(VOVworld)- Turkey and European leaders have struck a deal to try to control the flow of migrants to Europe. For clamping down on its borders and accommodating migrants from Syria, Turkey will receive 3 billion euros and its accession to the European Union will also be revived.

The EU wants Turkey to try to prevent people crossing the Aegean Sea to the Greek islands- Photo:AP

On the eve of the EU-Turkey Summit in Brussels on Sunday, EU countries remained split over political and financial concessions to Ankara for easing the current migrant crisis. At the summit, leaders of 28 EU member countries and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu discussed the migration issue and how to stem the flow of migrants to Europe via Turkey. They asked Turkey to tighten border control and take back migrants whose asylum claims are denied by EU countries. In exchange, the EU will give Turkey 3 billion euros.

More than 700,000 migrants arrived in the EU via Turkey this year, according to the International Organization of Migration. By accommodating more migrants and limiting the number of migrants transmitting to Europe, Turkey hopes to strengthen its cooperation with the EU and become an EU member in the near future. A number of EU countries don’t want to admit Turkey because of the Cyprus and other sensitive issues such as 95% of Turkey’s population being Muslim.

EU leaders hailed the agreement as a key step toward substantially reducing the number of asylum seekers entering the EU, while Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Sunday’s summit marked a historic new beginning in the often fraught relations between Brussels and Ankara. EC President Donald Tusk said the EU will increase support for Syrian migrants in Turkey and will closely watch the use of the 3-billion-euro aid package. Tusk said the deal is intended to restore order on the border between the EU and Turkey and that talks on Turkey’s bid to join the EU bloc will be reactivated. The EU pledged to speed work on Turkish citizens visa-free access to the EU.