ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st March, 2020) Over 47,000 migrants have crossed Turkey's border with the European Union as the country has opened way to Europe for Syrian refugees, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has announced.
"As of 23:50 [20:50 GMT on Saturday], the number of migrants who have left our country through Edirne [northwestern province in Turkey] stands at 47,113," Soylu wrote on Twitter.
In an earlier post, the Turkish interior minister said that over 36,700 migrants had crossed the border with Europe.
"As of 21:02 [18:02 GMT on Saturday], the number of migrants who have left our country through Edirne [northwestern province in Turkey] stands at 36,776," Soylu tweeted.
On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that his country was opening its border with Europe for Syrian refugees, saying that EU support for refugees in Turkey was coming in too slowly.
Under a 2016 deal between Turkey and the European Union, Ankara promised to limit migration to Europe in return for EU financial assistance.
On Friday, Omer Celik, a spokesman for Turkey's ruling AKP party, said that Turkey remained committed to its migration policy, but it was no longer able to restrain the flow of refugees from Syria. Following Celik's statement, Turkey's neighbor states announced increased control at the borders.
