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Migrant flows to EU via Turkey in decline with tightened grip

Xinhua, June 15, 2016 Adjust font size:

Migrant flows to Greece via Turkey has decreased sharply thanks to a Turkey-EU deal tightening the control recently, a Turkish official said on Wednesday.

The number of illegally crossings has dropped to some 30 per day from a peak of about 7,000 daily in October last year, said the official.

Turkey signed the migration deal with the EU in exchange for its citizens' visa-free travel to Europe, stepped-up aid and expedited accession talks. The deal went into effect on March 20.

Under the deal, Turkey has readmitted 462 irregular migrants from Greece's Aegean islands since April, the Turkish official said.

Meanwhile, 508 Syrian refugees hosted by Turkey have been resettled in Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Sweden and Lithuania under the deal's "one-for-one" formula, the official added.

Turkey is sheltering some three million Syrian and Iraqi refugees, while some one million migrants crossed into Europe from Turkey in 2015.

The Turkish official reiterated a call for a political transition in Syria that excludes President Bashar al-Assad, which would enable an effective struggle against the Islamic State and make possible resettlement of the refugees. Endit