ANKARA • President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a teleconference yesterday with German, French and British leaders to discuss Turkey's stand-off with the European Union after it opened its borders to migrants trying to enter the bloc.

Tens of thousands of migrants tried to get into Greece, a EU member state, after Turkey on Feb 28 said it would no longer keep them on its territory as part of a 2016 deal with Brussels in return for EU aid.

Turkey hosts 3.6 million Syrians, the world's largest refugee population, and fears that Syrian government forces could drive another three million across its borders from the rebel-held Syrian province of Idlib.

The EU has urged Turkey to stop the migrants, who are from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria and countries in Africa, from trying to cross the border.

Greece has used tear gas and water cannon against the migrants, and both countries have sent troops or security forces to the border. Ankara has accused Greek forces of shooting dead four migrants at the border, a claim Athens strongly denies.

Mr Erdogan, visiting Brussels last week, was told by EU leaders that he must stop encouraging migrants to cross into Greece if Ankara wants the bloc to provide further backing.

"The support that can be given to Turkey, what can be done following Erdogan's talks in Brussels and the evaluation of EU leaders will be handled (in the conference call)," a Turkish official told Reuters, adding that they would also discuss the coronavirus pandemic and fighting in Libya.

The talks were originally planned as a summit meeting in Istanbul. That was changed after the spread of the coronavirus prompted all four countries to impose travel restrictions.

The four leaders were to discuss updating the 2016 deal between the EU and Turkey under which the bloc pledged €6 billion (S$9.4 billion) in aid to finance projects for Syrian refugees in Turkey. They would also discuss the situation in Syria's north-western province of Idlib, where a nearly two-week-old ceasefire struck by Russia and Turkey is broadly holding.

Mr Erdogan has repeatedly said that the EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation have to support Turkey to protect civilians there.

REUTERS