GAZIANTEP, Apr 24: Turkey’s prime minister has said the number of migrants crossing into Greece illegally has dropped considerably, as proof that a much criticised migration deal between Turkey and the European Union is working.
Ahmet Davutolgu was speaking yesterday at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and top European Union officials who travelled near Turkey’s border with Syria in a bid to promote the troubled deal with Turkey as they face increasing pressure to reassess the agreement.
The group toured a refugee camp and inaugurated a child support centre funded by the EU.
European Union Council President Donald Tusk said the EU plans to spend USD 1.1 billion on projects this summer to improve the lives of Syrian refugees in Turkey and Davutoglu said the bloc has already launched projects worth USD 211 million.
Human rights groups criticised the trip to what they call a “sanitised” refugee camp — and said EU officials should look further at the tens of thousands of Syrian refugees that are now blocked from entering Turkey.
Many have questioned the legality of the March 20 EU-Turkey deal allowing for the deportation of migrants who don’t qualify for asylum in Greece back to Turkey.
Davutoglu said the number of migrants crossing illegally into Greece had dropped from around 6,000 per day in November to around 130 daily since the beginning of this month.
“This drop shows the effectiveness of this joint mechanism,” Davutoglu said.
“Our priority was to stop the baby Aylans from washing up on the shores, and we have made great strides in this aim,” Davutoglu said, in reference to drowned 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi, whose images helped galvanise world attention on the plight of the migrants.
In return for the deal, the EU has earmarked USD 6.8 billion to Turkey over the next four years to help improve conditions for the 2.7 million Syrian refugees inside Turkey.
The EU is also set to allow visa-free travel for Turkish citizens. (AGENCIES)
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