The European Union’s deal with Turkey is failing to stop migrants from crossing into Europe, German media reports suggest. “The number of refugees coming into Europe through Turkey has risen sharply,” writes the German weekly Der Spiegel citing EU officials. In the early months of 2018 over 15,000 migrant crossed over from Turkey into Greece–a “nine-fold increase compared to last year’s figures,” Austrian newspaper Heute reported.
In March 2016, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had reached a migrant deal with Turkish President Recep Erdogan. The agreement obliged Turkey to rein in migrant trafficking in Aegean in return for billions of euros in ‘aid’. As part of the 2016 deal, Merkel also agreed to accept 150,000 to 200,000 migrants from Turkey against the wishes of several European member states.
Chancellor Merkel is pushing for similar deals with the Muslim-majority countries of North Africa. “We must agree on similar deals with other countries, such as in North Africa, in order to get better control over the Mediterranean sea refugee routes,” Merkel said months after sealing the deal with Turkey.
Despite Erdogan’s repeated threats to scrap the deal and ‘flood Europe with migrants’, EU continues to cut large checks to Ankara. By March 2018, European countries shipped more than €6 billion to Erdogan under the deal.
Erdogan, however, isn’t satisfied with financial incentives alone. He also wants visa-free travel for 80 million Turkish nationals within Europe’s Schengen zone.
German weekly Der Spiegel reported the surging migrant influx across Turkey’s borders:
In recent months, more migrants have come into Europe through Turkey than last year. According to the European Commission (EU’s executive arm), the number of unauthorized crossings on the coasts and territorial borders of the EU has more than doubled compared to the first quarter of the previous year. As of May 6, estimated 15,450 refugees entered Europe through this route.The EU Commissioner for Greece called for more border officers to be dispatched and providing the EU border and coastal protection agency Frontex with better equipment. Member states need to urgently allocate resources for the agency to keep its operations running and to take up additional tasks, [EU Commissioner] Avramopoulos said. [translation by the author]
The sudden surge in migrant inflow coincides with Turkey’s renewed efforts to join the European Union. Earlier this week, Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Recep Akdag told a German newspaper that he wanted his country’s “EU accession to be sped up.” The EU had suspended the accession talks after Erdogan regime began a massive clampdown on dissidents and Kurdish minority in the wake of Turkey’s 2016 military coup.
While the European politicians and media are clueless about the real nature of the demographic shift taking place in the continent, Erdogan sees it as an instrument of war against the Christian West. Last March, he told his supporters that Turks were “the future of Europe.” “My brothers and sisters in Europe…have not just three but five children,” the Turkish leader declared.
Europe’s ruling elite are appalled by President Donald Trump’s proposal to build a border wall to curb illegal immigration. They would rather build bridges than erect border walls. We Europeans ‘celebrate when walls are brought down and bridges are built,’ EU Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini said last year while rebuking Trump administration’s immigration policy.
By refusing to secure its outer borders, Europe has outsourced the security and welfare of its citizens to third-world rogue actors like Erdogan. Funneling billions of euros to Turkey’s Islamic regime will only strengthen terrorism at Europe’s doorsteps.
Video: ‘Turkey wants full EU membership,’ says Erdogan
[Cover image via YouTube]
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY