Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is irate at the European Union for not delivering on their promised quid pro quo, which was, essentially, Turkey would keep millions of Syrian refugees from flooding Europe, and in return Europe would let millions of Turkish tourists and employment seekers come in without a visa.
Speaking to Le Monde on Monday, Erdogan threatened that the Turkish migrant deal with the EU “will not be possible” if visa-waiver promises are not kept.
“The European Union does not behave sincerely with Turkey,” Erdogan said. “We currently host three million refugees, whereas the only EU concern is that they do not arrive on its territory.”
He said the EU had offered the visa exemption for Turkish nationals in return for Turkey’s humane treatment of the Syrian hordes, and the measure was supposed to take effect on June 1.
“We are now in August and there is still no visa-waiver. If our demands are not met, re-admissions will no longer be possible,” said the Turkish leader.
Turkey and the EU signed the deal on March 18, aiming to discourage irregular migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving conditions for nearly three million Syrian refugees in Turkey, Anadolu reported.
Erdogan did not mention that Turkey had received the aid package portion of the deal, to the tune of $6.8 billion, ostensibly to help Turkey care for the millions of refugees it hosts.