Turkey urges 'joint international action' to tackle Afghan migrant surge

The international community must come together and launch a joint action to tackle the migration surge from Afghanistan post the Taliban’s political takeover, and “not just throw money at the problem," Turkey's foreign minister said on Thursday, 2 September 2021, in indirect jabber at the EU. When asked by a Turkish reporter whether the new migration deal with the European Union (EU) would include Afghan nations fleeing atrocities back home, the Turkish minister rejected the claim saying that any deal that entails just the financial aid in return for Turkey hosting refugees will not be considered. 

"Cooperation with an understanding that ‘we're paying, so keep the Afghans in your country' is not acceptable,” Cavusoglu told a press conference alongside the Dutch counterpart Sigrid Kaag in Turkey's capital Ankara.“We've been saying from the beginning that we will not accept such an offer,” he stressed, clearly. 

Furthermore, the Turkish Foreign Minister said that the Afghan refugees must be able to return to their homelands “voluntarily and in a dignified way” once the political situation stabilizes and the government is formed. He elaborated that Turkey does not show bias, and neither differentiated in turning back the refugees as the crisis spillover in the Mideast nation from the 2015 Syrian migrant influx. Irregular migrants sent back from Greece under the 2016 Turkey-EU migration deal, were just as much returned at the border as the migrants fleeing Kabul’s turmoil, Cavusoglu told reporters on Sep. 2. 

Turkey 'more than fulfilled' its moral by assisting evacuations: FM 

Turkish minister stressed that the new deal with EU must outline the safe return for both Afghan and Syrian refugees to their respective countries, adding: "This issue is continuing to worsen, creating problems. If it's a problem for the EU, then it's problem for Turkey, too.” Turkey has "more than fulfilled" its moral and humanitarian responsibilities by assisting the other countries in evacuations following the Taliban takeover of the Afghan capital Kabul last month, the minister said. He added Turkey’s "greatest hope" for Afghanistan is for the country to "ensure order and stability as soon as possible.” Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu cited the 2016 migration deal, saying that Turkey had done its part under this agreement, but that the EU had failed to fulfil its responsibilities.