The migrant deal with Turkey is “by far the lesser of two evils”, Bulgaria’s Prime Minister has said, giving indications he has called on European leaders to give Turkey a visa-free regime.

Borisov has commented on migration issues after a summit bringing 10 European leaders together in Vienna to discuss possible measures in the light of a continuing inflow of migrants.

“The maximum [compromise] should be found so that the agreement with Turkey begins working in December,” he has told reporters at a briefing. Turkey has insisted it might not uphold to a deal with the EU under which it holds thousands of migrants preventing them from crossing into the EU in return for progress in EU membership talks and a visa liberalization for its citizens when they travel to the bloc.

“What is more, Turkey is a safe third country,” Borisov has added in a reference to the readmission with the EU agreed as part of the deal. “Part of the states say [that there are countries] other than Turkey cannot travel freely [to the EU]. I also find it difficult to talk about this to my people, but of these evils this is by far the lesser one.”

Borisov also says advised EU Council President Donald Tusk that NATO’s Secretary General should attend a next round of EU-level talks to discuss a possible contribution to stemming the crisis.

Speaking to Tusk, he also pushed for a readmission agreement with Afghanistan which, in his words, is justified given the international commitment to the country’s stability and democracy.

“After we as a country spent [BGN] 500 M on Afghanistan… why shouldn’t we have readmission with Afghanistan? Why don’t Europeans sign it so that we load them and return them there, to the democracy we built? Either we made a very good democracy and they run from it or they have no other reason.”

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister has also advocated the establishment of migrant hotspots outside Europe to make sure other countries will also contribute to the solution of the crisis.

He has warned that, while his country will stick to the quota of 1500 migrants it took on as a commitment to receive last year, it will be facing uncertainty if the migratory pressure increases.

“Europe isn’t ready to receive even a million migrants… Today I told Austria’s national television what would happen if 200 or 300 thousand people come to the fence with Turkey. Are we going to let them die, to shoot at them or let them in? What will happen with Bulgaria when they enter? [I asked,] you, as Europeans, having been part of the [EU] a long time ago, [can you] tell me what the solution is? And you know what the solution is? Silence.