effort in March to halt the flow of migrants hinged on a deal with Turkey, according to which Ankara would tighten border security in return for €6 billion in EU aid, visa-free travel to the bloc for Turks and other benefits.

Turkey has slashed the number of migrants reaching the EU, but Brussels has delayed fulfilment of its pledges amid criticism of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his fierce crackdown on opponents following a failed July coup.

On Friday, Mr Erdogan raged against the European Parliament for passing a non-binding resolution calling on the EU to freeze membership talks with Turkey.

“If you go any further, these border gates will be opened,” he said, accusing the EU of sending a fraction of the money promised to Turkey, which he claimed had spent $15 billion (€14.17 billion) looking after some three million refugees on its territory.

Germany responded quickly, saying the EU should “keep talking” to Ankara.

“It is important that we do not freeze the accession negotiations because that would only further damage the relationship between Turkey and Europe, and that would not be in the interest” of either party, said German foreign ministry spokeswoman Sawsan Chebli.</s>Turkey formally applied to become a member of the European Union in 1987 and accession talks began in 2005 (AFP Photo/Thierry Charlier)

Strasbourg (France) (AFP) - The European Parliament on Thursday voted to freeze membership talks with Turkey over its "disproportionate" post-coup crackdown, further escalating tensions with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey immediately branded the non-binding vote "insignificant", while Erdogan had already said in his latest broadside against the European Union that the result was worthless.

Most EU states meanwhile want to keep the Turkey talks on track, but the vote by a large majority of MEPs will only add to the bad blood in the wake of the July 15 failed putsch.

Lawmakers voting in Strasbourg, France, said the parliament "strongly condemns the disproportionate repressive measures taken in Turkey since the failed military coup attempt".

They said they remained "committed to keeping Turkey anchored to the EU" but said that parliament "calls on the Commission and the Member States, however, to initiate a temporary freeze of the ongoing accession negotiations with Turkey."

The motion was approved by 479 votes to 37, with 107 abstentions.

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim hit out at the EU for a "lack of vision".

"It is insignificant from our aspect," he said in a televised speech.

"The EU should understand and decide whether it wants to shape its future vision with or without Turkey".

Turkish EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik said the vote was "null and void" and accused the European Parliament of jumping on the bandwagon of "far-right" parties.

"Such a resolution... only serves the objectives of the far right, Islamophobia and xenophobia," he told a news conference.

The decision hit the embattled Turkish lira -- boosted by a rate hike earlier in the day -- to leave the currency losing 1.50 percent against the dollar on the day.

A furious Erdogan said on Wednesday that "this vote has no value at all" and accused Europe of taking the side of "terror organisations".

"It is not possible for me to even digest the message that they want to deliver," he said.

Europe's message has however been increasingly clear about its concerns over rights and democracy in Turkey, especially over the coup crackdown that has seen almost 37,000 arrested.

Turkey formally applied to become an EU member in 1987 and accession talks only began in 2005, even though Ankara's aspirations to become part of the bloc dates back to the 1960s.

While the vote will have no concrete effect as all EU member states except Austria so far want to keep the accession process going, it is yet another blow to relations that seemed to be improving before the July crisis.

Guy Verhofstadt, a former Belgian premier who now leads the Liberal group in the EU parliament, called on the European Commission to "implement the recommendation as soon as possible".

Verhofstadt dialled up the rhetoric earlier this week when he accused Erdogan, US President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin of being part of a "ring of autocrats" trying to harm the EU.

Turkey and the EU had agreed to speed up the long-stalled membership talks after both sides reached a deal in March to curb migrant flows towards the European Union.

Brussels agreed to give visa free travel for Turks once it carried out key reforms and give more aid to Turkey, in exchange for Ankara cutting the number of refugees to the Greek islands.

But the process has stalled after the failed bid by a rogue group in the army to bring down the Turkish government -- making the call for a freeze largely symbolic.

