“In this period of time, when we need peace, mutual understanding, tolerance and togetherness more than anything, only by way of art and culture can we build communication between civilizations without prejudice and marginalization”, Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Yalcin Topcu said.
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European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said he had thrashed out details of the plan, which will be published at 1300 GMT, during his talks with Erdogan.
Brussels has repeatedly urged Ankara to do more to prevent them leaving.
EU Council President Donald Tusk told lawmakers Tuesday that “according to Turkish estimates, another 3 million potential refugees may come from Aleppo and its neighborhood”.
A few refugees would have a chance to resettle from Turkey to Europe.
Putting aside this very important utilitarian aspect, it is thus our moral duty as pacesetters of championing human rights and standing up against abuses to help innocent refugees caught up the cross fire of the Syrian civil war.
The Geneva-based global Organization for Migration hailed the plan as a “good step”. The overwhelming majority of the refugees who reach Europe through overland routes from the Middle East come via Turkey.
Hundreds of Syrians leave Lebanon daily by ship to Turkey, presumably with Europe as the final destination.
Under the plan, the European Union said “it intends to support Turkey to strengthen its capacity to combat migrant smuggling, notably reinforcing the Turkish coastguard patrolling and surveillance capacitites”.
The European Union expects Turkey to implement a number of reforms before this is put in place, including bolstering its own visa and residency rules.
European officials were also set to push Turkey to tackle people smugglers, a scourge that was once again in the spotlight after police in Athens arrested an Afghan smuggler accused of keeping 34 migrants, including 12 minors, locked up in an apartment.
Greece’s coast guard said it rescued 1,743 refugees or migrants over the weekend in 57 separate search-and-rescue operations near eastern Aegean islands, and the body of a child was found washed up on an island beach. Turkey has in the past rejected the establishment of such centers. Officials on both sides said the document would form the basis of further negotiations to address the migrant crisis.
Zsolt Nemeth, head of the Hungarian parliament’s foreign relations committee, said Tuesday that his country is working jointly with the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia to help protect Hungary’s border with Croatia, which is also an external border for the EU’s passport-free Schengen travel zone.
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It contains no mention of Erdogan’s call in Brussels for Europeans to back Ankara’s plan to set up “safe areas” and no-fly zones in northern Syria, on which EU officials and member state governments are deeply sceptical.
