Free Republic

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened Friday to walk away from a deal that has substantially reduced the flow of migrants to the European Union and also effectively end Ankara's membership bid by bringing back capital punishment. Erdogan's warning he could open Turkey's borders to illegal migrants bound for Europe prompted an immediate objection from Germany that such "threats" were unhelpful. Greece, which would face a heightened influx of migrants if Turkey made good its threat, also expressed "concern" at what it said would be "an act of aggression." The Turkish leader's comments came a day after the European Parliament angered...

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has warned Europe that without Ankara's help it could be "flooded" by waves of migrants and cutting off talks with the bloc would be far more damaging to Europe than Turkey. "We are one of the factors protecting Europe. If refugees go through, they will flood into Europe and take it over, and Turkey prevents this," Yildirim said in comments broadcast live on television. "I accept that cutting off ties with Europe would harm Turkey, but it would damage Europe 5-to-6 times more."

ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned the European Union that if it continues threatening his country he will open the border gates and allow hundreds of thousands of migrants to flood into EU countries. Erdogan, in a speech Friday, reacted furiously to a non-binding resolution approved the previous day by the European Parliament demanding that the bloc freeze membership negotiations with Turkey over the government's heavy-handed crackdown following a failed coup in July. "We are the ones who feed 3-3.5 million refugees in this country. You have betrayed your promises," Erdogan told the EU. "If you go...