Erdoğan urges European Union to support planned Syria safe zone

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized Thursday the European Union for its attitude toward Turkey, calling it "far from constructive".

"The EU's approach is far from being constructive lately.... With that attitude, they only harm their own interests," Erdoğan said at a news conference in Budapest, Hungary's capital, alongside Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Erdoğan said bilateral problems of some EU member countries with Turkey should not hinder the relations between Turkey and the EU.

His remarks came after co-chairing the 4th meeting of the Turkey-Hungary High Level Strategic Cooperation Council with Orban.

"Whether or not support comes, we will continue to host our guests, but only up to a point," Erdoğan said.

"If we see that this does not work, just like I said before, we will have no option left but to open the gates. If we open the gates, it is obvious where they will go," Erdoğan added.

Erdoğan has called on EU countries to provide more financial support for his plan to create a "safe zone" in Syria where refugees can be repatriated.

Orban has been one of Europe's most outspoken opponents of accepting refugees and migrants, particularly from Muslim countries, and has backed Erdoğan's efforts to repatriate them.

"There are four million migrants in our country," Erdoğan said. "It is possible that a serious number of those migrants will migrate to Europe.

"The safe zone we want to create aims to ensure the migrants that are in our country go back to their homes, their lands."