Europe

Turkish ambassador lambasts response to migrant influx

Necip Egüz also accuses some EU states of ‘protectionist tendencies’ as Turkey’s accession hiatus continues

A boy queues with other migrants and refugees to enter a transit camp in Slavonski Brod on Wednesday. Thousands of newly arrived migrants and asylum seekers are on the move through Croatia and towards the border with Slovenia, from where they plan to continue their journey to western European countries. Thousands - many fleeing violence in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan - have been making their way from Turkey to the Balkans in recent months, hoping to reach Germany, Sweden and other EU states. Photograph: Elvis Barukcic/AFP/Getty Images

Ciarán D'Arcy
Wed Nov 4 2015 - 13:51

EU countries have demonstrated a "deficit of solidarity" with Turkey as it struggles to accommodate 2.4 million refugees as a result of the Syrian crisis, Ankara's ambassador to Ireland said on Wednesday.

Speaking to an Oireachtas committee on foreign affairs, Necip Egüz said Turkey has now spent almost € 7.32 billion accommodating emigrants from its war-torn neighbour compared to contributions of € 381 million from the international community.

“This is not sustainable. We feel that there is a clear deficit of solidarity on the part of the international community on burden sharing with respect to the Syrian crisis,” he told TDs and Senators.

“It is neither possible nor just to expect Turkey to cope with this overwhelming migration, as well as risks and threats emanating from Syrian refugees alone.”

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Close to 12 million men, women and children have now been displaced as a result of the ongoing conflict between Bashar Al-Assad’s Syrian regime and oppositional factions, including ISIS and regional movements.

Migrants to Turkey are now dispersed across all major towns and cities, he said, with almost 300,000 catered for in refugee camps near the Syrian border.

The influx is placing major strain on Turkey’s health and education systems, he added, before welcoming pledges of increased financial assistance from the EU.

Mr Egüz reiterated his country’s position that Al-Assad must be deposed as leader for any workable solution going forward, and that the Syrian state as currently exists must not be fragmented.

"If Syria starts breaking up, this will lead to new risks and threats in the Middle East, increased ethnic and religious strife, and proliferation of violent terrorist organisations with global ramifications," he said.

Elsewhere, the ambassador accused some EU member states of exhibiting "protectionist tendencies" as the hiatus continues in Turkey's stuttering accession process, but Sinn Féin's Seán Crowe questioned whether the delay was due more to the country's "continued poor democratic standards" and occupation of northern Cyprus.

Turkey held its third series of elections in the last 14 months on November 1st when the AKP party were swept back to power with a parliamentary majority.

However, international observers from the OECD noted incidents of voter intimidation, violence, widespread media restrictions and irregular closing times for polls.

Mr Egüz defended his country’s democratic record, saying that, in general, elections have always been “fair and transparent”.

Members of the committee also extended their condolences to the Turkish people following the bombing of a peace rally in Ankara last month in which over 100 people lost their lives.

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