Xinhua News Agency, Ankara, March 4 (Reporter Zheng Siyuan, Shi Yang) Turkish Vice President Oktayi met with visiting EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Borelli in Ankara on the 4th to discuss recent developments in Syria, Ideli The humanitarian crisis and the situation of illegal immigrants.
Anadolu News Agency reported that the two sides held a closed meeting in the Turkish capital Ankara to discuss the agreement signed between Turkey and the EU in 2016, including issues such as immigration, visa exemption, customs union and EU membership negotiations. During the meeting, the Turkish side stressed that the EU should fulfill its responsibilities and that all parties should "share the responsibilities fairly."
Borelli said Turkey and the EU should work to meet the common challenges posed by the Syrian conflict, and pressure and unilateral action are not the solution.
The EU delegation paid a two-day visit to Turkey from March 3 to 4. After meeting with Turkish Interior Minister Soylu and Turkish Defense Minister Akar respectively on the evening of 3rd, Borelli said on their Twitter accounts: "We need to work together to meet the challenges and benefit Turkey and the EU."
On February 27, Turkish troops were attacked by Syrian government forces in Idlib province, Syria, causing serious casualties. Turkey then retaliated, and the conflict between the two sides escalated. According to reports, the fighting caused a large number of Syrian refugees to rush to Turkey. Turkey then relaxed its control over the borders with the EU and the member states of Greece and Bulgaria, and many refugees tried to enter the EU countries from Turkey.
In 2016, the EU and Turkey reached an agreement on cooperation to resolve the refugee crisis. Turkish officials say Turkey has now hosted about 3.7 million Syrian refugees. Turkish President Erdogan has repeatedly stated that Turkey will no longer face the Syrian refugee problem alone.