Turkey's decision to no longer restrict the flow of Syrian refugees to the borders of Greece and Bulgaria is an attempt to blackmail European countries, Syria's current ambassador to China and former ambassador to the US, Imad Moustapha, told Sputnik on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2020) Turkey's decision to no longer restrict the flow of Syrian refugees to the borders of Greece and Bulgaria is an attempt to blackmail European countries, Syria's current ambassador to China and former ambassador to the US, Imad Moustapha, told Sputnik on Friday.
"[Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, having lost all checks and balances, is trying to blackmail Europe through opening the gates from Turkey towards Europe to Syrian refugees, while his mercenaries in Syria have blocked every safe conduit opened by the Syrian government for the people of Idlib to cross into safe havens within Syria," the ambassador stated.
Moustapha accused Erdogan of exploiting the plight of displaced Syrians to suit his own political aims.
"His barbaric exploitation of the ordeal of the civilians is yet another manifestation of his manipulative and ruthless machinations in quest of his grandiose political ambitions," the ambassador remarked.
Earlier in the day, Omer Celik, the spokesman for Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, said that Ankara was no longer able to restrain the flow of refugees from Syria after 33 Turkish soldiers were killed by a Syrian government airstrike.
