The EU-Turkey Agreement worsens the plight of refugees

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 21st March 2016, Nicosia

 

AKEL denounced from the very beginning the content of the EU-Turkey Agreement, which is the result of coldblooded bargaining between Brussels and Ankara and which does not comply with International Law on refugees and asylum. The Agreement represents a climax of the EU policy of cynicism and insensitivity towards the victims of a war, to whose suffering it has contributed to. This is yet more proof that the EU’s professed values ​​and principles are meaningless.

AKEL had previously urged President Anastasiades to reject not only Turkey’s unacceptable demands, but also the closure of the “Balkan corridor” for the refugees. Nevertheless, the 28 EU leaders with the decisions approved on 18th March sealed the indefinite confinement of tens of thousands of refugees in Greece. At the same time, NATO and FRONTEX will continue their patrols and manhunts in the sea, with the danger of more tragedies and the strengthening of the gangs of traffickers.

The EU proceeded to Turkey’s inclusion in the list of “safe third countries” in order to legally cover the “return” of the refugees to it, after the examination in Greece of their applications, with fast-track procedures. However, international agencies and humanitarian organizations are expressing their strong concerns and objections, citing specific cases of mistreatment of refugees by the Turkish authorities and their relocation to war-stricken Syria. Can it really be expected that the Turkish government will fully respect the human rights of refugees, when – as all of humanity is daily observing – it shows no respect of human rights for its own citizens? It is therefore imperative that the appeals and recommendations of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and UNICEF on the Agreement are listened to.

AKEL reiterates its position for the need to fully respect the Geneva Convention and International Law on refugees, for the abolition of the Dublin Regulation and the implementation of a binding refugee hosting program in the EU, with each Member State assuming its share of the responsibility, according to its population and capabilities. We demand the disengagement of NATO from the handling of the refugee crisis and its withdrawal from the Aegean Sea.