The mass arrests and job dismissals as well as measures against Turkish media in the ensuing crackdown triggered a sharp reaction from EU politicians and rights watchdogs.</s>The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of suspending European Union membership talks with Turkey on Thursday, reflecting a hardening stance towards Ankara following President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s crackdown on opponents.

The vote is non-binding but comes amid mounting anxiety in Europe over the direction Turkey is taking and Mr Erdogan’s moves to exploit this summer’s failed military coup to purge those he believes are against him.

Only European governments have the right to halt the talks, but Brussels officials warned that if Mr Erdogan continued to pursue his purge it could prompt the suspension of the accession processes.

Kati Piri, the Dutch Socialist MEP who has special responsibility for Turkish matters for the parliament, said the time had come for European leaders to act.

“It sends a strong political signal from the parliament to EU leaders who will be meeting in mid-December that if they take European values seriously – and all this is happening in a candidate country – then it’s time to draw a red line,” she said.

The vote in Strasbourg followed a decision by the parliament’s Socialist group to drop its support for Turkey’s membership bid, joining rival factions in the assembly that have long sought to stop the talks. There were 479 votes in favour of the resolution, 37 MEPs voted against and 107 abstained.

Since the failed putsch in July, Mr Erdogan has jailed at least 30,000 people and dismissed or suspended more than 100,000 soldiers, judges, teachers and other civil servants. The president accuses them of being linked to Fethullah Gulen, an exiled cleric he blames for inspiring the coup attempt. The government has also detained journalists and members of the political opposition, while extending a state of emergency.

Mr Erdogan has reacted to growing criticism by lashing out at the EU and suggesting a referendum on whether Turkey should join the bloc. He said on Wednesday that the parliament vote “has no value in our eyes”.

“We have made clear time and time again that we take care of European values more than many EU countries, but we could not see concrete support from western friends . . . None of the promises were kept,” he said.

The resolution said the crackdown was a violation of basic rights and freedoms that were protected by Turkey’s constitution. It said that since the coup attempt, authorities had arrested 150 journalists, which it said was the highest number in the world, and 10 members of the Kurdish People’s Democratic party.

Guy Verhofstadt, leader in the parliament of the Liberal group, called for immediate action to “freeze” the talks with Turkey, but said EU leaders should commit to review the decision if the situation improves. “By continuing the illusion of accession talks with an increasingly authoritarian regime, the EU is losing credibility, is fooling our citizens and also betraying those Turkish citizens who look to Europe as their future,” he said.

Turkey was an “essential partner” for the EU on energy policy, the fight against terrorism and efforts to stabilise the region around Syria and Iraq, he said. “However, it is wrong to pretend that we can advance on any of these fields by trampling on European values and principles, by closing our eyes as president Erdogan closes down independent media outlets, jails journalists and criminalises members of his parliament,” Mr Verhofstadt added. – (Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016)</s>BRUSSELS (AP) — Underscoring growing unease, the European Union’s legislature on Thursday demanded that the bloc freeze membership negotiations with Turkey over the government’s heavy-handed crackdown following a failed coup in July.

The European Parliament approved a non-binding resolution Thursday by a 479-37 margin with 107 abstentions and said the freeze should last until Ankara’s “disproportionate measures” under the state of emergency are lifted. Despite the parliamentary vote, EU officials have said that longstanding but unsuccessful talks should not immediately be halted.

Some EU nations have called for the suspension of the talks but the bloc is struggling to reach a common stance that would balance EU nations’ need for Ankara’s continued help to stop hundreds of thousands of refugees heading to Europe with their concerns about rights abuses.

“By continuing the illusion of accession talks with an increasingly authoritarian regime, the EU is losing credibility, is fooling our citizens, and also betraying those Turkish citizens who look to Europe as their future,” said Guy Verhofstadt, the leader of the liberal ALDE group.

Anticipating the vote, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had already said that his country’s “struggle for its stability and future won’t be interrupted by (European legislators) raising and lowering their hands.”

Although the vote carries no immediate consequences, it underscores the increasing unease in Europe over Erdogan’s tightening grip on power in the wake of the coup attempt.

