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The Turkish president has accused Europe of turning the Mediterranean into a ‘cemetery’ for refugees.

Tayyip Erdogan said the whole continent was responsible for the death of every single victim that has died trying to make perilous land and sea crossings.

In a speech in Ankara, he blasted: “European countries which turned the Mediterranean Sea — the cradle of ancient civilizations — into a migrant cemetery are party to the crime that takes place when each refugee loses their life.”

With an estimated 1.8 million refugees from Syria in Turkey, Erdogan again accused Europe of not doing its bit to help share the burden.

He said: “European countries which set the criteria for basic human rights and freedoms are now turning their backs to these principles,” he said.

(Image: Reuters)

“We don’t think it’s fair to burden us with a problem that the whole world faces.”

“The body of a three-year-old child who died on a boat in the Mediterranean Sea carrying refugees washed up on our shores.

(Image: Reuters)

“Will the whole of humanity not account for this three-year-old-child on our shores?”

Leaked plans have revealed European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is to propose a massive increase in the number of refugees EU countries would be required to temporarily take in.

(Image: Getty)

He is set to outline plans to relocate 160,000 refugees from three countries - Greece, Italy and Hungary - across the continent.

Britain and the Republic of Ireland opted out of the agreement at an earlier stage and so will not have any people forced upon it.

(Image: Pixel)

But an Egyptian billionaire has offered to buy an island off Greece or Italy to house hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing conflict.

Naguib Sawiris, the 10th richest man in Africa, announced his plan on Twitter, but admitted he had not yet approached either government.

“Greece or Italy sell me an island, I’ll call its independence and host the migrants and provide jobs for them building their new country,” he wrote.