Turkish President trying to "spook Europe" by opening the border for migrants, reporter says

2 March 2020, 21:10 | Updated: 2 March 2020, 21:13

The Turkish President is trying to "spook Europe" by opening the border for migrants, this correspondent said in a recount of the shocking sights at the Greek-Turkish border.

"In European capitals right now they are very nervous about what is going on," Middle East correspondent Mark Stone said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is "overtly encouraging" migrants to reach Europe to the extent the government is putting on buses for migrants to reach the Greek-Turkish borders, he said.

He said that officially 100,000 people have crossed into Greece in the past three days, according to the President, but this is an intentional and extraordinary exaggeration.

Mark said President Erdoğan is trying to "spook Europe" into giving him more money to deal with migrants and trying to "play on that sense of fear."

The Greeks in response are taking "illegal" measures to prevent migrant crossing, according to Mark, which include "push backs" on water.

Mark recounted seeing authorities sail very close to a dingy to create waves and then use a stick to push the dingy back towards Turkey.

Separately a boy has drowned after a small migrant boat capsized during a crossing in Greece which is the first death since Turkey opened the border on Thursday.