Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has warned that he will release jihadi prisoners and send them back to their European countries of origin should the EU go ahead with plans announced on Monday to impose restrictions on individuals or entities engaged in the exploration, extraction and refining of oil and gas in the waters around Cyprus.
The restrictions would also be applied to individuals or entities financing these operations in the Cyprus maritime economic zone.
“You may take this lightly, but these doors (to Europe) will open and these Daesh (ISIS) members will be sent to you,” Mr Erdogan told reporters on Tuesday. “Do not dare give an ultimatum to Turkey about developments on Cyprus.”
“Hey EU, know this: Turkey is not one of those countries you come to know until now. We are a country that sits at the negotiating table with you…. These negotiations may suddenly end,” he warned.