Erdogan says Turkey defended Europe from influx of refugees
By Gunay Hasanova
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Europe is yet to pay $3 billion to Turkey for refugee provision.
"Turkey has defended Europe from the influx of refugees," TRT Haber TV channel quoted Erdogan as saying at a meeting with international investors in Ankara on August 2.
The Heads of State and the EU Member States' governments agreed with Turkey upon a joint plan to combat the migration crisis in mid-March. The program is focusing on the return of illegal immigrants arriving from Greece to the territory of Turkey and accepting legal Syrian refugees in Turkey by the EU based on to the principle of "one for one".
"Europe has never kept its promise. They still have not paid $3 billion allocated for maintenance of refugees. They cannot demand anything without fulfilling their promises," said Erdogan.
Earlier, Minister for EU Affairs Volkan Bozkir reported that Ankara will get $3 billion allocated by the EU for the maintenance of Syrian refugees in Turkey.
Currently, there are more than two million Syrian refugees in the territory of Turkey. Approximately 300,000 of them live in the camps and the rest are scattered over the Turkish provinces. Only Istanbul is host to 40,000 refugees from Syria.
In turn, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned the EU that Turkey will have to withdraw from the implementation of the migrants return program that unless the visa facilitation occurs.
Previously, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned the EU that Turkey will have to withdraw from the implementation of the migrants return program unless the visa facilitation occurs.
Turkey has long waited for its EU membership, while each application to accede to the European Union was frustrating for the government. Turkey, holding a status of an associate member at the Economic Community -- the predecessor of the EU since 1963 -- made an official application for entry on April 14, 1987.
The membership bid has become a major controversy of the ongoing enlargement of the European Union.
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