(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Leaders of the 28-member European Union will discuss ways to contain the increasing migratory flow to Europe and step up cooperation with Turkey on the issue, during their formal summit in Brussels on Thursday.
The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, in his invitation letter to the EU leaders Tuesday night said "we must ask ourselves if the decisions we have taken so far, and the ones we are going to take on Thursday, are sufficient to contain a new migratory wave. We need to face real challenges and answer serious questions concerning our methods of action." He noted that the EU has engaged in an intensive dialogue with Turkish leaders as the biggest transit country and that the goal of his recent talks in Ankara was to stem the wave of refugees to Europe.
"An agreement with Turkey makes sense if it effectively reduces the inflow of refugees," he said.
The letter described the regional situation as "difficult and politically very complex." "Turkey is calling on us to support the establishment of a safe zone in northern Syria, whereas Russia - increasingly engaged in Syria - is openly rejecting this idea. There is no doubt that our strengthened cooperation with the region is indispensable," he said.
Meanwhile, the EU's border control agency, Frontex, reported Tuesday that the total number of migrants who crossed the EU's external borders in the first nine months of this year rose to more than 710,000 . This compares with 282,000 recorded in all of last year.
The Greek islands on the Aegean are the most affected by the unprecedented inflow of people, it said in a statement.
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