The European Union wants de-escalation with Recep Tayyip Erdogan

3/9/2020, 11:01:24 PM

Europeans refuse to give in to the migratory blackmail of the Turkish president but seek a way out of the crisis.

In Brussels

Against a backdrop of tensions at the Union's external borders, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, welcomed Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Brussels on Monday evening. As they have been doing since February 28 and the Turkish decision to no longer prevent migrants from crossing its borders with Europe, and even to encourage them to do so, Europeans maintain a firm tone.

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The visit to Brussels, which follows that of Charles Michel in Ankara last week, is "the resumption of a dialogue, the revival of the common voice" , assures the President of the European Commission. "Other discussions will certainly follow in the coming days and weeks," warns Ms. von der Leyen, who adds that the objective is "at best, the development of a common roadmap".

If the meeting was still underway in the early evening, the message from European leaders has not changed since