“Europe [of German Chancellor Angela] and [Italian Prime Minister Matteo] Renzi has bent under Turkish blackmail. With a threat to inundate us with migrants the Turks are taking home 3 billion euros and our promise to accept them into Europe. This is a suicidal decision, devoid of any common sense,” Matteo Salvini wrote on his Facebook page Friday.
He accused Europe of financing Turkey, which “is financing the Islamic State terrorist group.”
“I don’t want to see Turkey in Europe,” Salvini wrote.
Earlier in March, Europe and Ankara agreed on a deal under which Turkey pledged to take back all undocumented migrants that had arrived to the European Union in exchange for Syrian refugees on a one-for-one basis.
In return, the European Union pledged to accelerate Turkey's EU accession process and introduce a visa-free regime between Turkey and Europe, as well as to provide a total of 3 billion euros to Turkey for dealing with the refugees.
The European Union also promised to help Turkey improve the humanitarian situation in parts of neighboring Syria.
