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President Erdoğan Under Pressure Over Refugee Crisis
Turkey’s immigration leverage over the EU has shifted to internal challenges.
In 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was leveraging the contentious issue of migration as a tool in his political arsenal. The Turkish leader repeatedly threatened to open the floodgates of migration into Europe, using the prospect of a new wave of refugees as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the EU.
“Erdogan warns Europe to expect ‘millions’ of migrants after Turkey opens borders,” reported France24 on March 3, 2020. “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Monday that ‘millions’ of migrants would soon head for Europe, drawing accusations from EU leaders that he is trying to pressure them into backing his incursions into Syria.”
“Erdogan further ramped up the pressure late on Monday, saying he had turned down an EU offer of one billion euros (£1.1 billion) in extra aid for migrants, adding to a six-billion-euro deal agreed in 2016,” added France24.
It was a threat that left EU leaders fuming in 2016. It was a threat that left EU leaders fuming in 2020. Many geopolitical experts called it blackmail.
“Europe Must Not Fall Victim to Erdoğan’s Blackmail,” advised Burak Bekdll for the Gatestone Institute on March 6, 2020. “Turkey’s Islamist strongman…