Europe trampling on rights of refugees
Turkey's president yesterday warned a fresh migrant crisis could be resolved only if Europe supports its efforts in Syria, as violent clashes broke out between refugees and police on the Greek border.
Thousands of migrants have massed at the Greek frontier with Turkey since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced last week that they would no longer be prevented from trying to enter Europe.
Erdogan's move came after 34 Turkish troops were killed in northern Syria by Russian-backed Syrian forces, prompting him to seek greater assistance from the international community.
But EU leaders now fear a repeat of the migrant crisis of 2015-16, when more than one million migrants crossed into the EU, and have decried Turkish "blackmail".
With mounting tensions around the border crossing at Pazarkule, a Turkish official claimed one migrant was killed and five injured by live fire from the Greek side.
Athens strongly denied the claim, but an AFP photographer earlier saw a migrant shot in the leg -- it was not clear whether by a real or rubber bullet -- as a group of refugees tried to cut their way through fencing.
Speaking in Ankara, Erdogan said Europe must support Turkey's "political and humanitarian solutions in Syria" if it wants to resolve the situation.
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