EP president warns not to link migrant crisis to Turkey's membership bid

Talks with Turkey on dealing with the refugee crisis should not be linked to the country's efforts to join the European Union (EU), warned European Parliament President Martin Schulz here on Thursday.

"We need a partnership, not a dependence on Turkey. We cannot and should not 'outsource' our problems to Turkey," Schulz addressed the European leaders at the start of a two-day EU summit on Thursday.

European leaders gathered here are struggling to clinch an agreement with Turkey to tackle the exacerbated migrant crisis.

On March 7, Turkey offered "game-changing" proposals under which the EU would resettle one Syrian refugee from Turkey in exchange for every Syrian that Turkey takes back from Greece.

In exchange, Ankara asked for extra financial aid, a speeding up of its EU membership negotiation process, and a more liberalized visa scheme.

Schulz said the Parliament was keen to find out the details on returns of migrants to Turkey and resettlement to the EU, and that parliamentarians wanted to know how Turkey would meet conditions for being considered a "safe third country."

He also underlined that any arrangement reached with Turkey could not replace a genuine EU migration and asylum policy, and called for an overhaul of existing rules and the establishment of a European coast and border guard.

Schulz urged member states to accelerate the relocation of refugees from Greece to their countries to help the thousands of people living in dire conditions near the border with Macedonia. Endit