Turkey, EU meet on refugee crisis

Leaders from the European Union and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu gathered at a summit in Brussels on Nov. 29 with the goal of signing an agreement that will offer Ankara cash and closer ties with the EU in return for Turkish help in stemming the flow of migrants to Europe.

"The most important one is our responsibility and duty to protect our external borders," European Council President Donald Tusk told reporters in Brussels ahead of the EU-Turkey summit.

"Without control at our external borders, Schengen will become history," Tusk added.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he expected the EU-Turkey summit to agree on stemming the influx of migrants to Europe. 

The EU previously agreed on a 3 billion-euro ($3.2 billion) aid package for Turkey to help it stop the flow of refugees to Europe from the conflict in Syria, 2.2 million of whose citizens are currently in Turkey.

Turkish and European officials said the summit would agree to open Chapter 17 of Turkey's accession process - covering economic and monetary policy - by mid-December.

Davuto?lu said the meeting with EU heads of government would "re-energize" the future of his country as a member of the European Union.

"[Today is] very historic to re-energize our accession process as well as to discuss latest developments in Europe," Davuto?lu told reporters in Brussels on Nov. 29 before the summit.

"Today we will be sharing the destiny of our continent, the global challenges in economic crisis, as well as regional geopolitical challenges, including the migration issue," he added.

"I am thankful to all European leaders for this new beginning."

Davuto?lu had previously announced that he and German...