Tens of thousands of people, including teachers, journalists and opposition lawmakers, have been arrested or fired. As reports of more detentions and repression came in, the EU’s stance has steadily hardened.

“We can no longer remain silent in the face of Erdogan’s outrage and the evident breaches of the rule of law and human rights,” said S&D socialist leader Gianni Pittella.

In Ankara Thursday, The minister in charge of negotiations with the EU criticized EU nations for not standing in solidarity with Turkey at a time when it is dealing with a spate of violent attacks.

“Europe is engaged in short-sighted and visionless discussions,” Omer Celik, told reporters in the southern Turkish city of Adana where hours earlier a car bomb attack killed two people and wounded 16 others.</s>A day after EU lawmakers urged suspending talks on membership for Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed his country has been “betrayed.”

BRUSSELS — Turkey threatened Friday to open the migrant floodgates if the European Union halts its membership talks, as criticism grows of Ankara’s heavy-handed response to a failed military coup.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s warning — the latest in a series of heated speeches about Europe from top Turkish officials — came a day after EU lawmakers called for a freeze on the talks over the post-coup arrests, dismissals and jailing of tens of thousands of people.

Erdogan’s claims that his country has been “betrayed” are a sign of how Turkey’s pride has been wounded by the lack of international solidarity Ankara feels has been shown since its political foundations were rocked by the July coup attempt.

“We are the ones who feed 3-3.5 million refugees in this country. You have betrayed your promises,” Erdogan said. “If you go any further, those border gates will be opened,” he added.

The European Parliament vote Thursday was a response to Ankara’s widespread crackdown on potential political enemies.

Tens of thousands have been detained, and around 120,000 people dismissed or suspended from their jobs over suspected links to the Muslim cleric living in the United States whom Erdogan blames for the coup attempt.

Authorities have also shut down more than 170 media outlets, detained more than 140 journalists and sacked elected Kurdish mayors, replacing them with government-appointed trustees.

NATO has acknowledged that some Turkish personnel at the military alliance have even applied for asylum.

More worrying for the anti-death penalty EU would be if Turkey makes good on a threat to reintroduce capital punishment, which would derail the country’s bid to join the bloc entirely.

But apart from symbolizing Europe’s concern, Thursday’s vote has no practical effect on Turkey’s EU accession. Any suspension in talks can only be made by the 28 EU states, not lawmakers.

Beyond that, member states have little incentive to pour oil on the fire when they desperately need Ankara to manage their refugee crisis. The membership negotiations, which have crawled along at snail’s pace for more than a decade, are unlikely to be completed any time soon.

Unable to agree on the best way to manage more than a million migrants who entered Europe last year, mostly through Turkey, EU nations decided to outsource their refugee crisis.

They offered Turkey visa-free travel for its citizens and fast-track membership talks if Ankara stemmed the flow of migrants leaving for Greece and took back thousands who had already crossed into Europe.

The deal also calls for the EU to devote up to 6 billion euros ($6.4 billion) in aid for Syrian refugees living in Turkey.

During Friday’s speech, Erdogan said not enough money was coming through.

“We have been given $550 million by the United Nations. The European Union promised, but the money it has sent so far is around $700 million. But what have we spent? Up to now we have spent $15 billion,” he said.

In Brussels, EU officials confirmed Friday that 677 million euros have been delivered and a total of 1.2 billion euros signed into contracts with Turkey. A further billion euros has also been officially “allocated.”

More time sensitive is Turkey’s quest for visa-waiver status, which would allow Turks to stay for up to 90 days in Europe without a visa. Ankara wants the travel benefit this year, but EU officials said it has still not met seven outstanding criteria.

Most problematic among them is changing the definition of what constitutes a “terrorist act” in Turkey, a condition the Europeans say is required to stop Turkish authorities from rounding up reporters and Erdogan’s political opponents.

With bomb attacks a regular occurrence of late in Turkey, the government is reluctant to modify its anti-terror law.

