Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu clarified his country's position on hosting Afghan refugees, and spoke about Ankara's concerns about European capitals regarding immigration and asylum.
This came in a joint press conference held Thursday with Dutch Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag in the capital, Ankara.
The Turkish foreign minister said Ankara would reject any European offer to keep Afghan refugees on its soil in exchange for money.
Cavusoglu added, "Cooperation with the European Union is not possible if it believes that it will pay money for keeping Afghan refugees on our lands."
He stressed that "it is not possible to keep Afghan refugees temporarily in Turkey, and we will reject any such offer if it is received."
He stressed the need to update the migration agreement signed between Turkey and the European Union to include Syrians and Afghans.
"We need to update this agreement to include many issues, including the voluntary and dignified return of Afghans to their country if security and stability are established, and the safe return of Syrians to Syria," Cavusoglu said.
"Because this problem is getting bigger over time, and if this issue is a problem for the European Union, it is also a problem for Turkey," he added.
In response to a question about the evacuation of Afghans from Kabul, he said that Turkey helped many countries in the evacuation process, and fulfilled its moral and humanitarian responsibility in this regard.
The Turkish foreign minister said it was not possible for the Afghans to be evacuated by any country "to keep them in our country for a certain period of time. We said from the beginning that we would not accept such an offer."
He noted that Ankara had not received an offer in this regard from the Netherlands, adding, "However, different countries can use Turkey as a transit point during evacuations for refueling, and they will provide the best support in this regard."
frank attitude
"But from the beginning, we told the countries concerned that we would not agree to the Afghans staying in our country, whether for examinations, for obtaining a visa, or for other reasons during the evacuations," Cavusoglu added.
He said that the European Union had not fulfilled its commitments stipulated in the migration agreement it signed with Turkey in 2016.
He indicated that he discussed with the Dutch Foreign Minister the latest developments in Afghanistan, expressing his wishes that order and stability would be achieved in that country as soon as possible.
The Turkish minister stressed the need to complete the transitional process in a comprehensive manner in Afghanistan, and the necessity of establishing an authority in the country.
He warned of the dangers of a real famine in Afghanistan, pointing out the need to ensure the security of relief organizations in order to deliver humanitarian aid directly to the Afghan people.
He pointed out that he discussed with his Dutch counterpart the possible effects if the situation deteriorated in Afghanistan, warning of an exacerbation of the crisis and the occurrence of developments that "may threaten our region and beyond."