The agreement between the European Union and Turkey over stemming the flow of migrants across the eastern Mediterranean is the only possible solution, EU Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said on Thursday.

Syrian refugees sit outside their container at Harran refugee camp in the Sanliurfa province, Turkey April 26, 2016.

The EU-Turkey agreement to send back thousands of migrants from the Greek islands to Turkey has been fiercely criticized by United Nations refugee and human rights agencies as immoral and a violation of international humanitarian law.

"The agreement with Turkey in my view is the only way forward to solve that problem," Timmermans said. "Those who criticize the agreement have never ever given me an alternative we could work with."

Timmermans added the prerequisites for visa liberalization for Turkish citizens coming to the European Union would not be eased.

Source: Reuters