Germany, Greece call for closer EU-Turkey cooperation on migration

The German and Greek governments on Tuesday called for closer cooperation between the EU and Turkey to stem irregular migration into Europe.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the 2016 Türkiye-EU agreement has been effective in curbing irregular migration, and they are supporting efforts to further develop this cooperation.

“This is an important agreement for European Union and it is an important agreement for Turkey,” Scholz said at a joint news conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Berlin.

“This agreement has had a good effect and therefore it must be reinvigorated, it must be prolonged, and further developed,” he said, adding that currently the EU is holding talks with Ankara on this matter.

The EU-Turkey migration agreement, which was signed in March 2016, significantly reduced the flow of migrants into Europe via the Aegean Sea and contributed to saving many lives. However, various problems related to the agreement’s implementation led to criticism from both sides.

Ankara has repeatedly criticized its European partners for not honoring their political commitments, and not providing adequate financial resources for sharing the burden of the refugee crisis.

Greece demands more support

Mitsotakis said Athens wants to further develop cooperation with Turkey on curbing illegal migration, and said the EU should increase financial assistance for countries bearing the burden of this crisis.

“It is very likely that countries like Greece, which are on the external borders of the EU, may face new migration challenges,” he said, pointing out to the risk of new refugee flows due to the conflicts in the Middle East.

Mitsotakis said the new European pact on migration and asylum must be adopted soon in order to strengthen solidarity and ensure fair burden-sharing among the EU members.

The Greek premier added that he will be hosting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Athens next month to discuss normalization of bilateral relations, EU-Turkey relations and cooperation to stem irregular migration.

Turkish-Greek rapprochement

Scholz welcomed the recent thaw in Turkish-Greek relations, and expressed support for the rapprochement between the two neighbors.

"We welcome the good neighbourly relations between the two NATO allies, Greece and Türkiye,” he said, adding that in recent years the German government has also tried to be helpful in resolving differences between Athens and Ankara.

“I look forward with great confidence to the talks between the Greek and Turkish governments that are planned for the near future. This is something where we all work together,” Scholz added.