EU starts sending back refugees to Turkey under deal

Brussels, (IINA) - Turkey’s EU Minister Volkan Bozkir stated that refugees and asylum seekers seeking to enter Europe illegally were being sent back to Turkey from Sunday under an EU-Turkish deal, Anadolu Agency reported.
The terms of the deal state that a Syrian refugee from Turkish camps will be resettled in the EU for every refugee or asylum seeker sent back to Turkey. Moreover, those trying to enter Europe illegally will not receive the chance to be resettled in the EU.
The aim of the EU-Turkey deal is to lower incentives for refugees who risk their lives by trying to enter Greece via irregular and dangerous sea routes.
Under the deal, all refugees and asylum seekers arriving in Europe via Greece after Sunday would be returned to Turkey after individual assessments, which European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker assured would be in full compliance with international law.
The EU has also agreed to accelerate Turkey’s accession process by opening chapter 33 on financial and budgetary provisions by June 30.
Turkey is hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees in the world and has spent more than seven billion euros ($7.7 billion) meeting their needs, according to European Commission figures released last year.
AG/IINA

Let's block ads! (Why?)