Turkey doubles fee to hold refugees

No agreement was reached on resolving the migrant crisis last night following an emergency summit after Turkey doubled its price for holding refugees to prevent them from reaching EU shores.

Turkey has doubled its price for holding refugees and preventing them from reaching EU shores, threatening to scupper the latest attempt to resolve the migrant crisis.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said Ireland’s share of the initial €3bn package for Turkey to care for Syrian refugees would be €22m and double this if the EU agrees to Turkey’s demand for a second €3bn.

However, before talks started with prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Ankara asked to double the money and grant by June short-stay visa-free entry that would be used mainly for business people and students.

They also want negotiations to begin immediately on the country’s long- delayed accession to the EU, and in exchange would accept back migrants who came through Turkey, provided the EU took an equal number of those who qualify as refugees.

However, Turkey says it will only take back refugees once those already on the Greek islands have been removed — something that diplomats say will be difficult as sending back refugees before their asylum requests are processed breaches the UN’s Geneva Convention.

Mr Davutoglu also met Nato officials in Brussels. Nato and the EU’s border agency Frontex have agreed to patrol international waters and return migrants found there to Turkey.

Ireland has said it will resume its mission in the Mediterranean rescuing migrants from Libyan waters and bringing them to Italy in line with a bilateral agreement with the Italians.

The issue of press freedom was raised with the prime minister at the meeting after the closure of Zeman, a newspaper critical of the government, and of the Kurds being targeted by the Turkish army in attacks.

EU leaders are expected to agree to step up humanitarian aid especially to Greece where 800,000 refugees have arrived in the past year.