(Deutsche Version hier)

Today, 9 March 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan meets President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council Charles Michel.

Sergey Lagodinsky, the Chair of the Turkey delegation of the European Parliament and member of the Greens/EFA group, comments:

„The Turkish President only has leverage as long as EU governments fail to agree on a fair European system for the distribution of refugees. The German government must lead the way, work for a humanitarian corridor and accept an adequate contingent that goes beyond the previously promised arrangement and effectively remedies the situation.“

„The European Union and European governments must do everything in their power to end the humanitarian disaster in Idlib and to exert influence on Russia, which is one of the main parties responsible for the thousands of refugees in Syria through its war crimes and its support for the Assad regime. I hope that it has also become clear to Recep Tayyip Erdogan that his foreign policy shift towards the Kremlin was a strategic mistake. Turkey and the EU are interdependent and must return to a constructive cooperation centred on the humanitarian protection of refugees, human rights and the rule of law.“