Home ›› 28 Sep 2021 ›› Opinion
Certain recent developments has once again shown that the countries and administration of the European Union are unable to produce policies on international and humanitarian issues. The cordial statements on this issue from European capitals, who tend to think that insufficient financial assistance on refugees and migration is the absolute solution, were once again disappointing. In particular, the consequences of growing hostility toward Islam, hatred of immigrants and racism across Europe have also been reflected in the rhetoric of politicians. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has added another statement to his foreigner and refugee hostile rhetoric. In an interview with German newspaper Bild, Kurz reacted violently to Ankara’s provocative claims by stating that “Turkey is a better place for Afghan refugees.”
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç reacted to Kurz’s statements and said, “Turkey is not a neighboring country to Afghanistan as Chancellor Kurz stated. Turkey will not take on a new wave of migration, instead (it will) emphasize joint efforts and cooperation to solve the problem of irregular migration, which affects the whole world and is a common problem for everyone.” Bilgiç also underlined that “the attitude (that) migrants should not come here, let them go elsewhere” is both selfish and useless to everyone.
In particular, the statements of the Foreign Affairs spokesperson were proof that Turkey will no longer make new commitments to the EU regarding the new influx of refugees.
“Turkey will not suffer the consequences of a mass migration crisis arising from the region and will not take on a new wave of migration. We convey this position to our interlocutors on every occasion and at all levels, stressing that Turkey will not be the European Union’s border guard or asylum camp,” Bilgiç added.
On the other hand, it is clear that Ankara will no longer carry the refugee burden it has undertaken so far in unequal conditions. Ankara reminds EU member states of their obligations under international law. In Austria, the situation is the same. Like other EU countries, Austria has to provide international protection to Afghan asylum seekers and is a party to the 1951 United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees. Therefore, Austria must also provide international protection to Afghan asylum seekers in accordance with its international obligations and EU rules.
From that point, Turkey is determined not to take over the international obligations of third countries in this regard in any case. Instead, Ankara offers its EU interlocutors direct talks with Afghanistan and neighboring countries, rather than seeking a solution in Turkey. Turkey also advises EU countries to bring more lasting and sincere solutions to the issues of combating irregular migration and human trafficking and integrating regular migrants into their communities, which are concerned about the mass migration crisis.
Meanwhile, the number of migrants in the world exceeds 272 million today, of which 82.5 million are forcibly displaced. The reason for the most serious wave of forced migration since World War II is the Syrian crisis right next to Turkey. In March 2016, the EU and Turkey reached an agreement to stop irregular migration through the Aegean Sea and improve the conditions of more than 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.
