Greek PM, Turkish president to discuss Afghan developments – KIRO 7 News Seattle

ATHENS, Greece – (AP) – The Greek Prime Minister and Turkish President will speak on Friday evening to discuss “the latest developments in Afghanistan,” the Greek Prime Minister’s office said, as both countries are concerned about a possible large influx of people say Afghanistan after the Taliban came to power.

Greece has repeatedly stated that it will not allow a repeat of 2015, when hundreds of thousands of people crossed from the nearby Turkish coast to Greek islands before heading north through Greece and the Balkans to the more affluent countries of the European Union.

Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will speak to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at 7.30 p.m. local time (4.30 p.m. GMT), Mitsotakis’ office said.

On Thursday, Erdogan called on European nations to take responsibility for Afghans fleeing the Taliban and warned that Turkey would not become Europe’s “refugee camp”.

The day before, Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said that the current priority is evacuating EU and Afghan citizens who had worked with EU forces there, but that Greece “does not accept being the gateway for irregular flows into the EU “.

On Greek Skai television he stated that Greece does not border Afghanistan and that “there are countries to the east of us that could offer initial protection if necessary”. Turkey is a safe country for Afghan citizens.

Comments have risen in recent weeks as the number of Afghans entering Turkey from Iran across the border has increased in recent weeks.

Anti-migrant sentiment is high in Turkey as it grapples with economic problems – including high unemployment – exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, and there is little appetite in the country to take in more people.

“We have to remind our European friends of this fact: Europe – which has become a magnet for millions of people – cannot stay out of the (refugee) problem by sealing its borders hard, for the safety and wellbeing of its citizens to protect. “Said Erdogan.

“Turkey has no duty, responsibility or obligation to be Europe’s refugee camp,” said Erdogan.

Erdogan said his country is home to 5 million foreigners – including 3.6 million Syrians who fled the neighboring country’s civil war and 300,000 Afghans. Around 1.1 million are foreigners with a residence permit, he said.

In 2016, Turkey and the European Union signed an agreement for Turkey to stop hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees on their way to Europe in exchange for visa-free travel for Turkish citizens and substantial financial support from the EU.

Erdogan has often accused the EU of violating its side of the deal, while the deal left thousands of asylum seekers languishing in miserable refugee camps on the eastern Greek islands.

The migration issue has also sparked tensions between Greece and Turkey, neighbors and NATO allies who have been on the verge of war several times since the mid-1970s. In March 2020, Turkey announced that its borders with the EU were open and encouraged thousands of migrants to head to the Greek border, creating chaotic scenes when Greece closed its border crossings with Turkey.

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