EU commissioner visits Turkey for 2016 migrant deal

ANKARA

EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson paid a visit to Turkey on May 7 for talks on the 2016 migrant agreement.

Johansson met with Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu.

“During the visit, all aspects of the 18 March Agreement will be discussed, in particular the Turkey-EU cooperation in the field of migration and visa liberalization dialogue,” a statement by the Foreign Ministry had said on May 6.

The 2016 deal envisages Turkey prevents refugees and migrants from trying to reach Europe in exchange for refugee aid and other conditions. The EU offered Turkey 6 billion euros ($7.1 billion) to help Syrian refugees. However, only 3.6 billion euros were spent or could reach Syrians, and the bloc should further help Turkey, according to Turkish officials who have been urging Brussels to renew the deal for current conditions.

In early April, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, paid a visit to Ankara to discuss the steps to be taken to realize a positive agenda in ties.

Following the talks in capital Ankara, von der Leyen stated that they would soon present a proposal for the cooperation to support Turkey.