The leaders of the members of the European Union (EU) again spoke with the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, about the problem of migrants coming from that country to Greece at a time when there is a danger that the coronavirus could spread through the refugee camps, reports Radio Free Europe (RSE) media.
The leaders of Turkey, Germany, Great Britain and France spoke via video conference on Tuesday about the crisis in Syria and the issue of migrants, as well as joint action against the coronavirus, Reuters writes, indicating that the call was agreed after Ankara opened its borders to migrants trying to enter in the EU.
The Turkish presidency said that Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also discussed methods of humanitarian aid to Idlib province in northwestern Syria.
Tens of thousands of migrants have tried to enter Greece since Turkey announced on February 28 that it would no longer detain them on its territory, which Reuters reports is against a 2016 agreement between Ankara and Brussels.
Greece used tear gas and water cannon against the migrants, and both countries sent troops or security forces to the border.
Turkey has taken in 3,6 million Syrians, and fears Syrian government forces could move another three million across its borders from rebel-held Idlib province.
Turkey has pressed European leaders for new cash pledges to stop tens of thousands of refugees trying to reach Europe amid a Russian-Syrian offensive in northwest Syria, the Guardian reported.
In a 75-minute video conference, Macron, Merkel, Johnson and Erdogan discussed the possibilities of a new refugee deal, ways to combat the continued Russian threat in Idlib and fears that the coronavirus could spread to refugee camps on Syria's border with Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
The talks came as Greece came under added pressure to remove large, overcrowded migrant camps that are considered a particularly high-risk environment for the spread of the coronavirus.
Greece announced on Tuesday that it will suspend visits by individuals and organizations to migrant camps across the country for two weeks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Agence France-Presse points out.
Athens has gradually tightened restrictions on trade and public gatherings as, according to AFP, the number of deaths from the coronavirus in that country increased over the past weekend to four.
Although Turkey has indicated that it is canceling the two-week operation to help the movement of tens of thousands of people towards Europe, after the fierce response of the Greek border guards and the difficult diplomatic reactions of European politicians, Ankara's relations with Greece and Europe have suffered damage, but they are also a challenge to the strategically important, energy-rich southeastern Mediterranean, he says. The New York Times.
Migrants on the Greek-Turkish land border were returned by buses to Istanbul last week, and the number of attempts to cross the border decreased from several thousand to several hundred per day, according to witnesses and Greek officials.
Also, at the end of last week, Turkish authorities announced that three people smugglers were sentenced to a total of 125 years in prison for their involvement in the death of Syrian boy Alan Kurdi, whose drowning is a symbol of the 2015 migrant crisis. Those and other events of the last few days were interpreted by experts and European politicians as signals to Europe that the Turkish authorities are once again ready to monitor their borders and stop the second wave of migration, the New York newspaper pointed out.
It was preceded by a tense period in which Erdogan tried the exact opposite with the aim of eliciting European support for the Turkish military campaign in northern Syria, but also more European aid for the four million refugees inside Turkey. Experts, however, assessed that the mobilization of migrants and security forces at the borders with Europe could cause the opposite effect for Erdogan, that is, make European politicians less ready to make concessions.
European leaders are likely to agree to send more money to Turkey to help deal with the challenges posed by the influx of refugees, said Mark Pierini, a former EU envoy to Turkey, adding that they may be reluctant to address Turkey's other diplomatic priorities such as expansion common Turkish customs union with Europe and further changes in the visa regime for Turkish citizens.
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