“A new stream of migration is inevitable unless the necessary steps are taken in Afghanistan and Iran,” Erdogan said during a telephone conversation with German Prime Minister Angela Merkel on Saturday.
Turkey, which already houses five million refugees, cannot accept “another burden of migrants,” he told Merkel. Erdogan made a similar statement to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday.
Erdogan further accused Brussels of avoiding responding to Turkey’s request to review the country’s refugee agreement, which the EU agreed on in 2016.
It means that Turkey receives political and economic benefits to cope with the influx of migrants and refugees. The EU intended to stop the uncontrolled flow of refugees. Ankara has repeatedly accused the EU of not complying with the terms of the agreement.
After the telephone conversation, it is stated from Merkel’s office that the evacuation of people from Afghanistan is still the first priority.
The two leaders agreed on “close cooperation to support the work of international organizations, especially the UN aid organizations for refugees, in Afghanistan and neighboring countries”, a spokeswoman for Merkel said.
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