European Union and Turkish officials reached an agreement Friday on how to deal with a flood of Syrian refugees.
Preben Aamann, spokesman for European Council President Donald Tusk, tweeted Friday afternoon that the meeting involving Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and key European officials had ended.
That set up the next step: A meeting with representatives from the 28 European Union member states to determine if they’ll give their final approval.
The talks were held to address the largest influx of refugees into Europe since World War II, though the more than 1 million people who have fled to there pale compared to the more than 2.7 million registered in Turkey alone. The discussions could be significant for Turkey not only in receiving financial aid to deal with this problem, but also expedite its push to join the 28-member European Union.
“I hope we will be achieving our goal to help all the refugees, as well as to deepen Turkish-EU relations — which is … good news for our continent and for humanity all together,” Davutoglu told reporters Friday in Brussels, shortly after arriving for the meetings in that Belgian city.
A day earlier, Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel divulged on Twitter that European Union leaders had decided on what they’d propose to Turkey. It was not immediately clear if Turkish officials signed off on this proposal in full, or if it had been amended.
On Thursday, Tusk laid out three guiding principles for his side: Any agreement must be acceptable to all EU members; it must comply with international and EU law; and it must be part of a comprehensive strategy.
Migrant exodus
This crisis has put leaders around Europe on the spot.
Some have been reluctant if not downright defiant to allowing people in from impoverished and war-torn areas, fearing the economic burden and that some could be terrorists waiting to attack. Others have been more welcoming on humanitarian grounds, saying that turning away people who’d fled such horrors is inhumane.
The latter argument is underscored by what’s been happening the last few years on the Mediterranean Sea, where refugees put their lives in the hands of human smugglers who transport them in cramped, unsafe boats. The International Organization for Migration reported more than 3,700 migrants died at sea last year while trying to reach Europe. So far this year, the same group says there have been over 465 more deaths.
Many of those who make it end up along the coast of Greece — though they may not be there for long.
Outlines of the possible agreement that was discussed Friday in Brussels called for moving migrants who came from Greece via Turkey. For each additional refugee it takes back, Turkey would send a refugee to a country in Europe.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been at the forefront of this issue (and one of the most welcoming European leaders on this topic), said this week that Europe wants a deal. And if one is reached, she said it would go into effect sooner rather than later, according to a report from Turkey’s semi-official Anadolu news agency.
“We did not set a date,” Merkel told reporters about the EU proposal. “But Turkey’s clear understanding is that, within a few days of returns starting, the one-for-one resettlement (of Syrian refugees from Turkey to Europe) should begin.”
Turkey faces other issues as well
Any agreement wouldn’t just be about refugees. It would also address Turkey’s push to join the European Union, including a desire to have its citizens be able to travel through Europe without visas in the coming months.
“Turkey’s EU relationship and Turkey’s membership (in the) EU is important not only for Turkey and the EU, but for all international issues,” Davutoglu told reporters Friday.
And dealing with refugees isn’t the only challenge facing Turkey.
The country is also facing a growing terrorist threat, both by ISIS and militant Kurds as illustrated by recent deadly bombings. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been dogged by criticism that he’s been too heavy-handed in going after Kurds, calling his military’s actions unfair collective punishment for the actions of a few, as well as that he’s gone too far in cracking down on independent media.
Merkel alluded to Turkey’s issues while addressing her nation’s legislature earlier this week. She talked about “deepened cooperation” with Turkey and called Ankara’s “demand for more financial help completely understandable.”
At the same time, she said any discussions about migrants shouldn’t take place in a vacuum. The other things happening in Turkey — including criticisms of rights violations and its crackdown on Kurds — matter, too.
“It … goes without saying that we stress to Turkey, for example, the importance of freedom of the press (and) the freedom of the Kurds,” Merkel said Wednesday. “As important as the necessary fight against … terror is, (Turkey must take a measured) approach … for all Kurds.”