(VOVworld) – Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu said he will resign after a meeting of the Justice and Development Party on May 22. His resignation will make implementing the EU-Turkey deal reached on March 18 more difficult.

Prime Minister Davutoglu has played an important role in EU-Turkey migrant summits. In Brussels on March 18 he initialed an agreement to return to Turkey all refugees and migrants, who have illegally entered Greece in return for the EU receiving 72,000 Syrian refugees. He accompanied German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European leaders to Gaziantep on April 23 to promote the deal.

Observers say his resignation will likely make the agreement unstable. In response to growing concerns over his resignation, Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said it is too early to say if his resignation will impact the deal. Some analysts say Turkey and the EU need this deal to limit the influx of migrants. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hopes a deal granting Turks visa-free travel to the EU’s passport-free Schengen area will help accelerate Turkey’s bid to join the EU. A waiver of visa requirements must be approved by all EU members and the European Parliament.

The EU wants Turkey to change its anti-terrorism law to European standards, which President Erdogan has refused. On May 8 he criticized a number of European countries for closing their borders to migrants from the Middle East.

Many analysts have expressed concern over the future of the EU-Turkey deal due to President Erdogan’s tough stance. Prime Minister Davutoglu had established a good relationship with European leaders, particularly Chancellor Angela Merkel, who helped bring about the signing of the deal. Analysts wonder if his successor will be able to maintain that relationship.