Over 117,000 migrants leave Turkey to reach Europe
ANKARA-Anadolu Agency
İHA Photo
The number of irregular migrants leaving Turkey for Europe has reached 117,677 on March. 2, Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on Twitter.
The migrants are leaving Turkey through northwestern Edirne province bordering with Greece and Bulgaria.
Thousands of migrants flocked to Pazarkule, a border gate with Greece, after Turkish officials announced on Feb. 28 that they would no longer try to stop irregular migrants from reaching Europe.
The move came after a Syrian regime attack on Turkish troops in Syria's northwestern Idlib de-escalation zone, which killed 34 soldiers.
Turkish soldiers are working to protect local civilians under the 2018 deal with Russia which prohibits acts of aggression in the region.
Turkey already hosts some 3.7 million migrants from Syria alone, more than any other country in the world.
Ankara has repeatedly complained that Europe has failed to keep its promises under the 2016 EU-Turkey refugee deal to help migrants and stem further migrant waves.
