Turkey, EU discuss Syria, irregular migrants

By Ahmet Sertan Usul

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's Vice President Fuat Oktay on Wednesday received EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and an accompanying delegation to discuss recent developments in Syria, humanitarian crisis in Idlib and the situation of irregular migrants.

In a one-hour closed-door meeting in Cankaya Palace in the Turkish capital Ankara, 2016 Turkey-EU deal, including issues such as migrants, visa exemption, the Customs Union, and EU membership negotiations, were discussed.

During the meeting, it was stressed that the EU should fulfill its responsibilities and there should be a 'fair share of responsibility' among the parties.

The agreement on March 16, 2016, had pledged visa-free travel to Turkish citizens along with financial support, resettlement, and revising of the Customs Union.

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister and Director for EU Affairs Faruk Kaymakci, Director General for EU Relations at the Turkish Foreign Ministry Ambassador Basak Turkoglu, head of Turkish Interior Ministry's migration management department Abdullah Ayaz, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic and head of the EU Delegation to Turkey Christian Berger also attended the meeting.

In September 2018, Turkey and Russia agreed to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

But more than 1,300 civilians have been killed in attacks by the regime and Russian forces in the zone since then, as the cease-fire continues to be violated.

The de-escalation zone in Syria, Idlib, is currently home to four million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces throughout the war-torn country.

Since the eruption of the bloody civil war in Syria in 2011, Turkey has taken in some 3.7 million Syrians who fled their country, making it the world’s top refugee-hosting country.

* Writing by Firdevs Bulut.