-Turkey agreement that allows Greece to deport all “irregular migrants” who arrive after March 20 to Turkey while they wait to apply for asylum. Germany can “well understand” the stance taken by the commission, the EU’s executive arm, Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said in Berlin. “On fulfilling the remaining benchmarks of the visa liberalization roadmap, the Commission continues to provide support and expertise to the Turkish authorities to accelerate the reforms needed to fulfill the remaining requirements”, she added.
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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavusoglu has warned his country will not hold on to the migrant deal reached with the European Union unless the latter proceeds the visa liberalization the two sides agreed on in the spring. He also said that the government is waiting for a date for visa liberalisation.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has told the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that the refugee deal had worked due to “very serious measures” taken by Turkey, without specifying which measures.
A top Turkish official has threatened to stop providing temporary protection for refugees on behalf of the European Union if Turks can not get visa-free travel soon. “President Erdogan has several times hinted he wants to terminate the agreement”, he said.
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The Commission will update the state of play in the program report on the EU-Turkey deal in September, according to the spokeswoman.
