Sweden calls on EU to keep pledge to Turkey on refugees

STOCKHOLM

Sweden on Tuesday called on the EU to honor its promises to Turkey on the refugee crisis.

Migration Minister Morgan Johansson said: "We expect that the refugee flow will be normalized after the agreement between EU and Turkey. The EU should keep their promises to Turkey."

Only Germany hosts more refugees than Sweden in the EU but Johansson said the Swedish asylum system had become blocked due to the high numbers seeking shelter over the last three months.

He said Sweden was struggling to find accommodation for the 160,000 refugees who arrived in 2015 and waiting times are longer as immigration staff deal with applications.

Last week, the EU announced it would give 3 billion euros ($3.1 billion) to Turkey to ensure that the needs of refugees are met within Turkey.

Turkey has spent about $8.5 billion since 2011 supporting more than 2 million Syrian refugees. Under the EU deal it will be asked to take further measures to reduce the number of refugees reaching Europe.