Germany stresses the need to update the migration agreement between the European Union and Turkey
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stressed the need to update the migration agreement signed between the European Union and Turkey on March 18, 2016.
In a statement to the German newspaper Welt, Maas said: “The European Union needs to update the immigration agreement signed between Turkey, considering it to serve the interests of the Union greatly.”
He added: “Turkey hosts about 4 million Syrian refugees on its territories, along with migrants from different countries.”
He pointed out that Turkey still bears the burdens of the presence of millions of refugees on its soil.
Maas noted that relations between the European Union and Turkey are good to a certain extent, and that Turkey bore great financial burdens by hosting refugees.
In response to a question about the nature of the funding that the European Union countries will provide to Turkey in the event of updating the migration agreement, Maas said: “Such matters are not free of charge, and I do not want to mention a specific amount.”
In recent years, Turkey has adhered to its implications according to the first two agreements, while the European Union has not adhered to its implications regarding the cancellation of the entry visa for Turks and several other items.
Turkey hosts 4 million Syrian refugees, the largest number of refugees worldwide. On March 18, 2016, Turkey and the European Union reached three agreements on immigration, the readmission of asylum seekers, and the abolition of entry visas for Turks to the EU countries.
