Turkey to suspend EU refugee deal if no visa-free travel for Turks: Minister

Turkey would have to suspend its agreement with the European Union (EU) to stem the flow of refugees into the bloc if there is no deal to grant visa-free travel to Turks, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told state broadcaster TRT Haber on Tuesday.

In a live televised interview, Cavusoglu said the German government must make clear its stance is not in line with a German parliament resolution declaring the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces a genocide. 

In an earlier report, Cavusoglu said it was "impossible" for Ankara to change anti-terror laws that Brussels wants to see narrowed in exchange for the visa-free travel to the Schengen zone.

"We have told them 'we are not threatening you' but there's a reality. We have signed two deals with you (the EU) and both are interlinked," Cavusoglu told a small group of journalists, including AFP, at the southern holiday resort of Antalya.

"This is not a threat but what is required from an agreement," he said. Building on a threat by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week, Cavusoglu said Turkey would use "administrative" measures to block the deal if needed.