Refugee crisis 'brings Turkey, EU closer': Experts

BRUSSELS

The challenges of the refugee crisis the European Union faces have pushed the 28-nation bloc closer to and Turkey, experts said Monday.

Speaking at a panel discussion at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, Portugal's former foreign minister Antonio Martins da Cruz said: "The [EU’s] cooperation with Ankara is essential to security in the region."

"We are, in my opinion, in the turning point in European-Turkey relations," da Cruz said.

European Union leaders have agreed to discuss a €3 billion ($3.23 billion) deal with Turkey for refugee support and to help stem the tide of people fleeing the Syrian conflict.

"Turkey-EU relations have become prominent because of migration crisis," European Commission’s Turkey unit head Patrick Paquet said.

"In the coming weeks, the challenge in that relationship is to gain mutual trust [and] mutual understanding," Paquet said. "EU remembers Turkey only when it wants to ask something and it is neglecting Turkey."

The Turkish government, according to official figures, has so far spent $8 billion on caring for around 2.5 million refugees it hosts inside the country.

More than 150,000 people crossed from Turkey to Greece last month, compared with more than 8,500 in October 2014, according to EU’s border agency, Frontex.

BRUSSELS

The challenges of the refugee crisis the European Union faces have pushed the 28-nation bloc closer to and Turkey, experts said Monday.

"We are, in my opinion, in the turning point in European-Turkey relations," da Cruz said.

European Union leaders have agreed to discuss a €3 billion ($3.23 billion) deal with Turkey for refugee support and to help stem the tide of people fleeing the Syrian conflict.

"Turkey-EU relations have become prominent because of migration crisis," European Commission’s Turkey unit head Patrick Paquet said.

The Turkish government, according to official figures, has so far spent $8 billion on caring for around 2.5 million refugees it hosts inside the country.

More than 150,000 people crossed from Turkey to Greece last month, compared with more than 8,500 in October 2014, according to EU’s border agency, Frontex.