IOM says all must honor Turkey-EU migration pact

GENEVA

An international migration body has urged all parties to meet their commitments on the European refugee crisis, saying the EU-Turkey deal achieved significant success.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency in Geneva, International Organization for Migration (IOM) spokesperson Joel Millman said on Tuesday the number of asylum seekers crossing into Greece had fallen sharply due to measures adopted by Turkey last year after the deal.

In March 2016, Turkey and the EU signed a refugee deal which aimed at discouraging irregular migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving the conditions of the nearly three million Syrian refugees in Turkey.

According to latest IOM figures, nearly 23,000 people passed to Greece from Turkey in the first 10 months of this year while the number was about 170,000 last year, and 780,000 in 2015.

The deal also included a €6 billion ($6.8 billion) aid package to help Turkey care for millions of refugees hosted in the country.

The EU promised to initially allocate €3 billion ($3.5 billion) in its first tranche for projects to support Syrian refugees, however, only €800 million ($930 million) was transferred so far.

Stating that the IOM does not express opinions on political issues, Millman said they do not know why the EU did not pay this money but added "all parties must fulfill the obligations" so asylum seekers will not be affected.

Ankara says it has spent more than €20 billion ($24.1 billion) from its own national resources on helping and sheltering refugees since the beginning of the Syrian civil war.

Reporting by Bayram by Ilker Girit

GENEVA

An international migration body has urged all parties to meet their commitments on the European refugee crisis, saying the EU-Turkey deal achieved significant success.

According to latest IOM figures, nearly 23,000 people passed to Greece from Turkey in the first 10 months of this year while the number was about 170,000 last year, and 780,000 in 2015.

The deal also included a €6 billion ($6.8 billion) aid package to help Turkey care for millions of refugees hosted in the country.

The EU promised to initially allocate €3 billion ($3.5 billion) in its first tranche for projects to support Syrian refugees, however, only €800 million ($930 million) was transferred so far.

Ankara says it has spent more than €20 billion ($24.1 billion) from its own national resources on helping and sheltering refugees since the beginning of the Syrian civil war.

Reporting by Bayram by Ilker Girit