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Austrian FM warns of dependency on Turkey in migrant crisis

Xinhua, May 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz on Wednesday warned of becoming "dependent" on Turkey in the event that the migrant crisis should worsen again.

Despite an ease of tensions in the migrant crisis at present, the deal clinched by the European Union(EU) and Turkey is something that must be approached carefully in order to avoid such a dependence particularly if the situation should escalate again to levels seen in 2015, he said in a joint press conference with visiting Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias.

Preparations must also be made in case such a renewed escalation may occur, Kurz added.

Kurz said he was nonetheless pleased that "various measures" implemented over the past weeks and months have led to a decline in the influx of migrants both from Turkey into Greece, and along the Western Balkans migrant route into Central Europe.

Kotzias said he hoped Turkey would continue to maintain its present cooperation with the EU and to hold to the rules that were agreed upon, including that Turkey is to take back all migrants who make it through to Greek territory. Enditem