News / Turkey

EU to Turkey: You threaten in vain

Thursday, 26 May 2016 9:06 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 26 May 2016 9:17 PM ]

A Syrian Kurd originally from Aleppo hugs her daughters as they are reunited after being separated while crossing from Turkey to Greece, on March 2, 2016, in the port of Mytilene, on the Greek Aegean island of Lesbos. ©AFP

The European Union’s executive arm advises Turkey against resorting to threats to speed up implementation of an EU-Ankara deal concerning the refugee flow from the country into the continent.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker made the remarks on Thursday in southeastern Japan, where he is attending a summit of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized countries.

Based on the deal, which was struck in March, boat refugees arriving on European soil via the Aegean Sea may be sent back to Turkey. For each refugee returned, the EU will take one Syrian refugee currently living in Turkey.

*This photo taken on February 17, 2016 shows refugees massed onto an inflatable boat reaching the Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey. ©AFP*

In return, the EU has made several commitments to Ankara, including financial aid, visa-free travel to the bloc for Turks, and progress in its EU membership negotiations.

Ankara has insisted that the visa-free travel be made possible by the end of June, but EU authorities have recently given indications to the contrary. Reacting to the undesired prospect, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, "If that [the visa exemption] is not what will happen... no decision and no law in the framework of the readmission agreement will come out of the parliament of the Turkish Republic."

*European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker ©AFP*

“Threats are not the best diplomatic instrument you can use," Juncker said, adding, "So one should stop to use them, because they will produce no effect whatsoever."

Apart from depending on Turkey to take back the refugees, the EU has conditioned meeting its side of the bargain on a whole host of measures by Ankara, including its modifying the country's anti-terror laws, which are feared to be used to confront the country’s Kurdish minority.

“We do expect that Turkey will stick to its commitments,” the European Commission president added.

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