Turkey has received about 3.6 million Syrian refugees since its civil war began in neighboring Syria - more than any other country in the world. Turkish Vice-President Fuat Oktay used the visit to Turkey by Interior Minister Horst Seehofer to make renewed demands to the EU: This should help in the relocation of Syrian refugees in a so-called security zone in northern Syria.
The state news agency Anadolu quoted Oktay's speech during the reception with Seehofer on Friday as saying: "We expect that nearly two million Syrians will be able to relocate voluntarily to this peace corridor and build the necessary infrastructure - temporary and long-term housing, hospitals and schools. " The projects are well planned, "but we need the support of all regional actors to implement them, especially the EU," Oktay said.
The resettlement project is highly controversial, partly because northern Syria is still contested. The topic had already been raised on Thursday evening at Seehofer's meeting with Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu and on Friday at a meeting with Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu.
However, Seehofer apparently did not send any positive signals to his interlocutors. "I said clearly that there are many governments, including ours, who have their problems," he said. The CSU politician was on Thursday and Friday for talks on the shaky refugee pact of Turkey with the EU in Ankara.
Migration pressure is "huge" and rising
For this Seehofer said his Turkish interlocutors further support in the care of the refugees in the country. Seehofer was traveling with EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos. Following his meeting with the Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu, Seehofer said that the migration pressure was "enormous" and rising. "That's why we need to see how this pact can be strengthened between the European Union and Turkey." And: "Wherever we can make our contribution, (...) we are ready."
This must now be talked about with the new EU Commission, which is taking on duty under the German politician Ursula von der Leyen on 1 November. "I will go to Brussels and tell the new President of the Commission about my impressions, so that it will be dealt with very quickly."
The 2016 Refugee Pact allows Greece to send illegally-arrived migrants back to Turkey. In return, the EU takes over Syrian refugees from Turkey and financially supports the country in caring for the people. However, worries have been growing in EU countries, as in Greece for some time significantly more refugees from Turkey arrived. The pact should actually prevent that.
Refusal should have consequences in the future
On Friday afternoon, the Minister of the Interior traveled to Greece. At the same time, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced in the Athens Parliament that Greece would accelerate the asylum process and expel non-cooperating migrants.
"The refusal to cooperate will have consequences in the future," said Mitsotakis. This also applies to migrants who refused to be transferred from one refugee camp to another, or who did not appear for talks related to their asylum application. Those who do not cooperate should be interned in closed deportation camps, Mitsotakis said.
There are currently more than 30,000 migrants awaiting registration in the Greek Islands in the eastern Aegean. Hundreds of other migrants from Turkey have been turning over for weeks every day. The camps can not accommodate more than 7,000 people (read a report on the situation in Greece here).
