Contested Turkey deal 'only solution' in migrant crisis, says EU commissioner

A highly contested EU deal with Turkey may not be ideal, but it is the only solution to stem the migration crisis, the bloc's Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Christos Stylianides said Thursday.

The deal in which Turkey agrees to take back certain migrants fleeing to Greece in exchange for visa-free travel in the EU has angered member countries and rights activists.

"I know this deal remains controversial. I would like to say that there is no solution without Turkey. There is no other solution than having a deal with Turkey," Stylianides said in Paris.

"We need them, they need us, that is all."

The EU commissioner appeared in front of the French Senate where lawmakers expressed "critical doubts" about the dangers posed to the 28-member bloc which is facing the worst migration crisis in its history.

He was grilled with questions over the...