The EU said Tuesday it would step up resettling refugees now in Turkey and help reinforce Turkish coastguard patrols under a crisis plan discussed during talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, AFP reports.
Ankara will meanwhile put "priority" on setting up six new refugee reception centers partially funded by the EU under the draft plan published by the European Commission following Erdogan's visit to Brussels on Monday.
"It is clear that we need Turkey. The Commission will come to its aid," European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker told the European Parliament before he unveiled the proposals.