Turkey offers to sign migrant readmission agreements with 14 countries

Turkey offers to sign migrant readmission agreements with 14 countries

Turkey has offered to sign readmission agreements with 14 countries, the foreign ministry’s spokesman said on Wednesday (March 1). The agreement would enable Turkey to more quickly take back migrants rejected by the European Union.

“We offered 14 countries that have been the source of irregular migration to sign readmission agreements. The number of migrants going to Greece from Turkey have significantly decreased as of February 2016. Our coast guard units and security forces are working hard to stop the irregular flow of migrants,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic told reporters at a media briefing.

The EU agreed a 3 billion Euros ($3.3 bln) aid deal with Turkey to help it shelter refugees mainly from the Syrian civil war, in return for preventing their travelling on to Europe.

EU leaders want to see results before key talks with Turkey on March 7 and their own migration summit on March 18-19.

Asked about the peace process in Syria, Bilgic accused Russian forces and Syrian government of carrying out offensives and breaching the ceasefire.

“On the first day (of the ceasefire) a remarkable tranquility was achieved in Syria but as of second day, especially Syrian regime and Russia carried out bombardments. We have received information that Russians used cluster bombs and Syrian regime forces used barrel bombs,” Bilgic said, adding the bombardments by Russian forces and Syrian government could pose an obstacle for negotiations.

The United Nations will delay the next round of Syria peace talks by two days to allow the cessation of hostilities in force since Saturday (February 27) to take hold.

International observers have acknowledged violations of the agreement while reporting that the level of violence has decreased considerably.

Moscow, meanwhile, called for the Syrian border with Turkey to be closed. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it was a channel being used to supply weapons to groups he described as terrorists, with some arms hidden in humanitarian aid deliveries. Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman dismissed Lavrov’s comments.

“We find these claims intentional and don’t take them seriously. Russia has a record of human rights (violations) and this is well known by the international community. Lavrov’s statements are nothing but useless efforts to cover the war crimes Russia has been committing in Syria,” Bilgic said.

Tanju Bilgic said Turkey had hit only Islamic State targets in Syria since the start of the ceasefire.

“Turkey has not hit any other targets in Syria other than those of Islamic State since the ceasefire went into effect. On February 28, 41 round of shelling was carried out against six targets and this has been already reported by media,” he said.

Turkish artillery hit as many as 10 Islamic State targets inside Syria on Sunday (February 28), a military official said on Monday (February 29). The Turkish broadcaster NTV said the targets were to the north of Aleppo.

Militants from the Islamist group had launched an assault on Sunday on the Kurdish-controlled town of Tal Abyad on Syria’s border with Turkey.

Warplanes belonging to an international U.S.-led coalition responded with 10 air strikes to try to repel them, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. It said at least 45 Islamic State militants and 20 Kurdish militia fighters had been killed.

 

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