Turkey puts deal in doubt

A protester kisses an image of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a demonstration outside the Dutch consulate in Istanbul. Photo / AP

Turkey may cancel a migrant readmission agreement with the European Union, and is also re-evaluating a 5.6 billion ($8.6b) refugee deal with the bloc, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said yesterday.

Cavusoglu's remarks came at a time when Turkey-EU tensions are running high after several European countries prevented Turkish politicians, including the Foreign Minister, from holding rallies intended to drum up support for plans to give President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sweeping new powers in a referendum.

Turkey agreed in 2013 to take back migrants who travelled illegally to the EU in return for the promise of visa-free travel. Last year it also agreed to stop illegal migrants from crossing into Greece in exchange for financial aid for those in its care and accelerated EU membership talks.

"We may cancel the readmission agreement. The EU has been wasting our time on the visa liberalisation issue. We are not applying the readmission agreement at the moment, and we are evaluating the refugee deal," Cavusoglu said.

The row escalated after the Dutch Government banned a rally in Rotterdam at the weekend, fearing that tensions in Turkey over the referendum could spill over into its expatriate Turkish community.

Erdogan retaliated by branding the Netherlands "Nazi remnants". He has also accused Germany of "fascist actions" for cancelling rallies.

Since surviving a military coup last year, Erdogan has has cracked down on dissenting voices among the judiciary and the media.

The EU is caught between holding Erdogan accountable and guaranteeing the continuation of a deal to control the flow of refugees and migrants who pass through Turkey to Europe.