Saturday 23 Apr 2016 - 19:24 Makkah mean time-16-7-1437
Ankara (IINA) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel and top EU officials are visiting a migrant camp on the Turkish-Syrian border, as they seek to bolster a controversial EU-Turkey deal.
The delegation is inspecting living conditions at the Nizip camp, home to some 5,000 migrants. However, rights groups have criticized the visit as "sanitized". They also question the legality of the deal, which deports to Turkey migrants who do not obtain asylum in Greece. They argue that Turkey is not a safe place to return people. Mrs Merkel arrived in the southern city of Gaziantep, near the Syrian border. She was met at the airport by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. They were joined by European Council President Donald Tusk and EU Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans, BBC reported.
Mrs Merkel has faced opposition in Germany for her migration policies and has defended the deal with Turkey despite opposition from some European partners. It has been over a month now since the migrant deal between the EU and Turkey was struck, but not everyone is convinced that it is working smoothly. Although the number of migrants reaching Greece from Turkey has dropped by around 80%, few of staff promised by the EU to help enforce the deal have arrived, and many EU nations are dragging their feet to accept more migrants.
Angela Merkel said the aim of the visit was to see the living conditions of migrants in Turkey. But more will be on the table, such as the promise of visa-free travel for Turkish citizens willing to go to Europe, which seems to be one of the most contentious issues. The European delegation's visit to the camp reflects an anxiety to see improvements in living conditions for migrants. However, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the EU officials had chosen to visit a "sanitized refugee camp". Judith Sunderland, HRW acting deputy director for Europe and Central Asia, said the delegation should instead visit camps for the displaced on the other side of the border "to see the tens of thousands of war-weary Syrian refugees blocked" by Turkey from entering.
Security has been stepped up for the visit. Overnight, six foreigners suspected of links to so-called Islamic State were arrested in the central city of Konya. Officials there said those arrested "wanted to attack dignitaries of the state and strategic targets". The goal of the EU-Turkey deal is to deter migrants, mainly Syrians and Iraqis, from making the crossing between Turkey and Greece. Under the agreement, migrants who have arrived illegally in Greece since 20 March are expected to be sent back to Turkey if they do not apply for asylum or if their claim is rejected.
HA/IINA
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