Turkey lifts border controls to control large numbers of refugees flocking to Greek-Turkish border, new wave of refugees tests EU (international perspective)

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Recently, Turkey said that it "cannot afford more refugees" and released its border control with the EU. A large number of refugees gathered at the border in an attempt to break through customs and enter the EU countries. Many EU officials are worried that the refugee crisis will repeat itself in 2015, and have called for enhanced security controls on the EU's external borders. Analysis believes that the escalation of the situation in northwestern Syria is an important source of the resurgence of the refugee wave. The key to solving the problem lies in the early promotion of peace and stability in Syria.

European Commission President Von Delane announced on March 3 that the European Union will provide Greece with 700 million euros in financial aid funds in response to the current refugee crisis. Turkey's senior officials have recently stated their positions one after another. As the situation in northwestern Syria has escalated, Turkey is no longer able to accommodate refugees.

Some analysts believe that the Syrian conflict that has lasted for nearly 10 years is one of the root causes of the refugee crisis in Europe. Alleviating the refugee problem in Europe still requires cooperation from all parties to promote a political solution to the Syrian issue.

EU-

Earthmoving practices are "unacceptable" and should follow the refugee resettlement agreement reached in 2016

On March 3, accompanied by Greek Prime Minister Mizotakis, Von Delane took a helicopter flight with European Parliament Speaker Sassoli and European Council President Michel to inspect the land border cities of Greece and Turkey, Kastanis. .

Von Delane announced at a subsequent press conference that a rapid border intervention force consisting of 100 onshore and maritime border guards would be deployed in Greece, and that 700 million euros in financial aid would be provided to assist Greece in responding to the situation from Turkey. Refugees and illegal immigration. "The EU is a united family. The EU supports Greece. The first thing we need to do is to ensure order on the Greek border."

Von Delane and other EU leaders have said that Turkey ’s approach is “unacceptable” and that it should abide by the refugee settlement agreement reached in 2016. Mizotakis said that Greece cannot and will not be "ransomized". "This is no longer a refugee issue. This is a blatant attempt by Turkey to use desperate people to advance its geopolitical agenda and divert people from the tensions in Syria. attention".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also criticized on March 2 that the Turkish side hopes to achieve its political goals by "sacrifice refugees", which is completely "unacceptable." She called on Turkey to continue fulfilling its obligations to address refugees with EU support, even if the burden is now increasing.

Recently, the escalation of the conflict in Syria's Idlib region has led to the influx of Syrian refugees to Turkey. Turkey announced on February 29 that it would relax control over the borders with the member states of Greece and Bulgaria, and many refugees tried to break through customs and enter EU countries. In the face of a rush of refugees, the Greek government has recently closed the Greek-Turkish land border crossings and raised the border defense level to the highest level.

As of the evening of March 2, Greek border defense had blocked more than 24,000 illegal immigrants and arrested dozens of people. Turkish Minister of the Interior Suleiman Soylu said in a statement on March 3 that as of the evening of the 3rd, the number of refugees who left Turkey via the northwest border of Edirne to Greece had exceeded 130,000.

Turkey--

Unable to afford more refugees, EU should respect international law to provide asylum for refugees

In 2016, the EU and Turkey reached an agreement on cooperation to resolve the refugee crisis. The EU pledged to provide 6 billion euros in aid to Turkey in exchange for Turkey's restrictions on refugees traveling to Europe through Turkey. But since the EU countries have not paid Turkey the full amount so far, the Turkish government has repeatedly threatened to relax restrictions on refugees and illegal immigrants and allow them to enter the EU.

The recent escalation of armed conflict in the Idlib area has led to the displacement of more Syrian civilians. According to UN statistics, the number of new refugees in Syria is as high as 900,000, most of them women and children, most of whom are stranded in the border area of ​​Syria. The Turkish side has stated many times that Turkey has currently hosted about 3.7 million Syrian refugees, and the Turkish side will no longer deal with Syrian refugees alone.

Speaking in Istanbul on February 29, Turkish President Erdogan said that the growing armed conflict in Syria's Idlib province has created a new humanitarian crisis and that Turkey "cannot cope with the new wave of refugees" and therefore decided to Refugees enter Europe to open their doors and "will not close." Erdogan said on March 2 that in response to the refugee problem, Turkey has spent 40 billion U.S. dollars, and only half of the EU's pledged aid has arrived.

Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Chavushoglu reiterated when he met with visiting British Foreign Minister Rab in Ankara on the 3rd that the latest developments in Syria's Idlib Province have further intensified Turkish pressure. Turkey cannot afford more refugees, and the EU should respect international law to provide asylum for refugees.

In order to ease the mood of the Turkish side, the European Union recently promised to provide another one billion euros in refugee resettlement fees to the Turkish side. However, Erdogan did not buy it. He said at a joint press conference with visiting Bulgarian Prime Minister Borisov on the 3rd that no one has the right to play with Turkish dignity. "Who are you deceiving? We no longer need this money. "

expert--

The fundamental way out is to ease the situation in Syria and bring the country back to peace at an early date

European think tank European Reform Center researcher Luigi Sakassili told this reporter that the influx of refugees into the EU border will undoubtedly cause people to worry about the recurrence of the refugee crisis in 2015. The serious consequences of that crisis have caused people's fear. "Many of the problems that plague Europe, such as Britain's 'Brexit', widespread populism, reduced EU cohesion, and deteriorating security, are inextricably linked to the refugee crisis."

Bulgarian conflict research expert Roseland Trad pointed out, "Many people will criticize the Turkish government for playing refugee cards and making money, but is Turkey a choice? Turkey's operation may have its political purpose, but its ability to accommodate refugees It is indeed very limited. The outside world should not just blame it, but face this reality. The EU should understand Turkey's situation and take its due responsibility for the refugee issue. "

"On the issue of refugee responsibility sharing, the EU countries have great differences." George Zogoprius, a scholar at the European Institute of Nice in France, said in an interview with this reporter that the refugee crisis in 2015 has not actually passed, and a large number of refugees are just Stuck indefinitely in refugee camps on Turkish and Greek islands. Once the EU and Turkey have a bad relationship, the refugee wave will surge again.

According to a recent UNHCR report, one third of the world's refugees are received by the poorest countries. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Philippe Grandi, said that "the countries with more resources" not only did not extend a helping hand to displaced refugee groups, but instead made the poorest countries take on the task of hosting refugees. This "fragmented and unbalanced" refugee crisis response model needs to be changed urgently, and developed countries need to take more responsibility for refugee accommodation.

Zogoprus said that the European Union needs to do its best to maintain the cooperative relationship with Turkey and control the trend of refugees. With continued turmoil in Syria, Afghanistan and parts of the Middle East, Western countries cannot blame them. It is time to take responsibility.

(This newspaper Brussels, Ankara, March 4th)

Our reporter in Belgium, Ren Yan, our reporter in Turkey, Wang Chuanbao