A new progress report is due next month, but at the current speed Turkey is unlikely to meet the conditions this year.

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka dismissed Erdogan’s comments on Friday as “blackmail” and said Ankara shares responsibility for ensuring its EU membership bid stays on track.

“I reject attempts by Turkey to politically blackmail us and any threat to incite another immigration wave,” Sobotka said. “The EU-Turkey deal is built on clear requirements both sides have to meet. Europe is doing its part, and therefore there is no reason for the current threats from Turkey.”

In Germany, whose government would prefer a “privileged partnership” with Turkey as an alternative to full EU membership, spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said the EU-Turkey migrant deal is a success and “continuing the agreement is in the interest of all those involved.”

“Threats from either side don’t help,” she said. “Where there are problems, we need to talk about them.”

Kiper reported from Istanbul, Turkey. Frank Jordans in Berlin and Karel Janicek in Prague contributed.</s>In a statement released by the European Parliament, MEPs condemned the "disproportionate repressive measures" taken by Turkey under the state of emergency imposed following the failed coup.

These, they said, "violate basic rights and freedoms protected by the Turkish Constitution" itself.

The resolution, which is non-binding, was approved overwhelmingly -- 479 votes to 37, with 107 abstentions.

"Turkey is an important partner of the EU," the statement said. "But in partnerships, the will to cooperate has to be two-sided. Turkey is not showing this political will as the government's actions are further diverting Turkey from its European path."</s>ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned the European Union that if it continues threatening his country he will open the border gates and allow hundreds of thousands of migrants to flood into EU countries.

Erdogan, in a speech Friday, reacted furiously to a non-binding resolution approved the previous day by the European Parliament demanding that the bloc freeze membership negotiations with Turkey over the government’s heavy-handed crackdown following a failed coup in July.

“We are the ones who feed 3-3.5 million refugees in this country. You have betrayed your promises,” Erdogan told the EU. “If you go any further those border gates will be opened.”

The EU struck a deal earlier this year to return migrants to Turkey in return for a package including aid for the refugees and accelerated membership talks.</s>ISTANBUL — Turkey's president on Friday accused the European Union of dishonesty and betrayal, and threatened to remove controls from his country's borders, flooding Europe with hundreds of thousands of asylum-seekers and other migrants.

In his first speech since Thursday's approval in the European Parliament of a non-binding resolution calling on the EU to freeze Turkey's membership talks, Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the EU: "We are the ones who feed 3-3.5 million refugees in this country. You have betrayed your promises."

He added: "If you go any further those border gates will be opened." He made specific reference to Turkey's main border crossing with EU member Bulgaria.

The European Parliament vote was in response to the government's heavy-handed crackdown following a failed coup in July. Opposition parties, rights groups and Turkey's western allies have expressed increasing disapproval of actions that Ankara defends as part of an ongoing war on terror.

After more than a million migrants made their way into Europe, mostly through Turkey, last year, Turkey and the EU in March reached an agreement: Turkey would stem the flow of migrants by sea to Greece in return for certain incentives including fast-tracked membership talks, billions of euros in aid for Syrian refugees in Turkey and visa-free travel for Turkish citizens.

But the response to the coup has made European nations less keen to negotiate with Turkey, while visa liberalization has hit a hurdle over Turkey's reluctance to change its antiterror laws.

During Friday's speech, Erdogan said the money promised also had yet to be delivered. "We have been given 550 million dollars by the United Nations. The European Union promised, but the money it has sent so far is around 700 million. But what have we spent? Up to now we have spent 15 billion dollars."

Since the thwarted coup blamed on a network of followers of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, Turkey has engaged in an unprecedented crackdown, jailing tens of thousands and dismissing or suspending 120,000 people suspected of links to the cleric, It has also shut down more than 170 media outlets, detained more than 140 journalists and sacked elected Kurdish mayors and replaced them with government-appointed trustees.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatens to open Turkey's borders to allow refugees and migrants to reach Europe after the European Parliament votes to temporarily freeze talks of Turkey's accession to the EU.